Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor (born June 12, 1973)
Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: Elon Phoenix
Current conference: Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)
Lehigh record: 81-69 (.540)
Ball State record: 84-99 (.459)
Belmont Abbey record: 49-42 (.538)
Elon record: 21-43 (.328)
Overall record^: 235-253 (.482)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (2004)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 0
- CAA Regular Season Champion: 0
- MAC Regular Season Champion: 1 (2009)
- Patriot League Regular Season Champion: 1 (2004)
- CAA Tournament Champion: 0
- Patriot League Tournament Champion: 1 (2004)
Awards:
- Patriot League Coach of the Year: 2 (2003, 2004)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2022-present | Elon |
| 2019-2022 | Iowa (asst) |
| 2016-2019 | Belmont Abbey |
| 2013-2016 | Iowa (asst) |
| 2007-2013 | Ball State |
| 2002-2007 | Lehigh |
| 1999-2002 | UNC Greensboro (asst) |
| 1998-1999 | Notre Dame (asst) |
Billy Taylor Facts
- Billy Taylor
- Born June 12, 1973
- Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
- Alma Mater: University of Notre Dame (BS, 1995)
- The Chicago-native graduated from West Aurora HS (IL) and then played at Notre Dame
- Though he was originally recruited by Digger Phelps, it was John MacLeod that he played for
- After graduation, he worked at Arthur Anderson and earned his CPA
- Started his coaching career in 1998, spending the season on MacLeod‘s staff in South Bend
- Hired in 1999 by fellow ND assistant Fran McCaffery to be an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro
- Was a part of one NCAA Tournament team and one NIT team in three years at UNCG
- Became a head coach for the first time in 2002 when he was hired to take over at Lehigh
- Swept the Patriot League regular season and Tournament titles in 2004, going 20-11 (10-4)
- Finished above .500 in three of five seasons, compiling an overall record of 81-69
- Returned to the Midwest in 2007 when he accepted the position of head coach at Ball State
- Went 84-99 over six seasons, claiming a share of the MAC regular season title in 2009
- Taylor was let go in 2013 following back-to-back 15-15 seasons
- Reunited with McCaffery that offseason, joining his former boss’ staff at Iowa
- After three seasons in Iowa City, Taylor was hired to be the head coach at D-II Belmont Abbey (NC)
- Was 49-42 in three seasons at the school and resigned in May 2019
- Began his third stint with McCaffery and second at Iowa that same month, rejoining the Hawkeyes’ staff
- Hired in April 2022 to be the new head coach at Elon in the CAA
Billy Taylor Coaching Tree
- Matt Logie (Montana State, Point Loma, Whitworth)
- Jim Molinari (Western Illinois)
- Kyle Neptune (Villanova, Fordham)
- Joseph Price (Grambling State)
- Brett Reed (Lehigh)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the both the NCAA Division I and Division II levels
