Wagner College head women’s basketball coach Lisa Cermignano has announced that Dara Taylor, the 2014 Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big 10 Second-Team selection, and two-time Academic All-Big 10 Team member at Penn State, has joined the Seahawk program as an assistant coach.
A captain for the Nittany Lions, who also earned a spot on the 2014 Big 10 All-Defensive Team before playing professionally in Poland in 2014-15, the former standout point guard will work primarily with the members of the Seahawk backcourt while also playing a prominent role in Wagner’s recruiting efforts.
Taylor’s hiring rounds out a Seahawk staff that also includes assistant coaches Bob Dunn and Michael Kotrozos, along with graduate assistant for basketball Operations, Melanie Williamson.
“I’m extremely excited to add Dara to our staff,” said Cermignano. “As a student-athlete, she was the total package, the leader of a Penn State team that won three Big 10 championships, and I see the same drive and determination in her as she begins her coaching career. Dara’s basketball knowledge has been cultivated by some of the best minds in college basketball and I believe she will be a major asset to our program.”
The 2009 Delaware Gatorade High School Player of the Year and a McDonald’s High School All-American at Caravel Academy in Bear, DE, Taylor began her collegiate career at the University of Maryland before transferring to Penn State following her sophomore year in 2011.
As a senior at Penn State in 2013-14, in addition to being the Big 10’s top defensive player, the 5-8 Taylor averaged 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
In 2014, Taylor earned a B.A. from Penn State where she majored in Communication Arts and Sciences with a minor in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management. Following her graduation, Taylor played professionally in Lublin, Poland, where she averaged 9.6 points per game at point guard for the AZS UMCS Club Team in the BLK, the top Polish professional league.
“I’m excited to embark on my collegiate coaching career at Wagner College under Coach Cermignano,” said Taylor. “This is a tremendous opportunity for me to join a program that is growing and improving annually, is in a great location, and one that prides itself on academic success just as much as athletic accomplishments.”
In addition to her outstanding playing career, Taylor worked as a counselor at the Penn State Lady Lions from 2011-14, where she demonstrated drills and techniques, taught essential basketball skills, and helped to coach camp participants. She also spent the summer of 2014 working at the Game 7 Boys and Girls Basketball Camp on Long Island, where she served as a counselor and coach.
http://www.wagnerathletics.com/news/2015/9/9/WBB_0909154619.aspx?path=wbball
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