If this rumor is true her Georgia team looked completely unlike itself Sunday evening against Iowa State in the NCAA 2nd Round. Wondering if there may have been some information shared or leaked and the team knew she was leaving. Her record isn't the best but she's a good one and I hear that Baylor tried to hire her before settling on their current coach.

Home run hire in my opinion.

Why would anyone consider this a good hire? There are dozens of coaches with better records. Someone make the case.

I understand that she connects really well with players. She might have better recruiting being in Texas. She knows the league and has ties in SEC recruiting battlegrounds.
It's a good get. Wins and losses are part of the game. Its the SEC and you're going to ups and downs. She checks a lot of boxes for what A&M needs in a WBB coach.

I would be VERY happy with this hire!

Taylor is a great recruiter and could bring an elite player or 2 with her from Georgia.

I'm absorbing.

Part of me has questions. 7 years at Georgia and has yet to make a Sweet 16. That was kind of a floor under Gary for our season to be considered as at least meeting expectations. Only 2 times in 7 years did Georgia finish in the top 5 in the SEC. Is this a coach with a lower (and established over time) ceiling than we were hoping for?

The other side says we are getting a coach who is a known quantity with a reasonably high floor as at least a middle of the SEC program (so we aren't going to bottom out and become an irrelevant program) who is already well established in recruiting circles and at age 43 hopefully has a couple of things up her sleeve learned in her first head coaching job at Georgia that could take her to the next level with a new start at Texas A&M. She is known to be an outstanding recruiter bringing in the number 7 class this year and number 14 last year. She has a relationship with the USA Basketball program and was just last week named 1 of 4 court coaches for the 2022 USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp along with Adia Barnes (Arizona), Kara Lawson (Duke), and Jeff Walz (Louisville). I think she is definitely seen as a current and future national leader in the sport.

As a side note, the same coach would be the direct replacement for 2 SEC legends in Gary Blair and Andy Landers.

I'm going to end up being a supporter because this is my program. I'm just needing some time to absorb and that was going to happen no matter who our hire was.

All right, I'm ready now. Let's go Coach Taylor!

Her husband, Darius Taylor, was an assistant under Dawn Staley at South Carolina and has been an assistant coach and assistant GM with the WNBA Atlanta Dream.

Happy Birthday to my ❤️ & soul @CoachJoniTaylor. Great Mother, Wife, Coach, Role Model and Beautiful Person!! Love you. pic.twitter.com/XwCLRKiNYd

— Darius Taylor (@DariusTaylor) March 7, 2022

I would be very happy with this hire

AG81 said:

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Why would anyone consider this a good hire? There are dozens of coaches with better records. Someone make the case.

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Those people make 1.5 - 2.5+ million. Taylor makes $550,000 according to the internet (which might be off some).

What young Black recruit from the state of texas would want to play for elderly Vic over this woman? Or even the best White girls would appreciate a relatively-young female coach with great experience.

Recruiting has been our biggest problem, while Vic has been recruiting great. If she can recruit, is likable to her players, and also a tactician, then she could certainly be a huge hire for us.

Aggie1188 said:

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What young Black recruit from the state of texas would want to play for elderly Vic over this woman? Or even the best White girls would appreciate a relatively-young female coach with great experience.

Recruiting has been our biggest problem, while Vic has been recruiting great. If she can recruit, is likable to her players, and also a tactician, then she could certainly be a huge hire for us.

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So you question why players would play for Vic, then call him great recruiter.

The mental gymnastics some of you go to is amazing.

Give her more resources, better facilities, better fan base, in a more talent rich state and I bet she recruits well! What has been our recruiting weakness for so long (HC's age and style/fit) becomes our strength with a young yet experienced and likeable/relatable head coach! We're getting her at a bargain since she's young, she knows she can blossom and become one of the nations best here. Let's give her a chance and welcome this hire. Something new was needed and we got it! Let's go! Georgia has some seniors who could use a Covid year and follow her here as well! She also signed the number 3 YES THREE and 37 player in the country who could resign with us!

