Georgia Women's Basketball Welcomes Ayla Guzzardo

GEORGIA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL VIDEOS

Guzzardo Press Conference

Guzzardo Media Availability

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia welcomed Head Coach Ayla Guzzardo with an introductory press conference held on Tuesday morning.

University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead
"Coach Guzzardo is the latest addition to an athletic program built on strong leadership and a commitment to excellence. Under the direction of the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics, Josh Brooks, our athletic department has assembled an outstanding team of administrators and coaches across all sports united in their commitment to supporting student athletes in their academic, athletic and personal growth. I think this appointment reflects that continued momentum as we welcome a coach who embodies our vision for success."

J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks
"From the beginning of this search, our goal was simple. Find an exceptional leader, someone who is first and foremost a tremendous human being, someone who connects with student-athletes, engages with our fans and alumni and truly invests in this community. You will not find a better person than Coach Ayla Guzzardo. Ask any AD in the country and there's always a list that you keep, and when a job like this opens from day one Coach Guzzardo was top of mind. Since that day I first saw her, what she accomplished speaks for itself. Most recently, she led a record-breaking season at McNeese. She took a program that was 10-21 the year before her arrival and turned into a 29-6 this past season. It was one of the best turnarounds in the country and just one win shy of the largest single-season turnaround in the history of college women's basketball. She led McNeese to its first 20-win season in a decade, the winningest season in program history, and before that, she transformed a struggling Southeastern (Louisiana) program into a consistent winner over eight seasons. But more than the wins, what stands out the most, her student athletes believe in her, her community rallies around her, and here, that matters."

University of Georgia Women's Basketball Head Coach Ayla Guzzardo
"We're excited to join this community, and I truly mean that. When I say community, I mean community and I mean family. Georgia has a long and storied history because the alumni and their fans and I want each and every one to know that you'll always have a spot on our team, and we mean that. When you think about Georgia, you think about Andy Landers. Watching him when I was growing up, I have so much respect for what he's built here and the program that he's built, what he's done and the tradition and the trajectory this program is going to see new heights, and he's built that for us."
"When you look around us today, there's no question that Georgia is committed to basketball. Thank you for this tremendous opportunity, and I can promise you that our team will be fun to follow. We'll be passionate, energetic on the court and off the court and you're going to get to know us as people, as humans and you're going to see us in this community. Athens is great and we can't wait to be a part of it. I'm excited, I'm humbled and I know I'm going to work hard. My staff is going to work hard, and our players are going to work hard and that's going to translate on and off the floor. I'm telling you we're all in this together. Go Dawgs!"

Quotes from Media Availability

Ayla Guzzardo

On envisioning coach at a program like Georgia…
"I didn't imagine it until I met Josh. This place is a special place. It was always a goal of mine. Once I got to Athens, I realized how important and how special it was, I knew it was the right place to be."

On herself as a player…
"If you watch us play our games, it's the exact same way. My coaching style translates from me as a player. I was loud. I was energetic, passionate, intense in a sane way, and feisty. I try to mimic that
with my players."

On her relationship with Josh Brooks…
"Josh is a very important person back where I'm from. I don't think we talk about it enough but he's up there with Kim Mulkey, Pete Golding, and then Josh. Hammond, Louisiana is taking over the SEC. It's a special place. We have some of the same values and core expectations. But for us, we have the same alignment and I think that's important."

On her approach to building relationships…
"We do that in the early recruiting process. This isn't just a job for me. These are lifelong relationships and friendships that we're creating. My job isn't done when they graduate. My job is to continue to watch them get jobs, get married, have families and succeed in life. I think it's bigger than just basketball for us."

Josh Brooks

On any pre-existing relationships between their families…
"I don't know. I'm sure if we dig deep enough, we probably have a lot of relatives that know each other. Hammond is a small town so I'm sure we do. I'm confident we have a lot of mutual friends, but we didn't know each other per say. After I saw her team play in Iowa, I looked up her bio and saw that she was from my hometown. That's when I started keeping up with her and just following her career."

On what stood out about Guzzardo's coaching…
"Not to make it about myself, but her career reminded me of my career a lot. I came from Louisiana-Monroe and had to grind to get to where I am. That's how her team played, with tenacity. If I was a basketball coach, that's exactly how I would coach, so that was exciting. The connection is the piece that's so important to me. We share the same values, being from the same hometown. Where we come from, the connection with people is very important, so that was an instant thing that really stood out to me."

University of Georgia Athletics

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