When Tayor Gugliuzza committed to Lewis in high school, she had things all planned out.
The talented 5-foot-8 shooting guard would play four years of basketball in Romeoville while studying biology with the intent of possibly becoming a pediatric doctor in the future.
Instead, the Lincoln-Way West graduate will leave school in the spring after playing five seasons of college basketball while studying criminal justice with the hopes on becoming a lawyer.
“I’ve always been interested in the criminal justice field,” Gugliuzza said. “And my whole life everyone told me I would make a great lawyer. It’s super interesting.
“I have a few family friends who are lawyers, and I’m really interested in that stuff.”
Before she heads to the courtroom, however, there are a few more things that need to be done on the basketball court.
Gugliuzza, who was recently named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, will lead the fifth-seeded Flyers (26-3) into first-round play of the NCAA Division II Tournament at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Allendale, Michigan.
Lewis opens up against fourth-seeded Wayne State (19-11). The winner faces either top-seeded Grand Valley (32-2) or eighth-seeded Quincy (25-7) for a regional title at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Gugliuzza averaged 16.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals this season, even though being named the conference’s top player wasn’t in her plans, either.
“I definitely did not expect that and I am so grateful for it,” Gugliuzza said of the honor. “There are a lot of really talented players in the GLVC. I’m so happy they saw the work that me and my team put in and chose me for that.”
Mother McAuley alum Jenna Badali, a redshirt senior guard, also made first team all-conference after averaging 10.8 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds.
Lewis coach Keisha Newell, the former head coach for the Mighty Macs, said Gugliuzza deserved the top accolade.
“I think it’s a testament to Taylor’s unselfishness,” Newell said. “She’s an all-around player who commits to both ends of the court. She bought in to being the best player on both ends.”
Lincoln-Way West’s Taylor Gugliuzza (12) dribbles away from Fremd’s pressure in the second quarter of the Class 4A state title game at Redbird Arena in Normal on Saturday, March 7, 2020. (Brian O’Mahoney / Daily Southtown)
Ryan White, her coach at Lincoln-Way West, wasn’t surprised Gugliuzza earned the award, either.
“She was my most efficient player that has ever come through here,” White said of Gugliuzza. “She did not need 20 shots to score 20-some points.
“Her efficiency was unbelievable, and from what I have seen, she’s the same way at Lewis.”
Gugliuzza wrestled with the decision of taking a fifth year, which was granted because her first season came during the pandemic.
“When we found out we were given another year, I was like, ‘Oh, no, I’m not taking the extra year,’’’ she said. “It was just not for me at all.
“As I got older, I was still on the fence about it. My junior year, I started to think about what I wanted to do, but even then, I wasn’t 100% sure.”
In December of Gugliuzza’s senior season, Newell gathered her and her classmates for a talk about their future. Gugliuzza said that’s when she knew she was going to utilize that extra year.
“There was no reason for me not to take it,” she said. “I had my friends and teammates. I had a great education going for me. And I still got to pay the sport I love.
“It was pretty much a no-brainer at that point.”
Taylor is the oldest daughter from a gifted basketball family. Her sister, Tara, is a senior at Lewis. Another sister, Ava, is a sophomore guard at SIU Edwardsville.
And 12-year-old Tory is a sixth grader who is doing well in the sport.
“She is going to be so much better than we were,” Taylor said of Tory.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
