Amid questions about state of program, there’s optimism for Joni Taylor, UGA future

Joni Taylor lives vicariously through a few motivational phrases during each day of her coaching career. She turns to one frequently about the tough times that people endure in everyday life.

Taylor always says tough times never last, but the tough people experiencing them remain strong. In many facets, those words relate to the grinding stretch that her Georgia women’s basketball team has endured this season.

Ten days earlier, the scene inside Stegeman Coliseum had a gloomy vibe for Georgia. The Lady Bulldogs followed up a gauntlet of road games against ranked teams with a Feb. 6 home loss to Missouri, a reloading team that had five wins entering the day.

Frustrations had set back in for Georgia after it missed a chance to record a win after only getting one in a five-game stretch. Arms were crossed, heads drooped. Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity watched stoically and later took a walk to scratch his head in curiosity about the state of the program.

Georgia had been working hard. There wasn’t quit within the team, and each of the Lady Bulldogs believed in each other. But something wasn’t clicking, the results weren’t showing in the win column and Taylor’s team sat near the bottom of the standings.

“A lot of us were really unhappy and tired of losing. You could see it in practice,” junior Jenna Staiti said. “Not everyone was sad, but we all said, ‘We need to get this together and grab a win.’”

Georgia (14-11, 5-7 SEC) tallied a win at Florida two days later, then faced questions over the next week about the state of the program. The coaches and players responded with increased energy and determination in practice, and the team’s toughness showed during Sunday’s 76-75 win over Alabama (14-11, 4-8 SEC).

Georgia led by as many as 22 points Sunday but allowed the Crimson Tide to go on its run. Some late-game heroics by Staiti and a one-footed make by point guard Gabby Connally allowed the Lady Bulldogs to push to a victory. A win on its home floor became pivotal and full of excitement, to the point where Taylor’s voice appeared raspy during a radio interview with Jeff Dantzler.

At the moment, a winning streak quiets any doubt surrounding the program.

Georgia sees itself in a good place, even if it means taking a step toward a more-experienced roster next season. The Lady Bulldogs feel confident in their coaching staff, philosophies and team makeup. Taylor knows improvement is mandatory, and tweaks might be an inevitable need. For now, however, Georgia is back on track for what could be a comeback run toward a postseason push.

“My emotions are for my coach, most importantly,” said guard Que Morrison, who was “feeling it” with 18 points on 8 of 12 shooting against Alabama. “We really needed a win and came out with a win. It puts a smile on my coach’s face, which means a lot to me.”

‘Do it for the coaches’

For the first time in Taylor’s five-year tenure, the dreaded question of job security appeared in front of McGarity. Georgia’s athletic director doesn’t attend many games alongside his administrative colleague Darrice Griffin, but did so Feb. 6 to gain perspective.

Georgia and Taylor agreed to a six-year contract extension in 2018, after the Lady Bulldogs earned a No. 4 seed and hosted the NCAA tournament. It included a raise in annual compensation to $750,000 per year and runs through April 30, 2024.

McGarity on Feb. 12, during the winter athletic board meeting, was asked by reporters about the performance of Taylor and the Georgia women’s basketball program. He vouched for her and gave a hint of security for the coach he hired prior to the 2014-15 season to replace the legendary Andy Landers.

“It just gets down to recruiting and making sure players are getting better,” McGarity said, referencing the gap between Georgia and top programs such as South Carolina. “She’s absolutely the total package and she knows what we need to do. She’ll admit we’re not where we need to be, but I’ve got total confidence in her to turn it around.”

Many in the public eye know Taylor for her balance between life and basketball. Each of her players adore their coach for how she treats them like her own children. Taylor presented a dedication to her job last season while having her daughter Drew during SEC play and returning to the court two days later. She’s also applauded through her methods of community outreach and advocating for women.

Those same people might see the team’s record and not realize Taylor’s dedication to winning. Her most-important quality might be leading her players, but success is vital. Taylor told her team that it can’t hone in on any public criticism and instead focus “on the people in your environment.” Those outside don’t see the Lady Bulldogs’ extensive film sessions, attention to a detailed game plan, practices at 6 a.m. and late-night staff meetings to look at game film until the morning’s early hours.

“It wasn’t shocking (to hear McGarity’s reassurance),” Taylor said. “I’m glad he feels that way and has confidence in me and this program.”

Georgia players have shouldered much of the blame. They’ve called for the need to be more attentive to instruction given by Taylor and her assistants. Some of the Lady Bulldogs’ losses have been a result of lacking buy-in, while others have been due to uncontrollable factors such as “shots not falling.”

