Texas A&M head coach Joni Taylor, left, talks to player Sahara Jones in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi State during the Southeastern Conference women's tournament in Greenville, S.C., Thursday, March 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

The City of Meridian is paying tribute to one of its star athletes as the city council on Monday voted to dedicate the freshly resurfaced basketball courts at Velma Young park after Joni Crenshaw-Taylor.

Taylor, a 1997 graduate of Meridian High School, Homecoming Queen and star athlete in basketball and track and field, was a highly recruited college prospect. During her time as a Wildcat, she led the basketball team to a 67-7 record and earned three state titles in track and field, leading her to be named the 1997 Gatorade Player of the Year for Mississippi

After signing with the Crimson Tide to continue her career, Taylor broke records both as an athlete and as a Black woman. She was awarded  SEC community service awards in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and was recognized as one of the most influential African Americans on campus in 2001.

Receiving her degree in education in 2002, Taylor ended her college career with 716 career points, 555 rebounds and 103 blocked shots, putting her in fourth place in the Tide’s record books.

After graduation, Taylor turned around and got to work helping young women follow in her footsteps. She began her coaching career at Troy University from 2002 to 2005.

Taylor continued coaching at Louisiana Tech from 2005 to 2008, Alabama from 2008 to 2011 and Georgia from 2011 to 2022. In 2015, she was named head coach at Georgia becoming the second full-time head coach in the program’s history.

In 2021, Taylor was named the SEC Coach of the Year after leading the Bulldogs to a 21-7 for the season. She is currently the head coach for women’s basketball at Texas A&M, joining the Aggies in March 2022.

Parks and Recreation Director Thomas Adams said a formal dedication ceremony with Taylor was planned at the Velma Young basketball courts June 23 at 8 a.m. The following day, he said Taylor would be putting on a basketball clinic for young girls, grades 3-8.

At the clinic, Taylor plans to both teach young girls about basketball, encourage them to pursue their athletic interests, and show how discipline and effort can open doors far beyond Meridian.