Sadly, this program just feels like where it was pre-Gary Blair. Are we all the way back to Candi Harvey, or worse, the Peggie Gillom days? Candi lasted 4 years, and Peggie lasted 5.

Gary Blair won 2 conference games in year 1, 4 conference games in year 2, and then 11 conference games in year 3 (and never looked back). The current staff has won 2 games in year 1, 6 games in year 2...3 so far this year and let's be honest, we aren't favored to win anymore. What has to give? Recruiting is non-existent; coaches don't even look like they care on the sidelines during games. Such a defeatist look about the entire program.

This program is SCREAMING for help and for a coach and staff with the ability to turn it around like our softball and volleyball programs.

I agree with all of this. Sadly, I do not see this current athletic admin moving on from a coach with 2 years left on her contract. I hope I am wrong, but I would have thought that G would be gone and yet...

I am really not trying to be overly negative about the current staff. I truly like Joni and her staff; I think they are incredible people. Something just has not translated here, and it doesn't seem to be trending in the right direction. If I were a player, an elite player, I'd look at the direction of the program and I'm not sure how I could commit to Texas A&M. Coach Joni seems to say all the right things, but it isn't translating into wins or recruiting wins or program growth. At this point and knowing that she has 2 years left on her contract, I can't imagine the AD moving on from her. As GB showed, a program can be turned around in 2 years, so let's pray she can right the ship. However, I'm beginning to question if she even wants to be here.

Between a rock and a hard place, I would say. Two years left her on contract, could easily be gone after next year if things don't improve. GOOD Recruits are not going to flock to a coach/program that everyone feels is a short-timer. Program stays really bad for two years until we get a new coach and he/she has to rebuild against a stacked deck. And it wil take an overhaul of at least a couple of years to get somewhat competitive. It's not going that easy of a fixl.

That's the question, though, Greg. Does she want it? She hasn't really responded in a manner that suggests she does. This is a USA women's basketball coach that cannot sign a top recruit or fill a roster in year 3.

If they didn't eat G's minimal salary, they aren't going to eat Taylors $3 mil.

Best get prepared for anther year of 20+ point beat downs, then. I don't think there will be anything left of the team at the end of the year. With the seniors graduating and with 3 or 4 others with knee braces on you have to figure that the underclassmen that can play will transfer out. There won't be anything left to coach. Which is a major problem too.

I have no reason to dislike our current coach, I really just look at scores. But I know when we hired her, I looked at her record and thought we'd be exactly where we are right now.

Bluecat_Aggie94 said:

---

I have no reason to dislike our current coach, I really just look at scores. But I know when we hired her, I looked at her record and thought we'd be exactly where we are right now.

---

I feel the same way.

aggiedrjdub said:

---

That's the question, though, Greg. Does she want it? She hasn't really responded in a manner that suggests she does. This is a USA women's basketball coach that cannot sign a top recruit or fill a roster in year 3.

---

I guarantee Bjork hired her under the assumption she would recruit elite. She's recruited mediocre at best. She was never even great at Georgia, so recruiting was the reason she was hired. And that's been a dumpster fire.

And this will be a compounding problem. Can't recruit top talent and top talent is not going to come here after they witness the state of our program and the product we are putting on the floor. Afraid there is only one way to turn this around at this point.

Bluecat_Aggie94 said:

---

Ag1188 said:

---

aggiedrjdub said:

---

That's the question, though, Greg. Does she want it? She hasn't really responded in a manner that suggests she does. This is a USA women's basketball coach that cannot sign a top recruit or fill a roster in year 3.

---

I guarantee Bjork hired her under the assumption she would recruit elite. She's recruited mediocre at best. She was never even great at Georgia, so recruiting was the reason she was hired. And that's been a dumpster fire.

---

The #1 player in the nation is in Texas and as far as I know, she has given TAMU zero consideration. We ought to at least be on the list of anyone from Texas.

What would have made the AD think she was going to be a great recruiter? It seems like her players really like her, and that's a big part of recruiting, but did she have some great recruiting before?

---

she had one class, and i think brought most of it with her. There wasn't any reason to give her that much money for such little results.

Why would any top player in the state give us the time of day, i'm not sure we are in the top 5 of programs in the state.

Bjork made the hire, i don't remember a short list of candidates other than many on this board wanting Kelly Bond White promoted from within.

the major issue now is we have an AD that only cares about sports that make money IMO. Or at least not spending money. I would probable add to that a fanbase that doesn't care about these non rev sports. Which is being reflected in some sports getting very little NIL money.

If Trev won't move on from G for 500K, i don't see him moving on from Joni which would cost 3 million +

So where do we go from here? Either we need a BMA to fund the program to get better or we ride the program over the cliff as fans. I know I'm pretty sure i'm done with season tickets for next year.

