Imhotep boys’ basketball dedicates its state title run to the late Dayemen Taylor: ‘Do it for Dame’

“Do it for Dame” was written on a poster that hung in Andre Noble gymnasium at Imhotep Charter, along with other phrases that read “Dames World,” “Phats Day everyday,” and “Long Live Phat Dame,” with students’ names penciled in around it.

The school’s student government organized a celebration of life, referred to as, “Phat’s Day,” last Friday, as the community mourns the loss of 17-year-old Dayemen Taylor, who was a junior at the high school.

Taylor was shot and killed boarding a SEPTA bus home from school at the intersection of Godfrey and Ogontz Avenues on March 4. As Taylor and a group of students stepped onto the bus, two people with guns ambushed them, according to police.

Two other Imhotep students were injured, and two women on the bus were also struck. A motive still remains unclear and no arrests have been made, police said.

Taylor, whom many of his classmates called “Dame” and “Phat Dame,” was described as a hardworking student who was full of school spirit, said Noble, Imhotep’s chief executive officer and boys’ basketball coach.

“He was the life of the party,” Noble added, smiling.

He enjoyed attending the Panthers’ sporting events, especially basketball games.

The team has dedicated this year’s playoff run to Taylor. Imhotep will head to Hershey’s Giant Center on Friday to play Franklin Regional in the PIAA Class 5A boys’ final at 8 p.m. The Panthers’ purpose when they step on the court: “Do it for Dame.”

“He was always the biggest supporter, no matter what the sport was,” said senior guard Ahmad Nowell, who has signed with UConn. “He was just always there for us, no matter the distance. He was amazing. He was one of the few I ever met with that type of energy.

“I’m glad that we’re still able to ‘Do it for Dame.’ That quote will forever live with me, and just be able to really finish the job and do what he would want us to do. I know he would be there this Friday if he was still with us. We want to finish the season right, attribute this win to him.”

Nowell said it has been a rough couple of weeks for the team, which competed in the first round of the playoffs four days after Taylor’s death. The Panthers were struggling emotionally that week.

On the day of the shooting, Nowell recalled being in the gym about to get ready for practice. He just arrived from his internship and heard a teammate say that Taylor had been shot.

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“Nobody believed it,” Nowell said. “Because it was so shocking to hear something like that. Then they confirmed it a couple minutes later. We heard all the police sirens and things of that nature. It was really hard for me to digest. I couldn’t even react at the moment, but it was … traumatizing.”

Imhotep was closed to students the day after the incident. Classes were held virtually until March 7, when students could return to a “wellness day.”

The team also held a practice when students started to return to school. Before he spoke to the group, Noble, who has worked at the school since 2000, hugged each of his players and told them that he loved them.

He could tell that they were in a fog and hurting, as was the rest of the Imhotep community.

“That wasn’t only for them,” Noble said. “That was also for me, that helped me. I think the biggest thing for us has been being there for one another.

“Imhotep is a really tight-knit community. Our families, our staff, our students, we’re all really tight. In terms of grief, it’s good to have a strong sense of community. I really felt like we would be able to lean on each other and pick our young people up.”

The school worked with city officials to bring in more than 20 mental health professionals to talk with the students about the incident. Noble said there were healing circles for students and staff.

In the first round of playoffs, the Panthers took a moment of silence for Taylor before they played Pottstown at West Philadelphia High School.

The cheerleaders wore “#Cheer4Dame” T-shirts, and during the team’s introductions, each of the starting five did Taylor’s dance, which he was known for doing at school.

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“It was kind of hard to stay focused,” Nowell said the week of the incident. “But Brother Andre did his best for us to just lock in. We got into the game and we did our dance for [Taylor] that he created. It was good to go out there and get the first win.”

The incident puts life into perspective, Noble said. While students are grieving the loss of another, it has brought them together to care “for something other than themselves.”

The game has served as a form of therapy for the players, Nowell said, but being able to share a purpose has helped them heal together.

“Our team has a strong sense of brotherhood,” Noble added. “This has been way more real for them and more sincere when they believe it. This isn’t Andre Noble’s rally cry. This is our team’s rally cry.

“When they have something that they rally around, it’s positive. If that gives them extra motivation, that’s a blessing.”