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4 O ne of the most rewarding aspects of what I do for a living is to watch young men and women develop into even more talented, driven, and confident young men and women over their four or five years as a member of one of our athletics teams. I could share hundreds of stories about this exciting and rewarding process. Many are similar: A young man or woman has that "breakthrough" moment either athletically or academically and their lives are forever changed. ey leave our campus standing taller, prouder, more confident than they could have ever imagined when they first wandered into their first lecture hall. en there are the stories of personal perseverance, portraits of dogged determination that inspire. is is the path travelled by eairra Taylor, the lone senior on Lisa Bluder's Iowa women's basketball team that advanced to the 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. As most fans of Bluder's Bunch knows, Taylor suffered three "career-ending knee injuries." e first happened when she was a senior at St. Paul Central High School in Minneapolis where she was a finalist for the state of Minnesota's player of the year award. e second occurred 10 games into her rookie season with the Hawkeyes. e third came prior to the start of what would have been her sophomore season. Many athletes that compete at this level of sport successfully return to competition aer one knee injury. I suspect the number of successful returns drops aer two setbacks and, most likely, drops yet again aer three. Taylor didn't quit, and instead she returned from that devastating third setback to play in all 31 of the Hawkeyes' games in her redshirt sophomore season and to be a starter in her final 70 games in a black-and-gold uniform. is past season, she averaged career highs in points and rebounds per game while collecting 104 assists and 60 steals, totals that rank second-best on the squad. It was undoubtedly the type of season Taylor dreamt of while walking to her first class five years go. Aer Iowa's season-ending loss to Louisville, Taylor was asked what she would remember most about her time at the University of Iowa. Her response was what those of us who work each day in intercollegiate athletics know is the real reality of the experience: "It will be the connections with my teammates. It's a great group of girls in that locker room," Taylor said. "I've played with so many great players. ey still contact me now. Just building those relationships that last longer than those basketball memories. at's what I'll remember most." Building Relationships to Last a Lifetime THE FIRST PAGE… By GARY BARTA