Winters can be long and cold in Roseau, Minn., a good place to spend hours on the ice, playing hockey.
|  | | Megan Taylor has helped Iowa State maintain its top-10 ranking. |
Or in the case of Megan Taylor, a good place to seek the warmth and comfort of a gymnasium, with a basketball in hand.
"It was a great place to grow up," said Taylor of her hometown, which is about 10 miles from the Canadian border. "There are only 2,500 people in Roseau, and hockey is the big sport, but they love basketball, too. It's a great community and they've always given me so much support."
Four years ago, Taylor made the 10-hour trip from Roseau to Ames, Iowa. In Ames, one of the best places to be during the winter is also inside a gymnasium. And Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum is the place where Taylor found her home away from home.
It's the place where Taylor -- a 5-foot-10 senior guard averaging 13.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists -- and her teammates electrify crowds of more than 10,000 fans.
These are high times in Ames, and the kid from Roseau is right in the middle of all the hoopla. Taylor has helped build a Big 12 dynasty-in-waiting, a top-10 team with aspirations of a trip to the Final Four. And if you ask her coach, Taylor is the most significant player in Iowa State's rise to prominence.
"We have had and still have great players at Iowa State," coach Bill Fennelly said. "Megan has been the key thing in the development of our program. When you are trying to build a team you talk about effort and commitment. That's Megan; she's the hardest working player I've ever coached. It will be a sad day for me when she walks off this campus."
That's high praise for Taylor, who has played alongside Stacy Frese and Desirée Francis, who both spent last summer as rookies in the WNBA. Current Cyclones teammate Angie Welle is on her way to All-America status this season, and there are other players who might score more and get more attention.
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SEASON OF SENIORS
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The Class of 2001 -- which includes Tamika Catchings, Svetlana Abrosimova, the Miller twins and dozens of other standouts -- is touted as one of the best in history.
But before we say goodbye to this talented group, ESPN.com will take a closer look at several of these super seniors. The Season of Seniors began over the summer and will resurface throughout the season.
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But the Cyclones seem to revolve around Taylor, their senior leader.
"She has done everything for us," said Fennelly, whose team rose from the Big 12 cellar to win its first conference championship last spring. "She started out as a hustler and rebounder as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Then she scored more for us and got all conference honors.
"Now we ask her to do more on and off the court as our leader. She's more involved and more vocal as a senior. She has done all that we've asked."
Taylor's presence in Ames coincides with Iowa State's ascension into the nation's top 25 teams. There was an Elite 8 appearance two years ago that included an upset of Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Cyclones won a school-record 27 games and the Big 12 title before losing by one point to Penn State in the Sweet 16.
"It has been an unbelievable four years," said Taylor, who is close to becoming Iowa State's career scoring and rebounding leader. "We never really got noticed until we beat UConn. After that, people recognized us and respected us."
The first to come around and recognize what Taylor and the Cyclones have to offer were the hometown fans. Prior to Taylor's arrival, Iowa State averaged just 1,700 fans per game. With more than 10,000 season-ticket holders this season, Iowa State ranks fourth in the nation in attendance.
"The fans always surprise me," Taylor said. "Every year I've been here more people keep showing up, more people are coming out to our games. They're real active and supportive and it's a great place to play. People here are like at home, real friendly and fun to be around."
Back home in Roseau, Taylor was a big-time scorer. In high school, she scored 3,300 career points to become Minnesota's all-time leading scorer, boys and girls. Her dad, Terry, made her try out for a basketball team in the sixth grade and Megan hasn't stopped playing since.
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She wills her way to play. She's not textbook, but if you could bottle Megan's energy and commitment, you'd be rich. She's got a great personality and the fans and players here are drawn to her. ” |
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— Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly |
Years later, Iowa State has turned out to be the perfect fit.
"We shoot a lot as a team," Taylor said. "Coach's philosophy is to take the first open look you get, shoot it before you turn it over. Even on a slow night we know we will hit the shots eventually."
Iowa State leads the nation in 3-point shooting, sinking almost 10 treys per game. Taylor leads the way, and has made more than 230 3-pointers in her college career.
"She wills her way to play," Fennelly said. "She's not textbook, but if you could bottle Megan's energy and commitment, you'd be rich. She's got a great personality and the fans and players here are drawn to her.
"I really respect that she just wants to win. She's not getting a lot of the publicity, but she doesn't care. She's real team-oriented and she just goes out and plays."
And Taylor has just one objective.
"I just want to finish strong," she said. "I'll miss my teammates and coaches and the fans when it ends. It has been a great experience. Right now, I may not realize what we've built here and what we've done.
"It's funny, though, because I didn't even know who Iowa State was when they started recruiting me in high school."
Chances are, the folks at Iowa State probably didn't know where Roseau, Minn., was, either. But now, thanks to Taylor, the two are linked. People in both places already realize what she has done, and hope a trip to St. Louis for the Final Four is upcoming.
Then of course, the question will be what town will be lucky enough to get her next?
ESPN's Beth Mowins is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's college basketball coverage.
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ALSO SEE
Season of Seniors
AUDIO VIDEO
 Megan Taylor drives hard in the paint against Northen Iowa.
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