Tag: joni taylor

The Aggie Women’s basketball receives AP votes moving them closer to the Top 25

The Aggies hot streak is starting to earn them Top 25 votes headed into SEC play

To say year two under Head Women’s basketball coach Joni Taylor looks drastically different than year one would be an understatement.

On top of bringing in a lot of new and proven faces to the team, she’s been preaching toughness. Coach Taylor explained during SEC Days how this season was going to be much different than the last.

 “Our motto is TOUGH: Trust, Ownership, Unity, Gratefulness, and Humility. I think we became last year resilient. ”

“I think we’re coming into this year with a new confidence, with a new sense of understanding about what it takes day in and day out.”

On top of a change in Motto, she brought in several quality transfers that have played a big role in the team being 12-1 heading into SEC play. On top of only losing one game to start the season, they are riding a 10-game winning streak, with their last loss coming against Purdue back on November 16th.

Paired with Janiah Barker, three of the four transfers brought win are averaging double digits in points and Barker and Lauren Ware are a rebound away from averaging double-doubles. Below are the averages from the 5th-ranked transfer class.

Aicha Coulibaly – 11.5 points / 2.3 assists / 2.2 steals / 4.1 rebounds

Lauren Ware – 11.4 points / 2.5 blocks / 9.5 rebounds

Endyia Rogers – 10.5 points / 4.5 assists / 1.4 steals

Kyndall Hunter – injured

All these moves have been paying early dividends and the voters are finally starting to take notice. If they can keep up this pace, they no doubt will be shooting up the rankings as the competition starts to increase once SEC play starts.

Below, you can check out some of the best highlights from their last win.

The streak continues as the Aggie Womens basketball team records its 10th straight win

The Aggies ran away from the Lions in a big win at Reed Arena for their 10th straight victory

It was a career night for a few Aggies as Texas A&M defeated the A&M Commerce Lions 87-63 at Reed Arena.

After a relatively close first quarter, the Texas A&M put the clamps on the Lions, only allowing seven points in the second quarter, and they never scored over 20 points in any quarter. Lauren Ware and Janiah Barker lead the Maroon & White, dominating the paint with both notching double-doubles. Ware led the way with 19 points and 16 rebounds, both career highs. Then Barker added 19 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.

However, the Aggie had a very similar problem as the men’s team in their victory as well. They shot a horrible 12% from the three-point line on 17 attempts. With the lopsided rebounding advantage, the Aggies maintained the lead and gave them multiple second-chance points. That is one area they need to make sure they clean up as they head into SEC play.

After defeating Texas A&M Commerce, Coach Taylor about what she learned about her team during non-conference play.

“I think you’ve got to always try to make opponents go to plan B and I’m not sure we really did that tonight. They just missed some shots. Some of that has something to do with our defense. Obviously, we defend at a high level, but they were still able to get the looks that they wanted and when you play against teams in our conference, you’re going to pay for that. Hopefully we’ve learned some things from that. I think offensively, we did some good things that we worked on after the break and so we learned some good things from that as well. Some things we put in some tweaks we’ve made, but we’ve got to be better locked in. We can’t let people get to what they want.”

This team looks poised to make some noise when SEC play starts in a few weeks when they open against Coach Taylor’s former team, Georgia. Below, you can check out some of the best highlights from their 12th win of the season.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

The Aggie Womens basketball team is on a roll with nine straight wins

The Aggies are on a nine-game win streak and here are some of their best plays from the season so far

Coach Joni Taylor has revamped the women’s basketball program since taking over last season. Last year was more of a “feeling-out period” after the retirement of Hall of Fame coach Gray Blair. This season, coach Taylor was on a mission to put a stamp on this program with her brand of basketball.

The 2023-2024 season is all about toughness and that’s been on display through a majority of the first 12 games in year two. After only winning 9 games last year the revamped Aggie squad has been on a tear with the help of a lot of new faces.

In the current state of college sports, the transfer portal can help teams flip the switch quickly, and Coach Taylor used it to her advantage. A&M brought in the number five ranked transfer class, highlighted by Aicha Coulibaly and Endyia Rogers.

Those moves, in combination with a talented recruiting class, have the Aggies sitting at 11-1 and on a nine-game winning streak. After defeating Prairie View A&M, Coach Taylor mentioned the team’s depth and how they are starting to gel.

