Like millions of children in this basketball-loving nation, Denise Taylor grew up with aspirations of making her mark in the NBA.
"I always reach for the stars," said Taylor. "Coaching in the NBA has been one of my dreams - whether it was in a women's league or with the NBA, it didn't matter."Now Taylor will be reaching for the Starzz. Her NBA dream became reality Saturday afternoon, as she was named the first-ever coach of the Utah's entrant in the eight-team Women's NBA.
With Taylor on the bench, the Utah Starzz will begin their inaugural WNBA season June 21 in the Delta Center when they host the Sacramento Monarchs.
"The thing that impressed us about Denise is that she is really a winner," said Jazz general manager Tim Howells. "She's a tireless worker and has done a tremendous job of turning programs around. In addition, Denise has done a tremendous job of promoting the sport of women's basketball."
Taylor, 34, comes to the Starzz after three years as the head coach of Northeastern Illinois in Chicago. In her first season at Northeastern Illinois, 1993-94, she was named the East Coast Conference Coach of the Year. Her team went 15-13, which was a 10-game improvement from the previous campaign. Taylor's '94-95 team went 16-12. NEIU finished 19-9 in the recently-completed season. The three-winning records marked the first Division I winning seasons in school history.
Taylor's first head coaching job was a two-year stint beginning in 1991 at American International College in Springfield, Mass. where she led the school to its first-ever winning season.
Taylor was an assistant coach at Lamar University from 1987-91 and an assistant at Texas Southern University, her alma mater, from '86-87.
The Cleveland, Miss., native played four years at Texas Southern (1981-85), finishing in the school's top 10 in scoring, rebounding and games played.
Taylor's trip to interview for the job with Jazz/Starzz officials was her first visit to Salt Lake City, but she's looking forward to the new challenge in a new part of the country.
"Utah has great fans and a great sports tradition," she said. "If you're a basketball fan, if you enjoy good basketball, you'll enjoy the WNBA."
Jazz owner Larry H. Miller seems sold. "I have become increasingly excited about the WNBA," said Miller. "I've become aware of women's basketball being a fast, high quality game. We're excited to have Denise with us and the track record she brings."