Episode 51: Coach Audrey Taylor- 2019 USA Today National High School Basketball Coach of the Year Franklin High School, Somerset, NJ

  Details: After nine years of coaching Franklin, Audrey Taylor’s team put it all together in perhaps the greatest girls basketball season in state history. The Warriors were the third team to have an undefeated record in New Jersey history, the most wins of any undefeated team, and a Tournament of Champions victory. The team now has three TOC appearances in a row. After going 12-17 Taylor’s first season, the team has progressively improved, and after going 14-10 four seasons ago, Franklin has gone 85-15 since. “(We created) a standard to be tough, defend, and play with your heart, with passion,” Taylor said. “A lot of my kids thrive off of my energy so I would think that I set a standard and it was a winning standard and based on the things that we were going to do, we were going to defend, we were going to rebound the ball and we were going to be aggressive on offense.” She did this while working through the death of her mom, who died during the season. Taylor said the empathy and love of her players helped her move through it. “They’ve seen me be strong for so long that they finally were able to give that back to me. They kept me smiling, kept me encouraged and honestly it just felt good to be around them,” she said. “I give the credit to them and just the kids that they are” Through all that, the team never lost, dismantling opponents with a well-rounded cast led by McDonald’s All American Diamond Miller. Taylor helped her players mature on and off the court as they proved themselves as one of the best teams in the country. Accomplishments:  2019 USA Today All-USA Coach of the Year  2019 Ranked #12 Nationally (USA Today-Super 25)  2017 & 2019 Ranked #1 State of NJ  2019 Undefeated Season 34-0  2017 & 2019 NJISAA Tournament of Champion State Champions  2x Somerset County Champions (Back 2 Back) 2017 & 2019  4x Group 4 State Champions 2015-2019  4x Group 4 Sectional Champions 2014 -2019  2017 NJ.com (Star Ledger) Coach of the Year  2017 USA Today Coach of the Year  2014 & 2017 Franklin High School Coach of the Year  2014 & 2017 Courier News Basketball Coach of the Year (Somerset County)  2016 & 2017 Skyland Conference Coach of the Year  Contact:  @Coach_Taylor33  [email protected]