“I think our depth is good. We’ve got players coming off the bench who could be starting other places. And so, that just speaks to their humility and selfless service in terms of how they wanna be for the team. I think that they all understand what their role is, and they come in and do their part night in and night out.”

This team looks poised to make some noise when SEC play starts in a few weeks when they open against Coach Taylor’s former team, Georgia. Below, you can check out some of the best highlights during this winning streak.

The Texas A&M Women’s basketball team extends winning streak to seven

The Aggie Women’s basketball team extends their win streak to seven after beating Robert Morris at Reed Arena

Amid all the transfer portal news on the football front Head Women’s basketball coach, Joni Taylor has the team on a roll. The team currently sits at 9-1 and is on a seven-game winning streak.

Even after a dominant 67-36 win over Robert Morris Coach Taylor wasn’t pleased with the first half and felt the Colonials dictated the pace early. She made sure to let them know they needed to pick it up and the second half was much cleaner.

“Robert Morris is they do some really good stuff on offense on defense they play really hard they’re very well coached and I thought they dictated the pace…”

“…I thought we did come out in the third and fourth quarter and do a much better job of um dictating on both sides of the ball… yeah do I think we took a step in the right direction in the third and fourth quarter absolutely did we put a complete game together no…”

Once again, the transfers came up big in the win with Aicha Coulibaly dropping 16 points and Lauren Ware posting a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Aggies are starting to gel at a good time and should have some momentum as the move towards SEC play. Below are some highlights from the win over Robert Morris.

Hannah Hidalgo is USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year

Congrats, Hannah!

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] only has played college basketball for a month, but the Notre Dame freshman phenom already is making an impact. She’s the nation’s leader in steals (6.0 a game) and one of its top scorers (23.6 points a game). But that doesn’t begin to describe what she’s done overall this year.

Hidalgo has won the prestigious USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year award for how well she did in international play this season. During the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, she averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 assists a game to help the U.S. win the gold medal. Joni Taylor, her coach from that tournament, said it best:

“Hannah Hidalgo is a name you will not forget.”

In winning this award, Hidalgo is joining elite company in more ways than one. She is only the fourth player to win it before beginning her collegiate career, joining Paige Bueckers, Brianna Stewart and Janelle Bailey.

Many women’s basketball legends, some of which remain active and others are enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, have won this award since it was first given out in 1980. These include Diana Taurasi, Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Cheryl Miller, Katrina McClain, A’ja Wilson, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Katie Smith, Natalie Williams, Ruthie Bolton, Chamique Holdsclaw, Seimone Augustus and Lynette Woodard.

If that list is any indication, Hidalgo is on her way to becoming not only an Irish legend but a legend of the sport. It probably wouldn’t surprise her either because she indicated such when Fighting Irish Wire asked her about it after the Irish’s win over Lafayette:

“No, I’m not surprised at all. I think I know what God has blessed me with, and so, it’s a lot easier when I have teammates like the ones that I do. That makes the game just so much easier.”

Here’s to the latest of what should be many more honors for someone who’s just getting started.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Joni Taylor to be named USA Basketball’s 2023 5-on-5 Junior National Team Coach of the Year

Joni Taylor to be named USA Basketball’s 2023 5-on-5 Junior National Team Coach of the Year

Texas A&M head Women’s basketball coach Joni Taylor had a strong summer campaign as the head coach of the USA basketball U19 team that took home the 2023 FIBA World Cup while in Spain.

Her efforts in leading the young group of women to that gold medal resulted in USA Basketball naming her USA Basketball’s 2023 5-on-5 Junior National Team Coach of the Year. USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley explained why they believe Coach Taylor earned the honor:

“Joni led an inspiring USA Women’s U19 National Team to the gold medal in Madrid by defeating host country Spain in the gold medal game…..The game went down to the wire in front of a raucous crowd but Coach Taylor’s team showed poise to secure the victory. We are grateful for Joni’s commitment to USA Basketball over the years. She is very deserving of this honor.” 

Congratulations to Coach Taylor. We are already seeing the dividends of her hard work, as her team is just a few wins away from matching her season total from a year ago. We are excited to have her in Aggieland and to watch this team grow as the season progresses.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

The Aggies return home to face Kansas and honor a legend

The Aggies will look to extend their winning streak to five as the host the Kansas Jayhawks at Reed Arena

Texas A&M (6-1) will face the Big 12’s Kansas (3-3) on Sunday afternoon at Reed Arena at 1 pm CT.

