Meridian native Joni Crenshaw Taylor was “pretty overwhelmed” when she learned a newly renovated local landmark was going to be named in her honor.

“I wasn’t sure they were calling the right person,” Taylor said in a telephone conversation from College Station, Texas, where she is head women’s basketball coach at Texas A&M University. “I still don’t have the words to absolutely convey my thoughts on it.”

Acknowledging the successes of several Meridian natives, Taylor, who has amassed quite a number of accolades since graduating from Meridian High School in 1997, is clearly moved by the distinction.

“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,” she said.

At noon Friday, June 23, a ribbon cutting will be held to dedicate Velma Young basketball court as the Joni Crenshaw-Taylor Basketball Court.

“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 said.

Destined for greatness

A highly sought-after basketball prospect, Taylor was the 1997 Gatorade Player of the Year for Mississippi after leading Meridian High School to a 67-7 record during her junior and senior seasons. She also recorded three state titles in track and field during her time at MHS.

Taylor had a very successful academic and athletic career at the University of Alabama. While racking up basketball stats on the court, Taylor was also recognized as one of the most influential African Americans on the Alabama campus. She was named to the SEC’s community service team for women’s basketball in 1999, 2000 and 2001 before earning her degree in education in 2002.

Taylor coached at Georgia from 2011-22, Livingston State University from 2010-11, at Alabama from 2000-19, at Louisiana Tech from 2005-08 and at Troy from 2002-05. While at Georgia, Taylor was appointed the second full-time head coach in the program’s history. She made history by being the first African American appointed to the position in April 2015. During Taylor’s time at Georgia, she was named 2016, 2018 and 2021 Georgia College Coach of the Year, 2016 Spalding Maggie Dixon National Rookie Coach of the Year, 2018 Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year Semifinalist, and 2021 SEC Coach of the Year.

In 2021, Taylor’s track record of history-making continued. Taylor and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley became the first pair of African American female head coaches to coach against one another in the SEC Tournament title game.

In 2022, Taylor was named head coach for Texas A&M University and the 2022 USA National Team which won gold at the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Sydney, Australia. Also, in 2022, Taylor was head coach for the USA Women’s U18 National Team that captured gold at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship, which marked her first time as a head coach with a USA basketball team.

Humble soul

While Taylor cites the accomplishments of other Meridian natives, Meridian Parks and Recreation Director Thomas Adams said she is well deserving of the recognition.

“Joni has represented the City of Meridian very well,” Adams said. “Not many people from Meridian, especially women, have been as successful in sports. Joni is especially inspirational to the young ladies coming up here in Meridian. The accomplishments she has made – from being a star basketball player in high school and college to coaching on the college and national levels – is truly admirable.”

Adams also notes Taylor’s love for her hometown.

“Sometimes when people leave home and move to another city or town, they represent that place,” he said. “Joni went away, but she makes it known that she is from Meridian, Mississippi.”

Taylor credits many of her achievements to the people of the Meridian community.

“I wish we could put hundreds of other names on the sign for the basketball court, too. My name doesn’t go on anything if it weren’t for the guidance I had, not only from my parents (Jonas and Hargie Crenshaw), but also my church family at St. Paul’s (Methodist Church), the teachers I had, the people who saw something in me when I didn’t really know what was possible for my career and from a basketball standpoint who pushed me and put the right people in front of me to make sure that I did have a vision and goals and dreams,” she said.

“When you start naming people you always worry about leaving somebody out. But there are so many people who, while I was growing up, made sure I wasn’t going to mess up and not get it right. None of this would be happening if it were not for the people who took a vested interest in me.”

Taylor and her husband Darius, who serves as general manager of the WNBA Connecticut Sun, have two daughters, Jace and Drew.