Georgia basketball has a historically great women’s program, and former head coach Joni Taylor maintained the expectations of coaching in Athens. The reports dropped on Wednesday as she accepted the head coaching position at Texas A&M after being in Athens since 2015.
Some fans throughout social media claimed disappointment in her record at Georgia, but those aren’t real Dawg fans.
Taylor deserves the biggest thank you from Dawg Nation and the athletic association because she took over a program after one of the best women’s coaches, Andy Landers, retired, and she thrived in Athens.
Georgia basketball fans should send Joni Taylor a thank you for keeping the women’s program elite.
Taylor consistently made Georgia women’s basketball relevant and competitive. While it stings to see her take another job — she deserves to take the next step and the pay raise that came with it.
Georgia women’s basketball reporter Brandon Sudge wrote a thread that deserves a read. He is one of those who have covered Taylor for the last few years.
The narrative around Joni Taylor at Georgia is baffling to me. She makes four NCAA tournaments in seven years, advances 3x and she’s pegged as a “disappointment” and less-than-spectacular by fans and those who didn’t care to look at what UGA had ahead of it. (1/3)
— Brandon Sudge (@brandonsudge) March 23, 2022
Sudge does a great job breaking down what Taylor meant to the Georgia women’s basketball program. I have to agree with him because she did her job and kept the Lady Dogs relevant. This program has been to 35 NCAA Tournaments, tied with Stanford for the second most in women’s college basketball.
Taylor led Georgia to four NCAA tournaments in seven seasons and advanced three times. She finished runner-up in the SEC last year, and it was a game they probably could have defeated South Carolina in, but that is beside the point.
She took on a massive opportunity in good hands when she took over, but it could have gone either way. When a long-time head coach like Landers leaves, a lot of unknown can occur around a program, but Taylor came to Athens and made it her home. She maintained expectations
The decision to go to A&M seemed like taking a lot of thought for Taylor. She chose to do what she thought was best for her, and we should congratulate her instead of complaining about Taylor leaving.
Thank you, Dawg Nation! Love you Big ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Z1TGaAxnLP
— Joni Taylor (@CoachJoniTaylor) March 24, 2022
Taylor is a great coach and will do well at Texas A&M, and the alleged pay raise had to be hard to turn down as a women’s coach. We don’t know what kind of counter-offer the Dawgs made, but evidently, it wasn’t enough for her to stay.
It’s no secret, though, that Georgia is a football-first school, but athletic director Josh Brooks is working to make all of the programs competitive and relevant.
Texas A&M has a deep women’s basketball history, and she will be appreciated in College Station. I’m not saying she wasn’t in Athens, but to see some of the crowds that attend the women’s games in Athens who were competitive and at times good was pitiful.
More people wanted to watch the men’s game and watch them lose miserably instead of supporting the winning program. It wasn’t Taylor’s fault that fans wouldn’t come because she had success, and I’m not sure who to blame, but these ladies deserved the support that didn’t always come.
Again, I’m speculating here, but those immediately come to mind in why she chose to move onto Texas A&M. Regardless of the speculation, Taylor decided for herself. She is good enough to do it.
Georgia basketball will have a tough time finding another women’s coach to keep the exact expectations going. Still, they are taking over a program left in extremely good circumstances.
However, Brooks has another challenging task in hiring her replacement, which could be one of his most significant hires ever.
So it’s okay to feel sad about Taylor leaving Georgia basketball for Texas A&M. It is much more important to thank her. She thrived during her time here, and fans should just appreciate how much she did for this program. Georgia basketball is better because of Taylor.