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Debbie Taneyhill enters her 10th season as Mason's head women's basketball coach and has had much success while at the helm of the Patriot program. In Taneyhill's tenure with Mason, she guided the Patriots to four-straight winning campaigns (2000-04), two post-season appearances and was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year. The sixth mentor in George Mason's 32-year history, Taneyhill is the only head coach to amass 10 or more wins in each of her first eight seasons. She led the Patriots to their first-ever postseason appearance during the 2000-01 season, and then again during the 2003-04 campaign. Taneyhill received conference coach of the year honors in 2001 for the first time in her career, and became the first head coach in the Mason's women's basketball program's history to earn the honor. Heading into 2006-07, Taneyhill owns an overall career coaching record of 127-122 (.510). The Patriots closed out the 2005-06 campaign with a 66-50 loss to Old Dominion in the quarterfinals of the CAA Championship after defeating Virginia Commonwealth in the first round by a score of 74-60. Mason finished the season with an overall record of 12-17 (7-11 CAA), and eighth place in the conference. After holding the University of Miami to eight points in the first half the previous season in Fairfax, the Patriots defeated the Hurricanes for the second year in a row by a score of 68-61 in Miami, Fla. During the 2003-04 campaign, Taneyhill moved up to second all-time in Mason history in career wins with a 68-59 overtime win in the championship game of the Hawk Classic against St. Joseph's on Dec. 29. Taneyhill went on to notch her 100th career win in a 64-52 defeat over Towson on the Tigers home court (Feb. 22). In addition, Taneyhill led the Patriots to the 2004 CAA Championship title game for just the third time in school history, but Mason fell to Old Dominion by a score of 85-81, and ended the year tied for second among conference schools. Mason was invited to play in the Women's National Invitation Tournament for just the second time in school history and the Patriots ended the 2003-04 campaign with an 18-11 overall record (11-7 CAA) after falling to Seton Hall in the first round. The Patriots closed out the 2002-03 season with a loss in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, while Taneyhill's 2000-01 and 2001-02 squads both advanced to the CAA Tournament semifinals, forcing both contests into overtime. During the 2001-02 season the Patriots collected a 17-14 overall record, while the previous year's team tied the school record for wins, going 21-9 after a 10-19 showing in 1999-2000. Those additional 11 victories stands as the best one-year turnaround in the program's history. Among the youngest head basketball coaches in Division I at the age of 35, Taneyhill has been a part of the Mason family since 1988. Taneyhill played collegiately for the Patriots and then worked her way up the coaching ranks as she went from an assistant coach to associate coach and then to head coach. On Dec. 27, 1997, Taneyhill was given a chance to coach her former team as she was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the 1997-98 season. Taneyhill was then offered the head coaching position on Feb. 25, 1998, and is the first Colonial Athletic Association women's basketball player to advance to head coach at the same institution. After taking over the program in 1998, Taneyhill promptly led her squad to three-straight victories over Maryland-Eastern Shore, UNC Wilmington and East Carolina. Mason would then go on to sweep season series with UNCW, ECU and William & Mary. During the 2001-02 campaign, Taneyhill guided Mason to season sweeps over Hofstra, William & Mary, as well as Towson and led the Patriots to season sweeps the following year over the Tribe, Drexel, Towson and Virginia Commonwealth. Taneyhill coached former Mason stand-out Jen Derevjanik for four years (2000-04) and while Derevjanik was with the Patriots she earned Rookie of the Year accolades (2001) and was named to both the All-CAA First Team (2004) and All-CAA Second Team (2002, 2003). Derevjanik became just the second player in Mason history to play in the WNBA and currently plays for the Phoenix Mercury. In addition, Taneyhill also coached Vernessa Neamo (2000-04), who played for the NWBL's Birmingham Power in 2005. All together, Taneyhill has coached one WNBA player, two NWBL athletes, six European professionals, nine All-CAA performers, one CAA Rookie of the Year, four league all-tournament team members and on seven occasions her athletes have earned all-academic honors. Taneyhill, an active member of the University Speakers Bureau, is often a featured speaker at various functions around the Washington, D.C. area, including Rotary meetings and women's organizations. Taneyhill is currently in her third year as one of seven head coaches throughout the country to serve on the Rawlings National Coach of the Year Selection Committee. She served as a member of the five-person Francis Pomeroy Naismith Award Committee, which selects the best point guard in the country, and was also a member of the Kodak All-American team selection committee in 2000 for District II. From 1988-92 Taneyhill was a standout point guard on the Patriot basketball team, playing in 109 games. She remains in the Patriot record books, ranking eighth in assists with 273 and she held the record for the most consecutive free throws made with 21 until the 1996-97 season. Over Taneyhill's four seasons she averaged 25.4 minutes per game and had a career free throw percentage of 74.5. During her senior season, Taneyhill led Mason in minutes played, averaging 38.0 minutes per game. After graduating from Mason in 1992 with a degree in English, Taneyhill served as an assistant coach for three years and was promoted to associate coach in 1995. Taneyhill earned her degree in just three and a half years, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.97, and had a perfect 4.0 GPA in every semester but one. She earned her Master's in Education in December 1997. A three-time CAA All-Academic Team selection, Taneyhill was chosen as one of 14 women college basketball players nationwide to earn a postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA in 1992. Taneyhill came to Mason from Altoona, Pa. where she was a high school All-American on a national championship team. During her career she helped her team win the Pennsylvania 4-A state championship and the USA Today National High School championship in both 1986 and 1988. Her team was undefeated in both of those seasons with records of 31-0 and 30-0, respectively. This past season, Taneyhill and her teammates were inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame for their efforts during the 1988 season. The team became just the second team to be inducted into the Hall. Coaching runs in the family for Taneyhill, having played under her father, Art, in high school. He won more than 500 games and has two national titles as well as four state championships at Altoona. Over the years he has coached numerous Patriots, including 2000 graduates Jill Bartley and George Mason's all-time assists leader Courtney Kaup. Taneyhill's brother, Stephen, was the quarterback for the University of South Carolina football team, and is now head coach at Chesterfield High School in South Carolina. Taneyhill is a proud parent of Jason Thomas Aigner, who was born in September 1998. They reside in Fairfax, Va. |
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