Texas A&M Coach Joni Taylor has a court named in her honor in Mississippi

The city of Meridian honored Head Texas A&M Women’s basketball coach Joni Crawford-Taylor by naming local basketball courts after her.

One way we, as humans, honor each other is through acknowledgment, either privately or publicly. Those who excel in their respective field might come in the form of plaques or trophies. The legends have their names added to a community landmark. In the case of Aggies Women’s basketball coach Joni Taylor, her hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, unveiled the “Joni Crenshaw-Taylor” basketball courts at Velma Young Park. The ribbon cutting was held on June 23rd.

Below are a few comments from Coach Taylor on her court naming:

“I grew up watching (former NBA basketball player) Derrick McKey, who just had a court named after him in Highland Park. Then there’s (former football player) Dexter McCleon and (former women’s basketball player) Vicky Hood. There are just so many people from Meridian who have done so many amazing things, not just athletically,”

“To even think that my name would come up in any conversation in regards to putting my name on something – it’s really overwhelming. It’s humbling, I’m grateful and I haven’t processed all of what that means,”

Taylor has a standout two-sport athlete that excelled in basketball and track. On top of leading her high school basketball to a 67-7 record in her final two year, she also took home the 1997 Gatorade Player of the Year for Mississippi. She was also no slack in Track & Field, as she earned three state titles in high school. As she transitioned into coaching, she picked multiple awards along her way to Aggieland:

  • Georgia College Coach of the Year (2016, 2018, 2021)
  • 2016 Spalding Maggie Dixon National Rookie Coach of the Year
  • 2018 Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year Semifinalist
  • 2021 SEC Coach of the Year
  • 2022 USA National Team FIBA Women’s World Cup (Gold)
  • 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship (Gold)

Joni Taylor has been a great representative of her hometown and has been a great addition to the Aggie family. I’m expecting great things to come from Taylor as she starts to put her stamp on this program.

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