Much of this we will never know the answer to because we don't have journalists that will publicly ask the hard questions. All we get in pressers is, how do we prepare for this or that; in your mind, what went wrong? Softball questions instead of the hard stuff. When can we expect results? Why are you finding no success in recruiting the state of Texas? Do you feel you are equipped to be successful here? Why did so many leave your program and enter the transfer portal? Why can we not stay healthy? Why is your roster so thin? Do you think your USA basketball involvement has positively affected the Texas A&M WBB team?

Figured I'd post this here as well

In 2022 she was the U18 National team assistant, the next year, then the head coach for the U19 team in 2023. Spends every summer working with these elite recruits, yet has brought over none. Last year she lost 7 players in the transfer portal and graduation. She only signed one high school recruit in Taliyah Parker. This year is her most veteran group she's had here at Texas A&M and we see the results. After this embarrassment of a season ends we will lose, Aicha Coulibaly, Sahara Jones, Lauren Ware, Amirah Abdur Rahim, and that's not including the portal losses, which lol buckle up. And she only signed 2 high schoolers, one is not on any recruiting sites, and the other is an Italian player who averages about 2 points for her team. So without any portal losses, we're at 9 girls. Complete roster mismanagement from one of the highest paid coaches in the league.

Like aggiedrjdub said, Joni Taylor is 11-32 in conference play as the head coach for the Texas A&M Aggies. She has lost more of her high school recruits to the portal than she has on the team. Attendance is probably near an all time low, sitting in 10th in the conference with 3900 people a game, which we all know is embellished. We are at an institution with 70,000 plus students yet we can't get 100 to show up to a game. Season ticket sales are dying. I can't imagine what next season will look like. A game thread will have at most 3 posters.

We are last in scoring offense, last in 3 point shooting, last in turnovers, and near dead last in almost every other category. She failed to sign a single true point guard, then complains we don't have a true point guard. She actively chose to cap the roster at 11 players in the southeastern conference and said she prefers that. We've lost 12 games by double digits and are 1 game from being dead last in the conference.

We know she has to be fired, but everyone assumed Coach G would be fired after a losing season and he lost every starter to the portal. So it seems like our AD accepts these losing seasons. Nebraska was good at volleyball, couldn't win 6 games in football, and a non factor in any other sport under Alberts leadership. So as other posters have stated, no reason to expect us to be anything more. We just have to sit back and accept where we are. </3

5 games remaining, we won't be favored in any of them. If we don't win any, we will finish the season 10-18 and 3-13. That will put her totals as the Texas A&M Head Coach 38-53 overall and 11-37 in conference play…

Welcome back

Joni needs assistant coaches with some cojones that can recruit lights out and manage the team more effectively while she's away. If she stays and wants to improve, she will need to find 2 new assistant coaches that are driven. Joni makes claims to have that drive but it's not shown outwardly at all.

TBH, I kind of feel like she's given up. It's almost as if she sees the writing on the wall. That is the only explanation for this year's recruiting efforts. The team will be absolutely a shell after this season. We will have nothing left.

Kbeauty63 said:

---

taylorswift13_ said:

---

After this embarrassment of a season ends we will lose, Aicha Coulibaly, Sahara Jones, Lauren Ware, Amirah Abdur Rahim, and that's not including the portal losses, which lol buckle up.

---

we have Lauen & Amiarah for one more year!

---

why wouldn't they transfer?

If only we could be .500 in conference play like Staley was in her 3rd year… unfortunately we're on pace for below .200 and oh yeah our recruiting is at the bottom of the conference also, but appreciate the reach! I'm sure the recruits agree with you and they all believe Joni Taylor is the next Dawn Staley, that's why we're signing them all!

(Let's just ignore the fact that more of her high school recruits have left campus than that are currently on the roster)

I'm not sure I see the correlation now, but I might eventually. I don't see this program on that trajectory at all. There has been zero indication we are heading in the right direction based on what we've seen in the first 3 years. I think if Joni had not lost so many athletes last year, we might be having a different conversation. As it stands, our roster was wrecked by the transfers, including the ONE elite player she signed and brought with her. Staley was 17-29 in her first 3 years, compared to 11-32 (so far) for Joni. With the exception of 2 years at Georgia (12-4 in 2017-2018, and 10-5 in 2020-2021), she has averaged a .500-win percentage in conference (much lower now obviously). Staley has had a winning record 23 of 25 years she's coached, and if you look at their records side-by-side, there is no comparison. Staley has won and won big at Temple and South Carolina.

I really pray Joni finds success here; it's not like we aren't wishing her well and praying she succeeds. Unfortunately, we all have eyes, and the eye test is bad; when you look at the numbers, it's even worse (currently).

Joni took over 2 well-known established programs and seems to have stagnated them both. Dawn built both programs from scratch and wins. To me, there is no comparison.

Enough excuses. Is this next recruiting class Top 10? If not, just end this.