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After three seasons at the helm of Northwest girls basketball, Vanessa Taylor has been dismissed from her head coaching role.
The Raiders announced June 15 that they were in search of a new head coach, despite Taylor leading them to three consecutive trips to the LHSAA playoffs. According to Taylor, tensions within the program cause the two parties to part ways.
“Some things happened during the season, and I decided to dismiss one of my assistant coaches and unfortunately, that coach is also the AAU coach of some of my players,” Taylor said. “Her and her fiancé persuaded a few of the parents that I didn’t know what I was doing.
“In a meeting, it was said that they didn’t care about my record or being a hall of fame coach and that they felt I wasn’t doing things the way they thought it should be done. So with that said, the principal made the decision that she would take the program in another direction.”
Taylor was recently inducted into the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame for the 2024-25 class following her decades-long coaching career. This past season, the Raiders ended with a 17-13 overall record, earning the No. 13 seed in the Division II Non-Select bracket. They beat Abbeville 44-40 in the first round before closing out the year with a second-round loss against eventual state champs, Wossman.
During Taylor’s coaching career, which includes her time at North Central, she has amassed a 627-243 overall record. She has led her teams in the past to two LHSAA Class 1A state championships in 2015 and 2020 as well as three state-runner-up finishes. Taylor is also a 20-time District Coach of the Year and a 10-time St. Landry Parish Coach of the Year.
With her departure from Northwest, Taylor isn’t sure yet if she’ll take up coaching for another program, but she hopes to have left the Raiders better than she found them.
“They have a lot of awesome athletes at Northwest and some of them are willing to put the work in,” Taylor said. “I did work with a few girls who received what I was trying to teach and trying to do. But you still have some that I don’t know if they want to win championships because they just don’t want to put in the work.”
The Daily Advertiser reached out to Northwest athletics for further comment, but has not received a response before press time.
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Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Northwest girls basketball dismisses hall of fame coach Vanessa Taylor
Continue reading...
The Raiders announced June 15 that they were in search of a new head coach, despite Taylor leading them to three consecutive trips to the LHSAA playoffs. According to Taylor, tensions within the program cause the two parties to part ways.
“Some things happened during the season, and I decided to dismiss one of my assistant coaches and unfortunately, that coach is also the AAU coach of some of my players,” Taylor said. “Her and her fiancé persuaded a few of the parents that I didn’t know what I was doing.
“In a meeting, it was said that they didn’t care about my record or being a hall of fame coach and that they felt I wasn’t doing things the way they thought it should be done. So with that said, the principal made the decision that she would take the program in another direction.”
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Taylor was recently inducted into the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame for the 2024-25 class following her decades-long coaching career. This past season, the Raiders ended with a 17-13 overall record, earning the No. 13 seed in the Division II Non-Select bracket. They beat Abbeville 44-40 in the first round before closing out the year with a second-round loss against eventual state champs, Wossman.
During Taylor’s coaching career, which includes her time at North Central, she has amassed a 627-243 overall record. She has led her teams in the past to two LHSAA Class 1A state championships in 2015 and 2020 as well as three state-runner-up finishes. Taylor is also a 20-time District Coach of the Year and a 10-time St. Landry Parish Coach of the Year.
With her departure from Northwest, Taylor isn’t sure yet if she’ll take up coaching for another program, but she hopes to have left the Raiders better than she found them.
“They have a lot of awesome athletes at Northwest and some of them are willing to put the work in,” Taylor said. “I did work with a few girls who received what I was trying to teach and trying to do. But you still have some that I don’t know if they want to win championships because they just don’t want to put in the work.”
The Daily Advertiser reached out to Northwest athletics for further comment, but has not received a response before press time.
REQUIRED READING: Louisiana baseball transfer portal, who's in, who's out for 2027 roster
REQUIRED READING: Westgate football is looking for talent to translate to wins in 2026 season
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Northwest girls basketball dismisses hall of fame coach Vanessa Taylor
Continue reading...
