‘My rockstar’: Why Lady Bulldog players, signees and parents are thankful for Joni Taylor

Joni Taylor sets her alarm for 4 a.m. each morning to get maximum use out of her day. She cherishes every chance to continue the Georgia women’s basketball legacy. Not a second can be wasted.

Except for the few that are meant for reflection.

The fifth-year head coach walks through the doors of the Stegeman Coliseum Training Facility, and not a step can be taken before seeing the reminders. A banner draped down the wall reminds Taylor of her job’s value. After walking up the stairs, a mural signifying a Lady Bulldog great reminds Taylor of the historic program’s history. A chest full of rings and watches compiled by her legendary predecessor, Andy Landers, reminds Taylor to be thankful for her position.

Those are qualities of her job that can’t be dismissed, even if Taylor tried. Once she walks through the offices to prepare for her day, there sits the Georgia locker room. Taylor might stand still, because each day seeing 14 placards of her own players reminds her of the real responsibility as a basketball coach.

Taylor has two young children and beams with adoration for her family of four. But this tight-knit group of 14 are her adopted children. Taylor loves each of her players as her own. She forms her coaching staff on a set of principles, most important of which are to guide them and prepare them for life away from the court.

Her role as the Lady Bulldogs’ leader includes stern coaching. Taylor doesn’t offer much leniency. Her players have a healthy fear of consequence when around her. That stems from an unfaltering desire to win. Taylor, however, is also a life partner to each of the players. She welcomes open conversation, will hangout with them while sitting upside down in a rolling chair and has gained trust through those bonds.

Not a day goes by where Taylor brushes that away. She places notes of encouragement in each of the Lady Bulldogs’ lockers. Taylor then prays over the room before beginning a full day of work. A prayer of gratitude, blessing and prosperity.

“They have a lot of responsibility as young adults at the University of Georgia,” Taylor said. “It’s something that’s constantly on my mind.”

Those following Taylor’s lead have an abundant amount of adoration for the fifth-year head coach, too. This Thanksgiving, The Telegraph spoke with players, signees and parents for perspectives of their appreciation for Taylor.

GABBY CONNALLY, Jr.

You can find Georgia’s floor general in three places: the classroom, the practice gym or inside Taylor’s office. One afternoon, Gabby Connally’s moment of relaxation came on the sofa inside the coach’s spacious room. Connally had a question. She didn’t really get an answer — at least not immediately.

Taylor ran toward Connally and tackled her. A tickle fight ensued.

“That’s really weird,” Connally said. “But it’s just little stuff that makes her great.”

These two connected halfway across the country. Connally’s coach used to work in the college ranks, and therefore had a connection with Taylor. She watched the San Antonio product shine atop other top talents at the event, and returned to Georgia with a desire to pursue Connally with priority. Taylor and her staff teamed up to land Connally after learning of her willingness to leave Texas. Georgia won’t shy away from a recruit due to location, especially someone with the personality traits of Connally.

From then on, the two have built an inseparable bond. Connally adores Taylor at another level and calls her “my favorite coach ever.” Taylor can be tough on Connally during on-court instruction. The point guard might try to fight it, but usually doesn’t win. Connally later learns, however, that it’s for her best benefit.

Those one-on-one engagements hold greater weight, though. Connally suddenly realized only two years remain in her Lady Bulldog tenure. So she requests a lunch date with her coach once per month, and Connally gets to pick the location. Panera Bread is currently the restaurant of choice.

“She might be one of my favorite people,” Connally said. “I really appreciate all that she does for me. She’s someone I look up to and aspire to be like.”

Connally looked down and smiled while reflecting. She then gazed toward the back of the room. Taylor sat in a chair and grinned with joy. She heard every loving word Connally said. Connally walked hurriedly toward the door and embraced her coach.

“I love you, coach Joni!” Connally said before exiting.

QUE MORRISON, Jr.

Believe it or not, Taylor can dance. At least Que Morrison, her hard-nosed junior guard who brings a jolt of energy to the Lady Bulldogs, says so.

“She can get down,” Morrison said.

Given how Taylor barely stands still and always has a few moves while on the sideline, maybe it’s not surprising. She almost made it into the team’s season-opening dance video, but the effort’s leader Stephanie Paul couldn’t find a way to make it all work.