“The coaches can only do so much. It comes down to each of us individually,” junior Maya Caldwell said. “We have to be willing to give 120 percent into the game plan, what the coaches want and the competition we are up against.”

As Georgia’s season nears the final stretch, the Lady Bulldogs put the coaching staff at the forefront. They’re aware of the noise surrounding Georgia’s program and want to remove all concerns surrounding the team’s performance.

“It feels like we let them down when we lose,” Staiti said. “That definitely hurts me a lot because I see all of the effort they put in while being so positive. They stay with us, and losing stings a lot. It’s most important to do it for them.”

Understanding the element of youth

Georgia’s coaching staff holds meetings throughout the summer to discuss the team’s dynamic. Taylor knew the makeup of her roster. The team chemistry became a strength, and so did the emergence of a few talented pieces. But youth serves as a reason, not an excuse, for why the Lady Bulldogs have endured their fair share of struggles.

All but two Georgia players (Stephanie Paul and Ari Henderson are departing) plan to return next season. Two freshmen, Chloe Chapman and Javyn Nicholson, average double-digit minutes. The Lady Bulldogs went through much of the season with an uncertainty as to which rotations best meshed toward a winning formula.

Taylor teaches resolve through those moments. She realizes her players are continuing to grow and develop. Each day, from her perspective, Georgia improves.

“The only way out is through. That’s the only option,” Taylor said. “We want everybody moving in the same direction. We’ve done some good things, but we’ve also played a really tough schedule. Sometimes, the result doesn’t match the effort or growth that we had. There’s an opportunity to go out there and change that.”

Taylor highlighted individual performances of players, all of whom are returning next season. Chapman has slowly learned the point-guard role after joining the team late due to the soccer season. Staiti’s performances have appeared in the stat sheet, but Taylor calls Que Morrison a “monster” while seeing her return to the form of her freshman season before a flurry of injuries.

But the most important statistic, the win, hasn’t consistently appeared on the schedule through SEC play. Georgia believes it has built a stepping stone toward changing it.

“For anybody who is a competitor, that’s frustrating, right?” Taylor said. “The answer is to keep going.”

In some moments, Taylor can use the youth to look ahead to the program’s future. All of the returners will be a year older, and UConn transfer Mikayla Coombs will be eligible to play for the Bulldogs. Essentially, Georgia has a 2020 recruiting class that includes Coombs along with the high-school talents of Sarah Ashlee Barker and Zoesha Smith.

Based on those pieces and gained experience by all of Georgia’s youth, Taylor didn’t hesitate. She “definitely” believes those results will eventually come.

“It’s believing in your coaches and them believing in you,” said Barker, a four-star prospect out of Spain Park (Alabama). “I truly believe that’s how Georgia’s program is built around. I signed with Georgia because I believe coach Joni can push me more than any coach I have ever played for.”

NCAA tournament still in view

Georgia has a glimmer of hope to return to a place that has historically been a staple — the NCAA tournament. Landers led the team to 31 NCAA tournament appearances, including five Final Fours and two appearances in the championship game.

That postseason goal is something the Lady Bulldogs rarely fall short of, and they’re in danger of missing out in consecutive seasons.

With a record now above the .500 mark, those desires might’ve once looked bleak with missing a number of chances for quality wins — Georgia Tech, Baylor, UCLA, Mississippi State (twice), Texas A&M and South Carolina.

Four of those losses have come against teams with a top-10 RPI, and the Lady Bulldogs have narrowly missed a few of them. Georgia has seven losses against top-50 teams and had an RPI of 83 entering Sunday’s play.

According to ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme’s field, the Lady Bulldogs have two wins against the projected field — Virginia Tech (7 seed, 30 RPI) and Arkansas (9, 36). Two of Georgia’s losses, both at home, have come to teams outside of the top 100 — Vanderbilt (106) and Missouri (130).

There’s still a chance to bolster the resume with four regular-season games remaining and a potential SEC Tournament run in Greenville, South Carolina (March 4-8). Georgia’s next three games are against those projected in the field: at LSU, home against Texas A&M and then at Kentucky.

“If Georgia was to win out, or two of those three, they could get back in the mix,” Creme said in a text exchange with The Telegraph. “Anything short of that and would mean SEC tournament is the only chance.”

Georgia Lady Bulldogs schedule

▪ Thursday: Georgia vs Texas A&M, 7 pm

▪ Sunday: Georgia at LSU, 3 pm

▪ Feb. 27: Georgia at Kentucky, 7 pm

▪ March 1: Georgia vs. Florida, 1:10 pm

This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 10:06 AM.