When Kim Rosamond was named head coach at Tennessee Tech on March 31, 2016, she understood one of the keys to restoring the program's winning ways would be her staff's ability to attract the state's top players back to Cookeville. Rosamond had spent more than a decade coaching and recruiting up and down I-40, and she knew the state of Tennessee had long been a hotbed for high school girls basketball.  She also understood the importance of making a statement early on the recruiting trail.

Abby Buckner and Taylor Lamb would be cornerstones to the new staff's first two signing classes at Tennessee Tech, and those first signing classes would quickly put the Golden Eagles on the winning path. Both came from successful high school programs in Tennessee, and both were what Rosamond believed were the kind of "winners" the program needed.

Buckner was a local star at Middle Tennessee Christian in nearby Murfreesboro, and Lamb was a two-time TSSAA State Tournament MVP who led her South Greene High School team to back to back state championships in 2016 and 2017. Both brought impressive resumes, dynamic leadership skills and competitive spirits with them to Cookeville.

"Signing Abby in our 2017 class and Taylor in our 2018 class really gave us a great deal of credibility on the recruiting trail early," Rosamond said. "Both were highly respected players in this state, and both were the kind of players other talented players wanted to play with.  They were two very important pieces to our puzzle."

Buckner arrived at Tech in the fall of 2017 with a talented freshmen class that includes current mainstays Kesha Brady, Jordan Brock, Megan Clark and Mackenzie Coleman. She became an immediate contributor to one of the youngest teams in the OVC during the 2017-2018 season, and quickly became a fan favorite for her hustle and passionate play.

In the fall of 2018, Lamb brought her winning ways to Tech. She joined Buckner and a talented Golden Eagle squad and helped the team finish the 2018-2019 season with 22 overall wins (the most since going 23-8 in 2010-11), the first postseason win since 2005-06 and the third-best turnaround season in the country.  Lamb's toughness and tenacity were felt the minute she arrived on campus, and it spread to the rest of the team.

Last season, the duo played vital roles in helping the Golden Eagles to one of their best conference starts in recent memory (8-0 – the best since starting OVC play with 15 straight wins in 2000-01) and their first back to back winning seasons since 2011-12 and 2012-13. 

Then fate stepped in.

Both players had battled significant injuries in the past only to fight through the pain to find a way to be on the court with their teammates.  Lamb was having an outstanding sophomore season only to have it cut short last February due to a chronic back injury.  The previous season, Buckner played most of her sophomore season with a painful shoulder injury and had surgery at the completion of the 2019 season.

"Last season, Taylor was the X-factor in a lot of games for us, especially early," Rosamond said. "She had really begun to have a breakthrough season until her pain became unbearable. When we lost Taylor going into the last month of the season, it shook our team. We struggled down the stretch, and I truly believe Taylor's presence would have really helped us finish several of those late games in February. Taylor's basketball IQ, fight, skillset and toughness are hard to find. She just understands how to win.  I have no doubts, she would have been a difference-maker for us this season. Taylor has a true heart of a champion. If she ever wanted to coach, she would make a great one."

Rosamond continued, "You are talking about two pure competitors in Abby Buckner and Taylor Lamb. Every time they stepped on the court, you could count on them to bring passion and toughness to our team. Their presence, their confidence, their leadership – those are just a few of the reasons it made the reality of not being able to coach them again such a tough pill to swallow. This year's team is turning into a very good basketball team, but we would have been even better with those two on the court with us."

Neither knew their final games in purple and gold had come last season, but both were forced to make difficult decisions led by the head and not just the heart.

While working hard to rehab and recover from her back injury, Taylor received a crushing recommendation from doctors last spring that she retire from basketball. 

The hard-nosed post player has long been someone who loves a challenge, and Lamb set out to prove the experts wrong; however, as summer progressed, it became apparent that it was in the best interest of her long-term health to hang up her sneakers.  Reluctantly, Taylor medically retired in late July before the start of what would have been her junior year.

"We are a true family," Lamb said. "Whenever I decided this, my entire team showed their support and told me I was still going to be a huge part of this family and that was the biggest blessing. I will always have a group of sisters behind me."

Lamb ended her highly-promising career with just 38 games played, scoring 120 points and collecting 64 boards in just 2.5 seasons. She had eight assists, five blocks and 11 steals to her credit, while shooting .542 from the field. She collected a career-high 17 points and two steals in a December 2018 road win at Wichita State.

In true fashion, she has remained a steadfast part of the team's success as she has served as a student assistant this past season.