Maybe it’ll be seen publicly at a later time, but Morrison’s favorite memories of her coach come from those dance moves. Taylor had fun with her team on Thursday, actually, with a sing-along to “Love on Top” by Beyonce during practice ahead of the Daytona Beach Invitational.

But Morrison loves Taylor for many more reasons than a fun-loving personality, because she can get serious when needed. Morrison is the type of player who can thrive or be hampered by confidence. It took a major shot ahead of her sophomore season when tearing her meniscus in a preseason scrimmage. Morrison missed time, never returned to full form and had plenty of emotions race through her head.

Taylor came to her support and never left. She was always receptive to Morrison’s needs. Her house remained open for visits with her husband Darius Taylor and two daughters, Jacie and Drew. She welcomed Morrison into her office for advice. Whether Morrison could contribute to Georgia or not, it didn’t matter to Taylor.

“She’s my rockstar,” Morrison said. “She’s like my mom here. She puts me in the headspace that I need to be in.”

SARAH ASHLEE BARKER, four-star signee

Sarah Ashlee Barker finished showcasing her talents at an elite camp before her junior year of high school. She walked off the court and Taylor pulled her aside. Georgia liked what it saw, but there’s an extra requirement.

“I could offer you right now based on talent,” Taylor said. “I need to get to know you as a person.”

Barker, a four-star guard out of Spain Park High School in Birmingham, Ala., was a sought-after prospect. She had a lengthy list of potential destinations, but not one other coach had that interest. This came in August, and Taylor reached out for frequent phone calls with Barker.

Georgia recruits based on a fit. A player can have all of the talent in the world, but the character must match. Taylor searches for those who can be kind to others, be influential in the community and represent the university well. If a recruit doesn’t check those boxes, then Georgia won’t pursue her.

“This is what definitely made me say ‘Holy cow. This woman’s awesome,’” Barker said. “We have great conversations and she’ll sit there and listen to me. I truly trust her and I can tell her anything.”

January came and the time arrived for Georgia to extend its scholarship offer. Taylor probably could’ve done it much sooner, but she wanted to do it in person. Barker committed to the program fairly early and stuck to it. She’s excited to arrive in Athens, grow in relationships with players she’s already spoken to and play alongside fellow signee Zoesha Smith.

Most importantly, she’s ready to play for Taylor.

“I truly believe she’s going to be like a second mom to me,” Barker said. “She’s like Supermom.”

TONJA MORRISON, QUE MORRISON’S MOTHER

Tonja focused on parenting when helping her daughter Que find a destination. So, back to that meniscus tear, because that’s where the quality of Taylor playing the second parent shines brightest.

They all sat down as tears trickled down Que’s face. Tonja reminded her daughter to keep her head up, play through the tough circumstances and remember that her mother would always be by her side. That’s even if no one else would. Taylor stopped Tonja, maybe in mid-sentence, to say “You won’t be the only one. I’ll always be here.”

Through it all, Taylor remained tough at the same time. There are rules that the players know not to mess with. Same with Tonja, she raised her daughter on a set of rules that didn’t change. Even to the point where Que got a new car, and they needed her to sign off on it at a dealership near the Mall of Georgia. Georgia, however, didn’t let their players leave campus on that particular day. Que didn’t budge.

Looking back, Tonja wouldn’t want those situations to go any other way.

“It’s the best choice we could’ve made,” Tonja said. “All because of Joni.”

SANDI STAITI, JENNA STAITI’S MOTHER

Last Saturday, Sandi Staiti drove past the DSW Warehouse shoe store. It sparked a memory of driving around the same area one day when Taylor called.

Georgia was in full pursuit of her daughter, Jenna Staiti, who opted to transfer from Maryland. On that afternoon, Staiti spoke with the Lady Bulldogs’ head coach for 45 minutes as the recruiting pitch was made. Not often did she say “family,” or use the go-to line that coaches use to try and describe an inclusive environment.

Staiti found herself at ease and comfortable with sending her daughter an hour away from home to Athens. Because Jenna’s family knew it had the perfect blend. She needed accountability, tough love and someone to fix “Humpty Dumpty,” a term Staiti uses to describe her daughter’s state of mind while at Maryland.

Taylor put Jenna back together. Each time those words come out of Staiti’s mouth, her eyes begin to well up with tears.

“We should’ve started here first,” Staiti said.