Women's Basketball Coaches

01/01/00

- Debbie Taylor
Head Coach

Having guided the William and Mary women’s basketball team to one of its most successful campaigns last season, Head Coach Debbie Taylor returns for her ninth year at the helm of the Tribe program.

Under her direction, W&M has produced outstanding scholar-athletes both on the court and in the classroom. Last season was illustrative of this, as three members of the Tribe were recognized with all-conference honors. Highlighting the group was forward Kyra Kaylor, who was selected to the All-CAA First Team for the second consecutive season. Honored as the CAA Player of the Year as a sophomore, Kaylor proved to be one of the conference’s elite players once again in 2006-07. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native averaged 14.8 ppg and 9.1 rpg, while ranking among the league’s best in numerous categories. One of the top players in the program’s history, Kaylor’s success throughout her career is a testament to Taylor. Kaylor currently ranks third all-time at the College in points (1,411) and rebounding (854), while her name appears among the top 10 at W&M in 12 additional categories.

Under Taylor’s tutelage, forward Tiffany Benson had an outstanding rookie season and developed into one of the league’s top defensive players, as she was chosen as a member of the CAA All-Rookie Team. An outstanding shot blocker, the Virginia Beach, Va., native established a single-season school record with 67 blocks, a total that ranks fourth on W&M’s career list. Benson’s selection marked the eighth time in the last eight years that one of Taylor’s players has garnered all-rookie accolades.

While the honors poured in for its work on the hardwood, the Tribe also produced impressive results in the classroom. Guard Sarah Stroh distinguished herself by being named to the CAA All-Academic First Team for the second consecutive season. Stroh started all 31 games for W&M at the point and ranked seventh in the conference in assists (3.8 apg). A steady player throughout her four years at the College, she finished her career as the school record holder for games played (115).

Undoubtedly, the individual honors were impressive, but what the team accomplished collectively during the 2006-07 season was far more significant. The Tribe posted the second-most victories in school history (19) to earn consecutive winning seasons for the initial time as a Division-I program. Additionally, W&M recorded 10 regular-season conference triumphs and secured consecutive double-digit league win totals for the first time. Statistically, the Tribe established itself as one of the nation’s top defensive teams by limiting the opposition to just 35.5 percent shooting, a figure that ranked 13th in the country. Offensively, the squad was incredibly effective beyond the arc and ranked 23rd in three-pointers made per game (6.3) and 26th in three-point field goal percentage (36.0).

Last season’s success built upon what was accomplished during the 2005-06 campaign. That edition of the Tribe earned the nation’s second-best turnaround and registered the program’s best record since the 1998-99 season. Additionally, the Green and Gold’s 11 conference victories were a school record, besting the previous mark of nine.

Many of the Tribe’s accomplishments in 2005-06 were products of the hard work and dedication put in during the previous year. While the 2004-05 campaign was mired by a slew of injuries, it provided younger players with an immediate opportunity to gain valuable experience. Though the hard work did not lead to immediate results in the win column, Taylor’s guidance played an integral role in building the foundation for the Tribe’s success the following two seasons.

During the 2003-04 season, Tribe fans were witnesses to what lay ahead as Kaylor emerged as one of the league’s top rookies. Despite the team’s 11-20 record, Kaylor finished the season ranked among league leaders in scoring (10th), total rebounds (sixth), field goal percentage (fourth), steals (10th) and defensive rebounds (fourth). Her efforts did not go unrecognized, as she was a third-team All-CAA selection and was tabbed to the conference’s all-rookie team.

Under Taylor’s tutelage, guard Jen Sobota finished her career in 2003 as one of the top players in school history. Sobota broke nine school career records, including points scored with 1,511 and games played and started (113). Despite an 8-20 record in 2002-03, a season in which several key players were sidelined with injuries, a Tribe freshman was recognized for her stellar play. Forward Dominique Lewis was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team after finishing the year with averaging 5.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg.

In 2001-02, Taylor’s third season in Williamsburg, she guided the College to its most wins since 1998-99. The run-and-gun offense produced 67.4 points per contest, third-highest in the league, up from a 47 points per game effort during Taylor’s first year. For the third straight season, a Tribe freshman garnered all-rookie honors, as guard Kia Butts was selected to the team. Butts was also the Tribe’s top man-to-man defender, drawing the assignment of the opponent’s top scorer.

