Inspired by his father, Lansdowne junior Teylor Silverman is shining in his first varsity basketball season

In his first varsity basketball season at Lansdowne, junior guard Teylor Silverman has emerged as the Vikings go-to player on offense, while working hard to consistently improve on defense.

All the while, he has had his father, Michael, in his thoughts.

His father passed away suddenly last year on Feb. 16. Basketball had been their biggest bond.

“Every time I was with him, we were always trying to find a gym to get into — somewhere to shoot around, go play pickup games, indoor or outdoor. We were just always playing basketball somewhere,” said Teylor.

To honor his memory, the varsity and JV teams had a balloon release on the first-year anniversary of his passing.

“His father used to show up to a lot of our practices and it was great. He always kind of kept a distance, but was very encouraging toward all the players and cheered for all the players and not just Teylor,” said Lansdowne coach Greg Karpers.

“So I find myself a lot of times during or after games looking up there [in the stands] and he’s not there, so I can only imagine how Teylor feels. Obviously myself and our assistant coaches can never replace his father, but he’ll always be welcome here, have a home here and have anything he needs.”

Teylor, who transferred from Mount Saint Joseph after his freshman year in 2017, has dedicated the season to his father. He’s averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game with the ability to score from anywhere on the floor.

“After every game, I’m thinking what he would say to me and I’m just trying to make him proud,” said Teylor. “The whole season, what I’ve done has definitely been dedicated to him. Every year from here on out I’ll dedicate it to him.”

The Vikings will take a 12-8 record into the Friday’s Class 3A North region playoff game, hosting Baltimore County rival Milford Mill at 6 p.m.

Karpers and his staff are happy to have Silverman on the court.

“The [assistant] coaches and I were curious if Teylor would want to come back and play or did he lose his love for it with it being something that him and his father were so tight with,” Karpers said. “So I was glad to see that he still wanted to play and, if anything, I think he’s even more focused. It’s just a shame his dad isn’t here to see how well he transitioned to a varsity player.”