Benjy Taylor enters his third season as an assistant coach for the CSU Bakersfield men’s basketball team in fall of 2018. Taylor came to CSUB prior to the 2016-17 season after one season at Southeast Missouri State.
In 2016-17, CSUB won the Western Athletic Conference regular-season championship and became the first-ever No. 8 seed to reach the NIT semifinals. CSUB also finished No. 9 in the mid-major Top 25 with the highest RPI in program history at 59. The `Runners were in the Top 10 of several defensive categories nationally, including a No. 1 ranking in transition defense and No. 2 in defensive points per possession. Meanwhile, the team earned its first-ever Defensive All-American selection (Jaylin Airington).
In Taylor’s two seasons with the `Runners, the team has posted a record of 37-18.
With an impressive resume as a both a head coach and assistant, Taylor was interim head coach at the University of Hawai'i during the 2014-15 season, leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 22-13 record.
UH advanced to the Big West Conference Tournament final and recorded its second-straight 20-plus win season, marking the program's first back-to-back 20-win campaigns in 17 years. Taylor was named the Hugh Durham Mid Season Mid Major National Coach of the Year following the 2014-15 campaign.
Prior to Hawai’i, Taylor was the head coach at Chicago State for three years. During his tenure, he helped the Cougars achieve new heights in its Division I era, including the program’s first winning season in more than 23 years. The 2008-09 squad finished with a 19-13 season ledger and also finished the season ranked third nationally in scoring and steals. For his efforts, he captured ‘Independent Division I Coach of the Year’ honors.
Prior to Chicago State, Taylor was an assistant coach at Tulane. In his second season at Tulane, Taylor helped the Green Wave compile a 17-13 overall record, including a top division finish, only one full season removed from the devastating after-effects of Hurricane Katrina.
After helping Pepperdine to an NIT appearance in 2001, Taylor landed his first head coaching stint at NCAA Division III North Central College in Naperville, Ill., where he guided the program for three seasons. It was Taylor’s second tour of duty in the state. Taylor was previously the associate head coach at Northern Illinois from 1995-2000, helping the Huskies reach the NCAA Tournament in 1996 after posting a 20-10 record. Taylor has also served as an assistant coach at Cornell (1991-92), The Citadel (1992-95) and Indiana State (2004-05).
As a student-athlete, Taylor was a four-year letter winner with the University of Richmond (1985-89). His teams registered an 85-38 (.691) record during his career with two NCAA Tournament appearances (1986, ’88) and one NIT Tournament bid (1989). The 1988 Spider team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with upsets of Indiana and Georgia Tech in the NCAA Tournament.
Taylor earned his bachelor’s degree with a double major in criminal justice and sociology and remained with the Spiders as a graduate assistant coach, earning a master’s degree in sports management. During his two years as a graduate assistant coach at Richmond, he helped his alma mater to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. In the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tourney, Richmond upset Syracuse, the first time a 15-seed defeated a two-seed in NCAA Tournament history.
Taylor has four children: Tyler (27), Otto, III (18), Ostin (15), and Olive (10). He also has two grandchildren: Karter (5) and Ty'Hir (6 months).
