Billy Taylor (basketball coach)
Encyclopedia
Billy Taylor is an American
college basketball
coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Ball State University
. He previously held the same position at Lehigh University
.
He was the valedictorian
at West Aurora High School in Aurora, Illinois, and was recruited by Digger Phelps
to play at Notre Dame
, though he played under John MacLeod. After spending three years working for Arthur Andersen
and earning his CPA
, he took an assistant coaching position under MacLeod at Notre Dame in 1998. One year later he followed former Lehigh
head coach Fran McCaffery
to UNC-Greensboro
.
In 2002 he was offered the head coaching position at Lehigh, where he spearheaded an 11-game turnaround and would eventually lead Lehigh into its first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance since the Fran McCaffery era.
In his inaugural campaign, Taylor become the all-time winningest first-year coach in Lehigh history. Coach Taylor and the Mountain Hawks surprised many by winning 16 games, including eight in the Patriot League. Their eleven-game improvement over the year before was the second best in all of Division I. For his outstanding efforts, Taylor earned the 2002–03 Patriot League Coach of the Year honors in voting by the league coaches.
His 2004–05 team forfeited 14 games, because they played with an ineligible player.
In August 2007 he was offered and took the head coaching position at Ball State.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
. He previously held the same position at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
.
He was the valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
at West Aurora High School in Aurora, Illinois, and was recruited by Digger Phelps
Digger Phelps
Richard "Digger" Phelps is a former American college basketball coach, most notably of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team from 1971 to 1991. Since 1993, he has served as an analyst on ESPN.-Career:...
to play at Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, though he played under John MacLeod. After spending three years working for Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
and earning his CPA
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
, he took an assistant coaching position under MacLeod at Notre Dame in 1998. One year later he followed former Lehigh
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
head coach Fran McCaffery
Fran McCaffery
Fran McCaffery is an American college basketball coach and the current men's head basketball coach at the University of Iowa. He is the former head of the Siena men's basketball program. He previously served as head coach of Lehigh University and UNC Greensboro...
to UNC-Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
.
In 2002 he was offered the head coaching position at Lehigh, where he spearheaded an 11-game turnaround and would eventually lead Lehigh into its first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance since the Fran McCaffery era.
In his inaugural campaign, Taylor become the all-time winningest first-year coach in Lehigh history. Coach Taylor and the Mountain Hawks surprised many by winning 16 games, including eight in the Patriot League. Their eleven-game improvement over the year before was the second best in all of Division I. For his outstanding efforts, Taylor earned the 2002–03 Patriot League Coach of the Year honors in voting by the league coaches.
His 2004–05 team forfeited 14 games, because they played with an ineligible player.
In August 2007 he was offered and took the head coaching position at Ball State.