For nearly 13 seasons, Darius Taylor found success at multiple levels within women’s basketball. He found his niche as an assistant coach on the stage of tournament runs and playoff berths, but Taylor had yet to see the spotlight as the conductor of a program.
On Wednesday morning, that changed.
A seasoned veteran in the coaching industry, Taylor’s chance to navigate the Dream (6-12) through the second half of the season came after previous interim coach Mike Petersen stepped down because of health reasons.
“I’m excited to be in this chair and this position today to lead our team, along with our coaching staff, for the second half of the season,” Taylor said Wednesday. “I’m not going to take it lightly.”
Taylor walked into the team’s practice quarters at Agnes Scott College with an eagerness to step into the position of No. 1.
The Dream, who lost eight of 10 games before the hiatus, felt rejuvenated with Taylor in charge as the team returned to a “restart training camp” before the season’s second half launches Aug. 15 at Phoenix after the WNBA’s Olympic break.
On his first day, Taylor passed on the message of “embrace change” to his team and told his team to discard the first-half struggles and the distractions surrounding it.
“I’m glad we have someone who is on staff. Everyone likes Darius,” rookie guard Aari McDonald said. “I love how he’s defensive-minded, so that’s my style. I’m happy to have him. I think we all are. We’re embracing this change really well. You can tell by how (practice) went.”
Taylor’s rise to his new position started in the early 2010s as an assistant at South Carolina. He played a role in the program’s emergence under Dawn Staley. Taylor coached in the Final Four and helped recruit the class that eventually led the program to a national title.
Suddenly, Tom Collen found his way into Taylor’s view as head coach at SEC-foe Arkansas. Collen noticed him and closely observed his work on the recruiting trail unfold.
“Darius has a quiet, calm level of confidence that his players will appreciate,” Collen told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He will care about his players as people first, and they will sense that. He’s a ferocious competitor, as well, who has been put in a tough position. He would not accept it unless he thought he could be a difference-maker.”
Taylor didn’t think much of those interactions, especially as the next stage of his life began. He met his future wife, Joni Taylor. The problem, however, was that Joni had succeeded Georgia Lady Bulldogs great Andy Landers and accepted the role as head coach while they were dating. Taylor didn’t want to recruit against his wife, nor could he join her staff at Georgia because of the state’s nepotism laws. He resigned and shifted his life’s priorities elsewhere. As Staley put it, Joni “stole our man” at South Carolina.
Supporting his new wife, their family and the Georgia program became the core of his day-to-day life.
“I knew that was more important than being at the top of my coaching career,” Taylor said in 2018.
He had an interest in returning to coaching, but a long-distance relationship for the Taylors wasn’t possible as Joni wants to spend the remainder of her career at Georgia, and they now have two young children.
Meanwhile, Collen’s wife, Nicki Collen, had been named the Dream’s head coach. She needed a staff, and Tom mentioned Taylor. Nicki interviewed several candidates and chose Taylor.
“He did make a sacrifice for us,” Joni said. “I’m happy about (his opportunity with the Dream) because I think he’s one of the best in the business, and he needs to be doing that to help make change in whatever area he can on the basketball floor, and off the floor.”
After Collen left the Dream for the same role at Baylor, Taylor became the No. 2 coach behind Petersen as they split duties and worked hand-in-hand. Petersen’s sudden announcement elevated Taylor into his first head coaching role.
For those who know Taylor, his rise doesn’t come as a surprise.
“He’s someone who loves the game and has been in the business for a long time,” said former Georgia forward Mackenzie Engram, who was a 2018 draftee by the Dream and worked with both of the Taylors at different points. “He’s got this coaching side, but he’s got a ‘dad side’ where he’s got a genuine heart for his players. He’s someone who is a great fit to be a head coach.”
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