Track & Field, Basketball
Favorite athlete: Chase Utley
Favorite team: Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning leagues and going undefeated in track last season.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: When my sister shot a three-ball, and it went in, and she went nuts…it was for the other team.
Music on iPod: Anything I can sing along to
Future plans: Go to college at Duquesne University and compete in track and field. To also major in special education.
Words to live by: “Remember, all things are possible for those who believe.” –Gail Devers
One goal before turning 30: To be a coach at a high school or college, coaching basketball or track and field. To also have a family and a teaching job.
One thing people don’t know about me: I have an identical mirror twin sister, and my best friends are triplets.
By Mary Jane Souder
Shannon Taub apparently buys into the concept that you can, in fact, do it all.
The Council Rock South senior is a four-time state medalist in track and field, but when the girls’ basketball team was short on players last year, Taub – whose identical twin sister Allison is a key member of the squad – jumped at the opportunity to join the team.
“I was still playing basketball on the side for CYO,” Taub said. “I never really lost basketball. I was still able to do it, and that made my decision to pick track (freshman year) a little easier because I was still able to play basketball at the same time.”
While it sounds simple enough on the surface, it wasn’t. It meant practicing with the indoor track team from 2:30-4:30 and the basketball team from 4:30-6:30 every day.
“It fit in,” Taub said matter-of-factly.
An outstanding natural athlete, Taub was a welcome addition to the basketball squad, and by the end of the season was getting significant minutes for a varsity squad that finished strong and earned a berth in districts.
“When the season ended, she told me she enjoyed it, but she wanted to do track in college, and that was her first priority,” Rock South coach Monica Stolic said. “She wasn’t sure if she was going to play this year, so I didn’t bother her.”
Taub played with the Golden Hawks during summer league, knowing it might well be her last go-round with her high school team.
The senior track star got an unexpected gift when she made her official visit to Duquesne University this fall. Not only was she offered a track and field scholarship but also given the green light to continue playing basketball.
“I was wearing my basketball jacket, and the coach asked me if I liked basketball,” said Taub. “I said I loved basketball, but I didn’t know if I was going to play.
“She said, ‘You know when you come to college you’re only going to be able to do one sport, so in high school, you should be able to have fun and do what you want. I want you to have fun your senior year.’”
So far, Taub has been having a lot of fun. Although her focus remains track and field, she is a key member of the basketball squad. When the Golden Hawks captured the title of the Diamond State Classic over the holiday break, Taub was named tournament MVP. In the team’s season opening tournament at Methacton, she earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
“I think it’s great for everybody,” Stolic said. “Last year, she was a swing player, but towards the end of the year and in summer league, I could see how athletic she was.
“She could play a couple of positions, she could shoot the ball, she could get out on the break. She’s fast, and she’s quick up and down the court. She’s a hard worker, and she’s a good teammate for everyone.”
Not a bad outcome for an athlete who earned a bronze medal in high jump at the state meet with a leap of 5-7. Her third place finish came on the heels of capturing an eighth place medal as a sophomore. Taub also excels in triple jump, and in last year’s indoor season, she picked up silver medals in both high jump and triple jump.
Talk to Rock South track coach Deric Lynch, and he believes she could do even better this time around.
“She’s a kid that’s just an inkling away from doing something really, really big,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “I think the world of her and her family, and I’m really, really excited to see what she does at nationals, to see what she does at indoor states.
“It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if she was a two-time state champ at indoor, or she could end up just missing it because of a bad day. Either way, she won’t be deterred by it because she has another four years coming, and I’m really excited to see what she achieves after she leaves because I think her potential there is so much higher.”
Lynch admits that he wasn’t a big fan of Taub competing in two sports simultaneously.
“Especially since she signed with Duquesne,” he said. “Now you’re kind of owned by them, and you have to be smart about it.
“I will give her credit – as a coach, I think two sports in one season is the worst idea ever, but she really convinced myself, (assistant coach) Ken Worthen and her basketball coach that – ‘Look, I can handle this.’ You need a special kid to do this, and because she is so smart, because she will do what’s necessary and pull it back when she needs to - I think that’s what makes her so successful.”
While Shannon stars in the jumps, twin sister Allison – a four-year varsity player in basketball – excels in the throws. Both bring similar traits to the sport.
“They don’t get flustered,” Lynch said. “Both of them listen. You tell them something once, and they do it. They don’t make the same mistakes.
“They’re two kids who are students of what they do. They play because they’re good at it. Shannon and Allison both have a diary of every day – what they did, their workouts, what their times were, and they’ve been doing this for years. They do the extra stuff.”
Doing extra stuff is nothing knew to either twin. As youngsters, they tried every sport that came down the pike.
“At one point, we were playing seven or eight sports,” Shannon said. “We ended up really liking soccer, basketball and track.
“My freshman year I decided to do track, and Allison decided to do basketball.”
After finding her niche in track, Shannon opted to walk away from soccer and high school basketball.
Until last year.
If it seems as though competing in two sports simultaneously might be a challenge, Shannon insists it’s not bad.
“I don’t really mind it,” she said. “I love working out, and I love both sports, so it works out.
“For me, if I have a long period of time, I’m going to waste it doing something. So not getting home until 7-7:30 and wanting to go to bed by 9:30, it gives me just two hours to eat, shower and do my homework. I feel like if I had from 3-10, it just wouldn’t get done because I would have so much time. Now everything is structured.”
Taub has parlayed her leaping ability into a scholarship to Duquesne, opting for the Pittsburgh school over runner-up University of Massachusetts. She will major in special education with her sights set on obtaining her NCAA coaching certification.
“I love helping people,” she said.
She is already gaining some valuable coaching experience as both she and Allison are the jump and throw coaches for St. Bede’s CYO.
An excellent student, Taub is a member of the National English Honor Society. She is a peer mentor captain and a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, the Spanish Club, the Mini Thon Committee, and both Allison and Shannon are actively involved with Athletes Helping Athletes.
Although her future in track is decidedly bright, Taub is grateful she had the opportunity to play high school basketball where she teamed up with her twin sister to form a winning combination for the Golden Hawks.
“Allison is always there to help me,” Shannon said. “If I miss a practice because I have a track meet, she’s always giving me the new plays.
“It’s nice having someone that lives in my own house who can help me.”
Both twins are competitive, but it hasn’t impacted their relationship.
“We’re really good friends,” Shannon said. “We’re each other’s number one fan.
“If someone has a huge game, we’re going to be happy for them. It’s not like, ‘Oh god, you scored more points than me.’
“I love it. It’s so much fun. I love having the team aspect, and I love being able to play with Allison again because the last time we played together was eighth grade.”
So far, it’s been a storybook senior year.