The number 1 forward and number 3 player in the nation is committed to her for the class of 2022! Her film and skills are WOW! Can this be a package deal!

http://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/235910

Interesting. Perplexing that's she'd leave Georgia with the recent success on the court and in recruiting. Especially since her husband works for the Atlanta Dream. It has to be all about money if she comes here because her program is in a better place right now.

She's way better looking than Gary.

taylorswift13 said:

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The number 1 forward and number 3 player in the nation is committed to her for the class of 2022! Her film and skills are WOW! Can this be a package deal!

http://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/235910

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Yeah I'm very excited about the possibility of adding Janiah Barker whether it's through the transfer portal or if she withdraws her LOI from UGA. Would a HUGE addition to this program.

BQ_90 said:

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Aggie1188 said:

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What young Black recruit from the state of texas would want to play for elderly Vic over this woman? Or even the best White girls would appreciate a relatively-young female coach with great experience.

Recruiting has been our biggest problem, while Vic has been recruiting great. If she can recruit, is likable to her players, and also a tactician, then she could certainly be a huge hire for us.

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So you question why players would play for Vic, then call him great recruiter.

The mental gymnastics some of you go to is amazing.

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Nice strawman argument. But I'm all for stealing Vic, but my original points remain about my optimism for this woman in the event we hire her.

I didn't say Vic can't recruit or wasn't good at it. I'm saying we need someone who can out-recruit him, and you'd think she could. And that this woman is as good as we could ask for against the Sips' elderly guy. Vic has recruited elite enough that I'd take splitting top recruits with them, but no reason why a non-elderly woman like this with HC experience couldn't pass him up.

Yes and Although Joni is outstanding i think it just sends a clear message to up and coming assistants who stay true to their head coaches…don’t cause no one is looking out for you. Once that coach is done they dont care if he’s a HOF coach who recommends his loyal staff.

— Basketball Junkie (@BasketballJunk0) March 22, 2022

Wondering if this is an A&M insider

aggiedrjdub said:

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Yes and Although Joni is outstanding i think it just sends a clear message to up and coming assistants who stay true to their head coaches…don’t cause no one is looking out for you. Once that coach is done they dont care if he’s a HOF coach who recommends his loyal staff.

— Basketball Junkie (@BasketballJunk0) March 22, 2022

Wondering if this is an A&M insider

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Don't know but they speak the truth.......so loyal people who have spent years in our community have to uproot their families because there is no loyality.......

aggiedrjdub said:

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Yes and Although Joni is outstanding i think it just sends a clear message to up and coming assistants who stay true to their head coaches…don’t cause no one is looking out for you. Once that coach is done they dont care if he’s a HOF coach who recommends his loyal staff.

— Basketball Junkie (@BasketballJunk0) March 22, 2022

Wondering if this is an A&M insider

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idk, but if that account thinks we should hire a woman without major head-coaching experience, then it can Gtfo. If our qualified to be HC assistant was so good, why is our recruiting so awful?

Rudybryan said:

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aggiedrjdub said:

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Yes and Although Joni is outstanding i think it just sends a clear message to up and coming assistants who stay true to their head coaches…don’t cause no one is looking out for you. Once that coach is done they dont care if he’s a HOF coach who recommends his loyal staff.

— Basketball Junkie (@BasketballJunk0) March 22, 2022

Wondering if this is an A&M insider

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Don't know but they speak the truth.......so loyal people who have spent years in our community have to uproot their families because there is no loyality.......

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if only they were paid money.

On Twitter (various SEC fanbases), people talking about Joni Taylor to A&M seemed shocked or in denial that she'd take the A&M job. They definitely approve of her.

aggiedrjdub said:

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…apparently it's a package deal with Joni and her husband. I guess we will see……

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How do we add Janiah Barker to this deal?!?!?!?!