Coach Joni Taylor battled a lot of adversity last season, dealing with everything from inexperience to injuries for her team. Coming into this season, Coach Taylor hit the transfer portal and made it a point to preach toughness…it’s paying dividends early in the year.

The Aggies are currently coming on a four-game winning streak after beating Wake Forest 81-57 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. They have been playing like a team on mission, averaging 73.6 points a game while holding opponents to 50.3 points for a staggering 23.3 margin.

Texas A&M holds a dominant series lead over the Jayhawks at 11-2 and is 9-1 over the last ten matchups. However, in their first matchup in a decade last year, Kansas snapped their 11-game losing streak with a 74-42 victory.

During halftime the Aggies will honor Gary Blair for his enshrinement into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

PLayers to watch:

Janiah Barker – 12.9 PTS / 8.6 REB

Aicha Coulibaly – 11.4 PTS / 7.3 REB / 1.8 STL

Lauren Ware – 10.7 PTS / 9.7 REB / 2.8 BLK

Endyia Rogers – 10.6 PTS / 4.4 AST / 2 STL

How to watch:

Stream: SECN

Commentary: Brenda VanLengen & Steffi Sorensen

How to Listen:

TAMU Sports Network: WTAW 1620AM, WTAW 94.5FM (local)

Web: 12thman.com

App: 12th Man Mobile App

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Aggie Point Guard Endyia Rogers named MVP of the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational

All-Pac 12 transfer Endyia Rogers named MVP of the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational in Berkeley, CA

Coach Joni Taylor is already halfway to her season win total of last year, just a few weeks into the season. A big part of this early success is due to her and her staff’s work through the transfer portal.

Grad transfer Endyia Rogers reminded her opponents why she was a time All-Pac-12 by being named the MVP of the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational hosted by the California Golden Bears.

Rodgers’ help led the Aggies to a tournament championship, averaging 13 points and 5.5 assists during the two-day event. In the Championship game against the Golden Bears, she put 10 points and dished out five assists in the 65-51 win on Saturday.

The Aggies will hit the road again to take on Wake Forest on Nov. 30 in the inaugural ACC-SEC Challenge.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Transfer Aggie guard crosses milestone in first game with Texas A&M

New Aggie guard, Aicha Coulibaly, crossed 1,000 career points in victory over A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders

Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor made it a point to take this team to the next level after a rough first season full of injuries and inexperience. To make that jump, Coach Taylor and her staff utilized the transfer portal to boost her roster with 2-time All-SEC selection transfer Aicha Coulibaly.

Coulibaly wasted no time getting into a rhythm, finishing the night as the leading scorer (17 points) on 7-10 shooting. A few shots in the transfer guard had across a career milestone of 1,000 points. Her strong debut performance in the victory is just a glimpse at what she can provide to the team.

Stat line below:

17 points / 70% / 6 rebounds / 3 steals / 2 assists

Congratulations to Coulibaly on reaching a significant milestone, and we hope to see many more achievements accomplished. We’ll get our next look at Coulibaly and the rest of the Aggies on Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. in Reed Arena.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Aggie Women’s Basketball Coach Joni Taylor get a top 100 commit for the 2024 class

Coach Joni Taylor just some good news before the start of the season with a top 60 recruit commitment

It was announced that four-star guard Taliyah Parker has committed to the Texas A&M Basketball team over Baylor, UCLA, and Duke.

Parker comes in as the No. 61 ranked player in the nation and will add depth to the point guard position in the future. Below is how South Grand Prairie head coach Brion Raven explains Parker’s impact as a senior transfer from high school in Oklahoma.

“It’s huge. She is going to help us a bunch,” South Grand Prairie coach Brion Raven said. “She is super athletic, she is very unselfish with the ball. She is a phenomenal passer. She has probably always had a tag as a scorer, but she can facilitate and distribute the ball. She is a great team player. And defensively, she is off the charts. She can guard 94 by 50. She is the real deal.”

Congratulations to Taliyah Parker on her commitment to the greatest university in Texas, and we wish her a strong senior season at South Grand Prairie.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.