En route to the worst record in the WNBA, the Utah Starzz have looked sloppy far too often for Denise Taylor's liking this season.
But the same can't be said of the Starzz coach herself.Taylor is to the WNBA what Pat Riley has been to the NBA for years - at least in a fashion sense.
There's no official voting on this type of thing. It's more subjective, even, than coach of the year or MVP accolades. Still, Taylor has been referred to as the "best-dressed coach in the WNBA" both over the airwaves and in print.
Like Riley, the current Miami Heat coach who has been known for his suave style since orchestrating the Lakers' showtime band in the '80s, Taylor takes pride in appearing sharp on the sidelines.
"I like to look nice," she said. "But picking out clothes is a hobby or a talent that comes natural to me. Some people may think that I work really hard at it and spend hours in front of the mirror, but I don't."
While Taylor may feel a certain amount of satisfaction in being compared with Riley for similar style acumen, she'd rather be thought of in Riley's league as a basketball strategist.
"It's fine with me if they say I'm the best-dressed coach in the league," said Taylor, "as long as they also say I can coach."
JURY'S STILL OUT: At 34, Taylor is younger than some of the top players in the WNBA. Despite her youth, she was able to build up a solid resume during a decade coaching at the college ranks.
After a stellar four-year playing career at Texas Southern University (1981-85), Taylor was an assistant coach at Lamar University from '87-91. Her first head coaching stint was at American International College in Springfield, Mass., where she led her team to its first winning record ever.
Taylor took over at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago in 1993, a team that had gone 5-23 the previous year. In her first year, NIU won the East Coast Conference championship. Taylor's three NIU teams all finished with winning seasons - at a school that had never previously had a winning mark at the NCAA Division I level.
But wins have been hard to come by for Taylor's Starzz. (Tonight's 74-64 home loss to the Los Angeles Sparks dropped the Starzz to 6-18, the worst record in the WNBA by three games.) Utah is out of the playoff picture with one week - and four games - remaining in the season.
As Taylor is well aware, coaches often take the brunt of the blame when things go poorly. Already WNBA coaches in Los Angeles and Sacramento have been fired - and both had better records than the Starzz when they got the boot.
The Starzz turn the ball over too much. They shoot less than 40 percent from the field. They give up too many easy baskets. But it's hard to determine whether Utah's problems stem from the coaching, the system, the talent level and youth of the players or a combination of those and other factors.
In other words, the jury is still out as to whether Taylor can be successful coaching at the professional level.
JOB SECURITY: Taylor, however, feels confident she won't be shown the door without being given another chance.
She's probably right. The Starzz are run by the Jazz front office staff, which has a reputation for loyalty to coaches.
"I hate to see coaches fired," said Jazz vice president Scott Layden. "Unfortunately in professional sports, that seems to be the quick fix or the easy way out. It's as if they think they are going to solve all their problems by getting rid of the coach. It never seems to work."
Layden said Taylor's first Starzz campaign will be evaluated at the end of the season. But, he quickly adds, "I certainly don't anticipate any coaching change . . . . Rome was not built in a WNBA season. It takes time to build a team. We know that."
For her part, Taylor is pleased with the job she's done with the WNBA's youngest, least experienced unit.
"I'm my biggest critic," she says. "I'm sure there will be things I do differently next season and there will be things I do the same.
"But if this team was just jogging up the court and not putting in an effort, people could say I wasn't doing the job as a coach," said continued. "That's not the case. Our players play hard. Even when we're down late in the game our players keep competing and I keep calling plays so that we can learn from those situations."
A PEOPLE PERSON: Taylor, or Coach T. as she is known by her players, is quick to smile and has an outgoing personality. She's more likely to quote scripture than Bobby Knight to her players. She can be seen signing autographs before and after games. She holds coaching clinics, is in demand as a public speaker and is learning to deal with the media on much larger scale than she ever had to while coaching at, say, NIU.
"I'm a people person and I always dreamed of coaching in the NBA," she said. "But like the saying goes, `be careful what you wish for . . . .' Sometimes all the demands are difficult. I don't have any free time. But I'm still enjoying myself."
Despite the lack of free time, Taylor enjoys a night out now and again. "Make sure you mention that I'm single," she said with a sly smile. "Maybe I'll get some dates from that."
A MODEL COACH: Despite all the losses, the season has had its positive points. Taylor says the Utah fans, which have averaged out to be better than 7,000 per game in the Delta Center, will be the fondest memory she'll take with her into the offseason. Other highlights include the Starzz's victory over the New York Liberty in Madison Square Garden and the come-from-18-points-back win over Los Angeles in the second game of the year.
"I remind the players, like the Bible says in Luke, that from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded," said Taylor. "We've been given a lot. Each one of the players is one of only 80 in the league and I'm one of eight coaches. There are thousands and thousands of people who would die or kill to have our jobs."
And there are others who would die or kill to have Taylor's fashion sense.
A couple of clothes designers approached Taylor at a recent game in Los Angeles.
"They said, `you really wear your clothes well. We want to put something together for you.' "
Not about to refuse an offer like that, Taylor will debut the new suit made especially for her in Tuesday night's home game.
Such is the life of the WNBA's best-dressed coach.