by By Dan Ninham
Taliah DeGroot, 16, is a sophomore at Green Bay Southwest HS (WI). “I am Oneida and Turtle Clan,” said Taliah. “I am also Menominee.”
“I play basketball for Southwest HS coached by Berri West,” said Taliah. “I also currently play on the Wisconsin Purple Aces Junior national team. I have been a part of the Aces Family since fourth grade.”
“My athletic career started off in third grade by playing for the Southwest tournament team,” said Taliah. “In fourth grade I started playing with Oneida Futurez tournament team coached by Derrick and Mariea King, Dave Powless, as well as Derrick Denny.”
“I played with them all the way through eighth grade. Out of all of the years I have spent playing with them, I have learned many life lessons and gained a lot of family,” added Taliah.
“We won two state titles in sixth and eighth grade,” said Taliah. “We also took a second place in fifth grade, and a fifth-place finish in seventh grade. At the Wisconsin State Invitational tournaments during those four years at the tournaments, I was selected to the all-tournament team for each year I played.”
“I played on Team Wisconsin for NAIG, coached by Maniyan Pyawasay and Becky Marquardt,” said Taliah. “I started playing softball in third grade on various tournament teams for Green Bay. One team was very special made up of all Oneida’s coached by my dad Clint Degroot and out of the three years played we won two championships. I also played volleyball but as I grew I decided to focus more on basketball.”
“I am very involved in and outside of my community by volunteering for various things such as cleaning the highways, removing invasive species, helping elders, and the golden house. I was involved with helping raise money for the Special Olympics by doing the event ‘Run with a Cop’ several times. I helped volunteer for the first ever Mental Health Day in Oneida,” added Taliah.
Future star athletes have many positive influences they get support from. The influences provide guidance to do the right things right.
“LaCyia Hill has taught me that no matter what sets you back in life, that you keep pushing forward to achieve your goals and prove others wrong,” said Taliah. “She has battled so many obstacles, and through everything she has always succeeded and made more goals for herself.”
“My dad, Clint DeGroot, influences me by showing me that I can do whatever I want in life as long as I put the work in,” said Taliah. “Throughout my whole life, he has always supported my choices. My mom and my dad have worked I don’t know how many extra hours to be able to pay for everything that I have ever wanted. I know not to take anything in life for granted, knowing what my parents sacrifice for me.”
“Taliah was not very athletic as child and she had to work very hard to be a player she is today,” said dad Clint DeGroot. “She has taken that with her everywhere whether it’s on the court or off the court. She will be the first one to jump down and grab a loose ball and she is always trying to fight for every jump ball she can for her team. She’s not afraid to play different places on the court to help her team out the best she can. She has become a player that can do a little of everything but still knows where her strong skills are and she continues to work on them to take her game to a higher level.”
“Coach Ves is what I want to be when I grow up,” said Taliah. “She is always trying to get me to come out of my shell. She gives me her best advice whenever I ask her questions. Everything that she has done in life, is what I want to do in my life. She has so many accomplishments from playing basketball in college, playing overseas, coaching collegiately, and still going to school while she is coaching me in AAU.”
“First and foremost, Taliah is a thoughtful and wonderful person to be around that makes her extremely easy to coach,” said Coach Lavessa Glover. “When we step on the court, Taliah is the toughest person there, she has a tenacity that I love and ask her teammates to emulate.”
“She is a grounding force for us on defense and offensively she is becoming a go to player for our Aces team. Having had the pleasure of coaching ‘T’ for almost three seasons now, I truly believe that she will never know the positive impact she has had on people because she does everything for the right reasons,” added Lavessa.
“Her continual growth as both a person and basketball player is not only a gift to be a part of but a blessing to see,” said Lavessa. “I describe Taliah in three words: persistent, tough, and reliable.”
“Mariea and Derrick King are some of the best coaches that I have ever had,” said Taliah. “They aren’t only coaches to me, they are family. They have always been there for me day or night, and not just for basketball. They have helped me get through so many obstacles in my life, pushing me to be my best. They are one of my biggest supporters on and off the court. They have spent countless hours with me to help me succeed in my life, and I will be forever grateful for them.”
“We first noticed Taliah when we played against her in third/fourth grade at a Seymour Youth Tourney and she was coordinated and aggressive,” said Mariea King. “In fifth grade in 2015 she came to join our Oneida Futurez team.”
“She worked extremely hard since day one and is very coachable. She plays hard every possession and can see the floor very well for a girl her size but especially when she was in seventh/eighth grade,” added Mariea.
“When she got to high school she made varsity as a freshman and adjusted very well to the high school level,” said Mariea. “The COVID-19 season, her sophomore year, was very short for her high school team. I actually had the opportunity to coach against her, as I was Seymour’s interim assistant coach. I let her know she better bring it and she sure did, popping a three-pointer right in front me while playing hard on both ends of the floor.”
“Taliah puts in work outside of the season and that’s what helped separate her from the other girls in the area,” said Mariea. “From fifth to eighth grade the Oneida Futurez traveled all over the state to play some of the top D1 and D2 teams. Playing against some of the best players in the state prepared the girls for playing in the Wisconsin State Invitational and winning it twice, in sixth grade then again in eighth grade.”
“She was selected for the Wisconsin State Invitational Championship Tournament’s All-Tournament Team from fifth to eighth grade. This award is special because she was picked by the other coaches that we played against in the tournament, and only 10 girls are chosen.”
“I know she received a letter from UWGB at the end of her eighth grade season to let her know that they knew of her,” said Mariea. “Such a perfect validation for all her hard work and dedication to getting better.”
“I go to Appleton for weekly training at Hooplife development ran by Drew Demerath,” said Taliah. “I have shoot-arounds for AAU, practice two-three times a week, and tournaments on the weekends. Sometimes I wake up early before school to scrimmage with ladies in the community with college background experience, also some friends and teammates.”
“Two of Taliah’s best attributes are her attention to detail and her willingness to try new skills,” said Drew Demerath. “As a basketball trainer she comes into my Skill Lab and works hard at her craft, focusing on the minute details. She often replies to my requests to try new skills with, ‘yay, let’s try that.’ Taliah always works hard and continues to push herself even when no one is watching. These skills will help her succeed not only in basketball, but in whatever she chooses to do.”
“My Oneida core values define me by always respecting others, like little things such as helping others up even if they aren’t on my team, and respecting my coaches,” said Taliah.
Photo Credit: D.King of Images
Dot is my Niece n is a very strong athletic young lady. I am so proud of her n all of her accomplishments. Taliah keep reaching for those stars n I’ll always have your back on what ever you do . Love you always 💓💗