"I am a cheerleader, always being on my teammates' side," Lamb said. "I see what is going on as an athlete's perspective but also hearing what the coaches are saying.  It has been beneficial to the team, and I want to give everything back to this team. It has been tough this year, not being on the court.  I miss enjoying every moment out on the court with my teammate, but I am grateful to still be a part of it and cheering on all of their successes."

Playing through the pain was tough on Lamb, but with the support of her Golden Eagle family, she has soldiered on. 

"This injury has been a part of me since high school but Division I basketball is totally different," Lamb said. "It has taken its toll on me, but the coaches and trainers have done everything they can to help me through it."

For Buckner, the senior guard was poised to wrap up her career on the cusp of putting her name in the Golden Eagle all-time record books, standing just outside the top 20 in several categories. But a second shoulder injury forced her to undergo another surgery in late December and cut her 2020-21 season short before it began.

"A stat sheet will never do justice of telling the story of what Abby Buckner brought to our team and our program," Rosamond said. "Her play helped us win a lot of games over the last three years, but it's all the huddles, encouraging words, high fives that tell who she is a person and player. A leader's job is to lift and inspire, and that is what she did every day and continues to try to do even though she isn't on the court.  Some of our struggles early this season came from just trying to figure out how to function effectively without her leadership as well as what we call her 'heart' work.  Abby has a special way of making others believe in themselves, and she just made walking into the gym fun.

"There is no question, we not only lost two key players, but two of our best leaders in Abby and Taylor. I am proud of how our veteran players (Jordan, Mackenzie, Kesha, Megan) and even Anna, as a newcomer, have stepped out of their comfort zones to help fill the void.  But, I speak for all of us, when I say how much we miss having them in uniform."

Buckner ends her career with 379 points, 338 rebounds, 122 assists and 64 steals, while shooting .304 from the floor, .280 from 3-point range and .750 from the free-throw line. Her best game came in a thrilling victory at Belmont in January 2019, leading Tech with 18 points, draining a career-high 5 of 8 shots from behind the arc, as the Golden Eagles snapped the Bruins' 47-game OVC winning streak with a 77-72 victory.

"It has been very different this year," Buckner said. "I have been on the basketball court since I was in the third grade. Not being on it this year has been hard for me, but I know there is a bigger plan.  Everything does not always turn out how we want it to but I have to put trust in God that he has a better plan for me."

"My teammates and coaches were very supportive of my decision this year," Buckner said. "My teammates could tell I was in pain and struggled every day during practice when I couldn't be in a drill. I am still able to use my voice off the court and encourage others to grow and the bond we have is still there."

Of the many daily life lessons both Buckner and Lamb have been taught over their careers at Tech, none has been more relevant to their current situation as "Respond Positive." One of the core teachings in the Golden Eagle culture is that events are uncontrollable but the outcome can be influenced by how you respond. Their daily training teaches them to respond positively no matter the circumstance, and one would expect nothing less from leaders like Lamb and Buckner.

"Selfishly, I just miss the heck out of coaching them, but I also know they made the absolute best decision for their long-term health," Rosamond said. "Given the nature of their injuries, they really didn't have a choice.  My heart hurts for them that they can't be out there with the team they love, but I also know and understand the tough life lessons that this great game gives us.

"Life can be unfair at times, but the way they have responded has truly inspired me. They have taken a really difficult situation and turned it into a positive. They continue to impact us every day, and they will most certainly leave us all better than they found us."

Both players have not only contributed on the court, but in the classroom as well as the community.  They both carry well over a 3.0 GPA and have received numerous academic honors.

Buckner, who is engaged to Tennessee Tech football player Adam Browner, has been just as successful off the court as she was on it.  She was awarded the President's Award in 2019 and 2020, named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2018, 2019 and 2020, as well as being a two-time recipient of the OVC Academic Medal of Honor.  She had a perfect 4.0 in four different semesters and has been on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and Dean's List every semester at Tech. Abby will graduate in May with a degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in Occupational Therapy and will begin Occupational Therapy school in the fall.

An outstanding student in her own right, Lamb will also graduate in May with a degree in Professional Studies with a concentration in Health Administration.  She will complete her course work for graduation in just three short years and has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and Dean's List three semesters at Tech.

While Abby and Taylor weren't able to write the final chapter of their career like they had planned, they will still exit the graduation stage knowing they have helped put Tennessee Tech women's basketball back on the map and in the hunt for championships.

The duo of Lamb and Buckner will be honored alongside four-year manager, senior Blake Ledbetter, during next Saturday's regular-season finale against Murray State. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 5 p.m.