Texas A&M's Joni Taylor helps lead USA women's basketball to GOLD

As an assistant coach for the United States women's basketball team, current Texas A&M head coach Joni Taylor helped the Red, White and Blue win the gold medal. 

On Sunday night in Paris, the USA knocked off the host country of France, 67-66, in the thrilling final of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. This completed the team's perfect 6-0 run in the City of Light.

The Red, White & Blue cruised to wins over Japan, Belgium and Germany in the Group Phase before downing Nigeria and Australia in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. 

Team USA has now won its eighth gold medal in a row, dating back to 1996, and is also undefeated in its last 60 Olympic games. Overall, the United States has won 10 of the 13 women's basketball gold medals. 

Taylor was one of two college coaches for the Red, White & Blue, including Duke's Kara Lawson. The head coach for the USA was Cheryl Reeve from the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, and the third assistant coach was the Washington Mystics' Mike Thibault. 

The Aggies' head coach is no stranger to winning with her country. Taylor won gold with the USA as head coach of the 2022 FIBA Americas Women's U18 Championship, the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup and the 2023 FIBA Women's U19 World Cup. The Mississippi native was also an assistant on the gold medal-winning 2022 FIBA World Cup team. 

This win marks the third representative of Texas A&M to win a gold medal in Paris, joining Bryce Deadmon in the men's 4x400-meter relay and Shamier Little in the women's 4x400m relay in Athletics.

In her second year in College Station, Taylor led the Maroon & White to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021. This achievement marked her fifth time in the “Big Dance." 

Now, before her third year in Aggieland, Taylor has added to her already impressive resume with her first Olympic medal.