Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball head coach Joni Taylor has been selected to serve as an assistant coach for the 2021 USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Cup Team. 

Taylor and South Dakota State head coach Aaron Johnston were named assistant coaches, while UCLA’s Cori Close was named head coach for the World Cup Team. The appointments were made by USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Selection Committee. 

Featuring U19 teams from 16 nations, the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup is scheduled to be held Aug. 7-15 in Debrecen, Hungary. In addition to the USA and host Hungary, teams that will take part in this summer’s U19 World Cup include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Italy, Japan, Mali, Russia, South Korea and Spain. 

“USA Basketball represents the highest level of excellence,” said Taylor, the 2021 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year. “I had the privilege of serving as a court coach for the 2018 USA U18 National Team trials, and it was one of the most special things I’ve been a part of in my career. I look forward to working alongside some of the best coaches in our profession and investing in these student-athletes as we look to bring home a gold medal.”

This is the second time Taylor has been selected to work with USA Basketball. She served as a court coach for the 2018 USA U18 National Team Trials. 

In addition to earning SEC Coach of the Year honors this past season, Taylor was one of four finalists for the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year Award. She Led Georgia to a 21-7 record that included its first trip to the SEC tournament finals since 2004 and its highest NCAA tournament seeding since 2007. 

In six seasons leading Georgia, Taylor has mentored four WNBA Draft picks and six All-SEC honorees. She has compiled a 119-65 record.