Prospect Watch: Taylor Peltier (2018)
Dunseith’s Taylor Peltier has big dreams. The guys he’s been playing with for years are together for one final run and they are motivated in several ways to have a big season.
Taylor played with the North Dakota Cougars this off-season plus spent a lot of time at camps preparing for the year.
“I got in the gym as often as I could this summer, I went to many individual camps,” Taylor stated. “I played for Greg Foster’s North Dakota Cougars and traveled to many different places for tournaments this summer.
Dunseith knows who they have to beat to have the year they want, the team just needs to come together to accomplish their dreams.
“For the Dunseith team, we went to many team camps and did awesome at them, I think we only lost a total of about three games, and those were to Bishop Ryan, Carrington, and a close one to St. John,” Taylor said.
“I worked hard to get ready for my senior season. I feel like individually my season was good. But I hope that as a team we are mature, because if the chemistry is all there we could have a big shot at state.”
Pelteir is a shooter. A marked man that teams know they have to guard but Taylor is still able to get numbers. He wants to be better going at the rim this winter.
“The best part of my game is shooting from deep,” Peltier said. “That is where a lot of my points come from and that has always been my main focus. A lot of shots were put up in my own time this summer. I had a lot of workouts just based on shooting. Another part of my focus is getting to the rim and finishing more than I am used to.”
Many teams lost a lot of talent including well known Four Winds-Minnewaukan. Dunseith on the other hand has everything back.
“Our team returns everyone,” Taylor explained. “We have a lot of seniors which is good for leadership. We have tall boys and we have quick boys. We have it all to make a deep run. We return our two all districts players (Hunter Gladue and me) and we also have a really really deep team compared to a lot of other schools in Class B North Dakota.
“I am just as confident in our last guy off the bench then I am in anyone in the starting lineup. That’s how deep we really are. All the boys are hungry to get to a state tournament.
“I’ve heard that teams like St. John and Four Winds are favorites but I feel like St. John lost a lot from last year. They are nowhere near as deep as last year. They still return their two best players. I feel like we match up well against them.
“And then the other team would be Four Winds. They lost everything but then again they are Four Winds. They are good no matter who they put out on the floor. I feel like we have the biggest shot we’ve ever had to make it to state.”
Adam is playing for something bigger than himself, he’s playing for his teammates, community, and a lost friend.
“My individual goals are to improve in all my stats from last year,” Peltier said. “I feel like I have the potential to have a great season. I recently lost one of my brothers to suicide. And I have been working my tail off in honor of him.
“Adam was an amazing basketball player. I just want to make him proud this year from an individual standpoint. And for team, the only thing I want is to go to state and to play and win the last game on Saturday night.”