Taylor brings 'TOUGH' mindset and an influx of talent into year two

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Just like last season, Texas A&M women’s basketball’s head coach Joni Taylor is talking tough.

The difference is that “tough” isn’t being used as an adjective to describe the Aggies’ luck.

It was a tough-luck first season for Taylor, who’s one tough woman.

A plague of injuries left her with just seven players available for most of last season.

Not surprisingly, the Aggies frequently wilted in the second half of games on the way to a 9-20 finish.

Enduring that ordeal was arduous and difficult and — OK, we’ll say it — tough.

But it may help to create an A&M team that Taylor hopes will be tough as nails.

“Last year, our motto was ‘becoming,’” Taylor said on Thursday at SEC Media Days. “This year it’s ‘tough.’ I think we have a level of toughness that’s better than it was last year. It’s still not where we want to be. So, our motto is ‘tough' with the acronym of ‘Trust, Ownership, Unity, Gratefulness and Humility.’

“I think we became, last year, resilient. We learned how to win some games in the SEC Tournament. We put together a string of three games. I think we’re coming into this year with a new confidence and with a new sense of understanding of what it takes day in and day out.

“Consistency and toughness are the two things that we’re really looking to have in everything we do day in and day out.”

Upset victories over Vanderbilt and Mississippi State in last year’s Southeastern Conference Tournament displayed the resiliency to which Taylor referred.

“The SEC Tournament was our revenge tour,” said Janiah Barker. “I think we had a different mindset approaching it. I felt like we came out there and showed what we had. I think it was just the start of what we can show for this season.”

That resiliency will make the Aggies better this season.

So will the return of sophomores Barker and Sydney Bowles. So will incoming transfers Aicha Coulibaly from Auburn and Endyia Rogers from Oregon. As well as an impressive incoming freshman class that is highlighted by Kylie Marshall, the top-ranked player in Texas.

SEC observers certainly expect A&M to improve.

The Aggies finished tied for last in the conference standings last year. They were picked to finish eighth in the preseason projections this year. That’s a significant jump, especially in a conference that has produced the last two national champions.

“Our team is exciting to be around off the court,” said Barker, who averaged a team-high 12.7 points last season but was limited to just 19 games due to injuries. “We’re just a great team in general, chemistry-wise. Our additions and transfers — Endyia, Lauren (Ware), Kyndall (Hunter), Aicha — it’s the pieces we’ve been looking for.

“Endyia is a consistent shooter, great point guard, veteran, knows the game in and out. Lauren is a great five (center), runs the floor. She does what she does. She’s talking. If she’s on the floor, you know. AC (Coulibaly) is a great defender. So it’s exciting to have these new additions to our team.”

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Now a graduate student at Texas A&M, Rogers was the No. 5-ranked transfer by ESPN.com.

Coulibaly averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds last season on the way to earning All-SEC honors.

Rogers, who’s originally from Dallas, was a three-time All-Pac-12 selection at Oregon. She will fill a desperate need at point guard.

“With Endyia, it is about using her voice and being our leader as a point guard,” Taylor said. “She obviously shoots the ball well. She passes it well. Her stat line is ridiculous. Take a look at what she did at the University of Oregon.”

Rogers averaged 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 45.3 percent from the field for the Ducks.

The influx of talent mixed with returners like Barker should make contending for an NCAA Tournament berth a realistic goal.

But Taylor doesn’t necessarily set definitive goals. Rather, she focuses on the steps required to reach goals.

“We talk about goals. We talk about expectations,” she said. “But really, we talk about the process. If we do these things — when we look up — we’re going to be where we want to be.

“Is it the goals, or is it the habits? Is it being one of the top four teams in the conference in terms of offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding? What are our defensive field goal percentages going to look like in terms of what we hold our opponents to?

"Those are the things we talk about, and we want our players to understand at a high level because if we hit those markers, then we’re going to look up and be exactly where we think we should be.”