By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Calling someone on the street a rat will get you a dirty look or worse. But call Casey Taggatz a "gym rat" and the starting point guard for the Stevens Point Area Senior High boys basketball team would probably just shrug his shoulders and agree.
The senior, who led the Wisconsin Valley Conference in scoring a year ago, has been hanging out in gyms in Stevens Point shooting hoops since he was a kid. Anyone who frequents the SPASH, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, YMCA or Stevens Point Recreation Department gyms has seen him and some of his teammates one time or another.
"We're in the gym non-stop, everyday," Taggatz said. "You feel bad when you take a day off. For years we've been in the gym day after day. Sometimes you miss things but it pays off in the end."
Added SPASH coach Bob Schultz: "He's a gym rat, as are a lot of our kids. You don't have to beg them to get into the weight rooms or in the gym in the summer. That makes good players and good players make good teams."
Schultz didn't waste any time putting Taggatz in the lineup when Taggatz arrived at SPASH as a sophomore. As a spot starter, he finished second on the team in scoring. He even made the game-winning shot in his first varsity game.
"There's no question he was good enough to start," Schultz said. "Even watching him as a ninth-grader at P.J. (Jacobs junior high), I could tell he was going to be a player.
"The main reason we didn't start him as a sophomore is we didn't want to disrupt the chemistry with the seniors. I think I make it easier for him because the seniors would except it more."
Now Taggatz, 5-10, is the senior and both player and coach have seen improvements.
"A lot of it comes from experience," Taggatz said. "Playing with the older guys as a sophomore, I wasn't totally ready for the wars.
"Your skills improve, but it's more the experience and knowing what to do and playing smart. It feels like that extra year gives you that boost, that confidence."
Schultz said the biggest areas Taggatz has improved on are his leadership and physical strength.
"He's shown more leadership, he's more vocal," Schultz said. "It's a lot easier to do when you're a senior.
"The kids respect him. He could be a very vocal leader and get away with it," said Schultz, who added that Taggatz prefers to lead by example.
"When we run our windsprints, if he's not the first to finish, he's one of them."
"He's been faithfully visiting the weight room," Schultz said. "When he was a sophomore he was quick, he was a shooter, but he got pushed around a bit."
Taggatz admits hitting the weights isn't nearly as fun as nailing a 3-pointer, but he said he realizes it's something he should do.
"You don't realize how important it is until you get older, especially if you want to play college ball," Taggatz said. "It's just one of those things that you feel somebody will pass you up if you don't do it."
Taggatz said he wants to continue playing once his days at SPASH are done. Several schools in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, including UW-SP, are recruiting him, as are some private schools.
While a career in college hoops looms, Taggatz still has a lot to play for during his senior season. The Panthers are among the favorites in the WVC and were ranked seventh in the state in the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook.
With Taggatz at the helm, the Panthers won't be a one man team. He really doesn't need to be with seniors Nick Bennett, Josh Hall, Ross Adamczak, John Allee and Derek Czaikowski around him.
"He led the conference in scoring, but he's not a selfish player," Schultz said. "The kids are not envious of him. If they're open, he'll get them the ball.
"He's one of those rare exceptions. It all comes with the team. I'm sure he'll be the first to tell you he couldn't care less if he scored 20 points and we lost. If he scored five and we won, he'd be happy. And not all kids are like that."
After being together on the court for years, Taggatz knows his teammates extremely well.
"Our group of guys have been playing together since fifth grade. All the guys work so hard. They deserve as much credit for our success as I do.
"It makes it easier for me having this core around me. Teams can't focus on just one guy, they have to worry about everybody."
While people around the state are noticing Taggatz's on-the-court actions (Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook lists him among the state's top 50 seniors), many may not know about the point guard once he steps off the hardwood.
"He's such a good person on and off the floor. He's an excellent student, he gets along with everybody," Schultz said. "People like to root for those kind of people. It makes my job that much easier with his personality."
Taggatz isn't the only member of his family that Schultz credits for helping him run the program. He cites Casey's dad, Pete, who helps with areas like the youth program, the booster club and running tournaments.
"His dad has helped me and the team tremendously," Schultz said. "I'm sure glad both Pete and Casey are a part of our program."
Schultz has another Taggatz in the program this year too. Casey's brother, Ryan, made the team as a sophomore.
"It's cool. It was something that I kept inside, I always hoped that he'd make it," Casey said. "It's fun to run out there with your brother on the same team. I'm just so proud of him. He's worked so hard."