Along with Butts, the College’s dynamic duo of guards Sobota and Jami Lange were the sparkplug behind the 12 wins, as the two “J’s” were the only teammates in the CAA to finish the season in the top 10 in scoring. Sobota finished the year sixth in the league with a 13.8 scoring average, two-tenths of a point behind league player of the year Lucienne Berthieu, while Lange was the CAA’s 10th-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game.

In her second year at the helm of the Tribe program, Taylor helped guide William and Mary to a number of firsts. For the initial time, the College placed three players on all-conference teams, with two players earning second-team All-CAA status (Jen Sobota, Quintina Walker) and a third to the all-rookie team (Ornit Shwartz). That was the first time since 1996 that a Tribe player had been selected to an All-CAA team. Also, W&M won its first CAA post-season game in five years, defeating Virginia Commonwealth in the conference quarterfinals. Additionally, the squad had three CAA Player of the Week recipients, tying for the most in the league.

Taylor, a 1986 graduate of the College, is the fourth Tribe head coach since the program went to the Division I level in 1984.

“This is a very exciting time for Tribe women’s basketball,” Taylor said. “This program has tremendous potential and we are just beginning to take off. We are really building something special here. It is exciting to work with and recruit the quality of student-athlete that the school attracts. I love our players. They are a great group of people with strong character and tireless work ethic. I am fortunate every day to be around such a unified group who have the ability to balance the demands of high level basketball and intense academics.”

During her first season, Taylor implemented Team Tribe, a kids’ club that provides fan support for women’s basketball and volleyball. In nine years, Team Tribe has grown to more than 450 members.

According to Taylor, “Community support is vital to our team’s success. Team Tribe provides our players with an opportunity to act as role models for young people in the Williamsburg area.” She also believes that her players should maximize their education and potential both on and off the court.

“William and Mary basketball is about unity, about family, about personal growth,” Taylor said. “It is the goal of the coaching staff to create an environment that provides an opportunity for our players to challenge themselves academically, athletically and personally. It is also our goal to build a national-caliber program with highly motivated student-athletes through which we will help reinforce and develop the skills necessary for their success after college.”

A former Tribe letterwinner in both basketball and lacrosse, Taylor arrived in Williamsburg on June 1,1999 after a two-year stint in the Southeastern Conference as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina. While in Columbia, she organized and coordinated the Gamecocks recruiting efforts and worked with the Gamecock guards.

In 1998, under her direction, South Carolina signed the seventh-best recruiting class in the country according to the All-Star Girls Report, which included guard Shaunzinski Gortman, who was a first-round draft pick of the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting in 2002. Gortman, one of the toughest man-to-man defenders in the country during her career, was the first SEC player selected in the draft that year.

That 1998 recruiting class led the Gamecocks to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament as seniors in 2001-02 en route to posting a school-best 25-7 record and final ranking of sixth in the national polls. Taylor joined the South Carolina staff in April of 1997 after spending two years as an assistant coach at West Virginia University.

Upon graduation from William and Mary, Taylor accepted her first coaching position at Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, Va. During her six seasons at TES, she won two conference titles and led the Titans to the 1991 Virginia League of Independent Schools championship.

In 1992, Taylor was hired as the assistant boy’s varsity basketball coach at Goochland (Va.) High School. At that time she was one of only two females to coach boys’ basketball in the Commonwealth. She was promoted to the head coaching position the following year and in 1994 guided the Bulldogs to its best season in a decade.

Taylor also coached AAU basketball from 1988 to 1995, leading the James River Rapids (Richmond, Va.) to several national tournaments and the 1995 Virginia state title.

At William and Mary, Taylor earned a bachelor of arts degree in kinesiology and was a two-year team captain for the basketball team. She graduated as the College’s all-time leader in career assists and steals.

Taylor, who resides in Williamsburg, enjoys boating, reading, playing the piano and visiting with her family in her spare time. She has four sisters: Laurie, Kathy, Pam and Jennifer; four nieces: Kaitlyn (20), Olivia (7), Alexis (4) and Eden (2); and two nephews: Kenny (17) and Roman (7). She is the daughter of Ed and Ruth Taylor of Fredericksburg, Va.