JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?T#wMi+#F08 J]-'4t;cVlWIq?Zd"dOm  hPIJtw^y03g\ʡUHzuk{48ʤ`U"qvzU^Qё#\Ǎ= (PFLgB $Gڍ@I#&n'C=(w;8t@?ҥ^h+gI646b)G\·[|f$DRG/L ?xOC2+AZLy2xs}wxK8`"P壐Ǧ1ET;t=303Oٌ?ֹO Kyfv4 HGo_Ii7XKc'[XV#-r1zUPn45Y#c`kK9}~zU!bùsӬmQnT~*-5Dn'[09&(Ղ]pűEV¥:Xu]8lc؝U.x2&w)͜?fZ_ ˒W/ D?vGS@GPHGM%*ƪ94@TA8Is λ^I b+VPB.nƜo˘8畧$9PJV(mCNAJVͷ8iE5)Pi(ʀp8CH^I8O±sdaw\W8޽:Ѹ#*|Q 3KXd21YUW4/9:: 6t#3q&67:ukQ,k4l@5phxtm0iICM䑣Gx0@8p(/{)u6DDVFQ|ns$⸙A,4WwIv;9_SVq'G ̊n@ք6OG$gwBCŠcTq-VIS9x$ ǥB層is2}-ƛq$v'Г޷k[y IlQԴ`qԪ-se a,cUդ0[.y]R7NNx.λGvSKB9BE*N98V>愩]gC%)R 3jjS J>R~/2: `KҹMWUʘIu{t(AV䅕Xc޹&%y4hԀ ~**RH }8Wiػ^5ZMOsϾTr:Wx:_xv,`+ZJI=2eIG˾>}Wz]3Į 8t]q\}k&2"yM5%iSLKRp;y44aBewDԯQs-dIW5Kv"P7}k׵$(NcM%}E@O$܎ p\K2ZIXWw㋥*9v@15$jDNIXsz 2J>gg7>s#'/!z˻CdJ|5y ŋ0&<팊\E8Uj:oap%miV^FKqg*`Ĝ倰d \ny!v\aP&±k1=FiTr:%f#r-w~8>z.#k+lZVoU>^e'kH2I[MgQY\pqs\ޟi631NP|R 1msE-$cp!48_z5 Z50<йVg'"q<`394" usta⼲&Af=JVbQS5G.295!humpzχbXA+-ME ~pW=?]IZŏ?5&D/@Ke8$Q[`i,?֊eXycUIZ) Ֆ XڒGg:CpZ}`Dm0+6h_VNy9f@7ŷ[`d^E-ݾC*nʻBNs0]/LIJ DϮ=+|O BçJ[JF,,R$dК^['"Y#bpH89,4x6A%ʟtXtp`X0:=>顬-KA F>~53D*{YLQnPzG\d4&=$+:Vƙ2<5 $Vp:ApKژeh|P0yYxzbmvy01$U:e3@cL\Mu*+*q'Ұķ0<%d㉁ 1n:Qwu9uk85j7FG"H+Ȯ{s0Ȍ,*I!BxPN3+Zbᩬ43j`9 s;WA XZkpZ@ )B68-,K;D=Q\u-=nXʢNV&h.@64&sG֭0E0O"ܹaUj54V:KOzu:]3EEpxm!$saA8?]>V *$VGۮ ;A%7.n#` Hne `.pqpNGJH5%1\6IP8#V@n0rjV.]Di$bn?AU7 yxm^ƾa T߆R7=(GxRD]#p$V:87\}5_Y{X^)<烚ɚ,7_FYG|d eŨDOkNrdʚQ(9[ <P>Head Basketball Coach, Denise Taylor, grew up in Cleveland, Mississippi.&nbsp; Taylor was raised by her mother and grandmother after her father died of a stroke at the age of 6.&nbsp; She knew the meaning of hard work with her memories of being in the cotton fields.&nbsp; "I was lucky," remembered Coach Taylor.&nbsp; "I was raised on family values.&nbsp; My grandmother Robinson told me 'God don't like ugly and he's not too crazy about pretty either,' and that's how I was raised to be a real person and to treat others how I wanted to be treated.</P> <P>Coach Taylor went from Cleveland to Texas Southern University in Houston.&nbsp; "Basketball was my ticket to a free education," said Taylor.&nbsp; She finished as TSU's all-time top ten scoring, rebounding and games played.&nbsp; Coach Taylor was born to coach.&nbsp; She even took over the team as captain/coach in her senior year at Texas Southern.&nbsp; After trying to work at a hospital for three years, she could not stand being away from basketball and resigned.&nbsp; "I realized coaching was a passion with me."</P> <P>Coach Taylor landed her first job at Lamar and then in 1991 she went to American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts where she completely turned their program around.&nbsp; She became the head coach at Northeastern Illinois in 1993 and took that team to consecutive winning seasons and that was after the school had experienced an eight-year 21-183 record.&nbsp; When the WNBA opportunity arose, Taylor sent a resume to all eight teams and Utah liked her instantly.</P> <P>"I did not train with weights in high school," recalled Coach Taylor.&nbsp; "But now, strength and conditioning is having a tremendous impact on women's basketball.&nbsp; When I was at Texas Southern from 1980 to 1984 I did a combination of free weights and machines but not a lot.&nbsp; We did not have scheduled workouts and stretching was not big but it is now.&nbsp; If I had lifted correctly and known what to do back then I might be playing in the WNBA instead of coaching," she said laughing.</P> <P>At Northeastern Illinois, Coach Taylor did not have a formal strength program in her first year.&nbsp; "We didn't do Squats and Cleans but then I got a strength coach, Ed Lopez, who had a track background.&nbsp; We did Squats and Cleans from that point.&nbsp; Coach Lopez knew what to do."</P> <P>"If I were a high school coach," affirmed Coach Taylor, "I would start my players in the 7th grade.&nbsp; When people think that weights will ruin your touch, I tell them that's a myth.&nbsp; As far as losing your femininity, I believe that is changing.&nbsp; That too is a myth.&nbsp; Things are changing through education.&nbsp; Fitness is in.&nbsp; Health is in.</P> <P>"I believe sports can help your self confidence and discipline.&nbsp; Lifting weights for your sport just adds to that.&nbsp; Some people are afraid a girl could get muscle bound if they lift weights.&nbsp; Well, I have never seen that happen to my players.</P> <P>"The biggest reward in coaching is how we, as coaches, can touch people by helping them achieve their dreams.&nbsp; Helping my girls like a mother would.