ELON, N.C. – From the moment he stepped on campus, head coach Billy Taylor has been pioneering a new era for the Elon University men's basketball team. Although roster reconstruction and overhaul can be one of the most challenging parts of taking on a program, Taylor said that in his third season, he has developed a framework he believes is built to last.  

After accepting the head coach job, Taylor inherited an entirely new roster and coaching staff and has since dealt with roster turnover, injuries, and young players taking on major roles. 

Entering his third season at the helm, Taylor sees a real opportunity to compete in the CAA. Over his first two years, Taylor laid a foundation for a rebuilding team with many young players carrying a heavy workload. 

"We are really excited about the guys we have coming back on our roster," Taylor said. "We were not hit as hard as some other programs in the transfer portal and so the way we grow and develop our program is through the four-year model."

The Phoenix returns three key starters, guards TK Simpkins and Nick Dorn and senior forward Sam Sherry, who collectively accounted for just under half of the team's scoring in CAA matchups. Simpkins led the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game overall and 14.5 in conference play. With the returning junior guard also earning a selection to the Preseason All-CAA Second Team, Taylor explained that with Simpkin's strong finish to conference play, he is eager to see what his returning backcourt star is poised to do this upcoming season. 

"To have TK Simpkins back... is super exciting for us," Taylor said. "The way he finished the last nine games of the season averaging 18 points, four rebounds and four assists... we are really excited about that."

Along with Simpkins, Sherry returns for his fourth season in the maroon and gold. He started 29 of his 31 games played last season while averaging 10 points and 4.2 rebounds per game during conference play. Sherry also led the team in field goal percentage during conference play shooting 56.9%.

Sherry is looking to improve even further on these numbers during his senior season, being the most veteran member of the Phoenix. 

"I have been working on my game a ton this summer," Sherry said. "I am very excited and I believe we will make big strides."

Taylor also believes that Sherry can help the team in many facets on and off the court as he brings his veteran leadership to the locker room. 

"[Sherry is] a two-year starter for us," Taylor said. "He is a senior, a captain, a leader and someone who has really affected the game on both ends of the court for us."

Along with Sherry, the frontcourt received a boost with the Phoenix bringing in Matthew Van Komen, a graduate transfer from Hawaii Pacific University. Most notably, Van Komen will bring elite size as he stands at a towering 7'4", five inches taller than any of his teammates and taller than any player ever to take the court for Elon. Along with Hawaii Pacific, Van Komen also spent time at high-level Division I programs such as the University of Utah and Saint Mary's College. 

The addition of Van Komen will provide a major spark to the team, as his size is likely to intimidate opponents. Last season at Hawaii Pacific, Van Komen commanded the post, blocking 49 shots, good for better than two per game. He also had a season-best six-block performance in a matchup with Fresno Pacific. Frontcourt mate Sherry said their battles during practice have forced him to improve his game. 

"[Playing against Van Komen] has developed my game a lot," Sherry said. "I have had to change the trajectory of my shot, put a little more flow on my hook shot and do a few more things to add to my bag."

With the increased threat posed by Van Komen and the hopes that Sherry takes another stride as a senior, Taylor believes that Elon's frontcourt will be a strength offensively and help to improve a defense that struggled at times last season. With new additions to the roster, Taylor has hopes to strengthen the team's depth and switch up defensive looks. 

"We will still mix our defenses, we had to play a lot more zone last year than we anticipated," Taylor said. "We suffered injuries throughout the season and we had to go with shorter rotations with guys out of the lineup. As long as our depth allows us and guys are understanding, we will play a lot more man-to-man with the ability to mix in our zone."

While Sherry and Van Komen seek to anchor the frontcourt, the backcourt looks to make improvements of their own as Simpkins and Dorn return and the Phoenix brings in junior college transfer TJ Simpkins. TJ is the identical twin brother of TK Simpkins and helped lead Northwest Florida State College to a 29-6 record and an appearance in the NJCAA quarterfinals. 

"It's unique to have twins, one who is right-handed and one who is left-handed, so it kind of helps us keep them straight sometimes," Taylor said. "We are really excited to have them both and their ability to affect the game, speed, athleticism, tenacity and ability to score the ball."

The returning guards will look to build off of their success from behind the three-point arc. The Phoenix ranked fourth in the CAA with 8.6 three-pointers made per game last season and third with 8.9 during conference play. 

Dorn led the Phoenix in three-pointers with 60 last season, which accounted for more than two per game. He connected on 34 triples in 16 conference games, which also led the team. With Dorn receiving accolades such as four Rookie of the Week awards – tied for the most in the CAA last season – Taylor said he has been pleased with the growth he saw from his shooting guard in his first season. 

"As a freshman, he had a lot of great success for us," Taylor said. "He was really able to affect the game for us... and continued to grow as a player. We really put him into the fire as a freshman so he got an opportunity to learn through his experiences." 

With a combination of new faces and key returners, the Phoenix looks to compete in a talented CAA. The team will take on an in-state ACC foe to open its season, as the team travels to Chapel Hill to take on No. 9 North Carolina at 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4. The game will be nationally televised on the ACC Network. 

"Every team [in the CAA] has gotten a lot of players who are high-level," Sherry said. "I have seen every team grow in the past four years. It was exciting to see how every team elevated their teams and elevated their players."

In addition to the Tar Heels, Elon faces another strong opponent as Taylor returns to his alma mater in South Bend on Nov. 22 when the Phoenix take on Notre Dame. Elon's CAA season will begin with a road test against North Carolina A&T on Jan. 2. 

THREE THINGS TO KNOW:

TWIN KILLING
Twin brothers TJ and TK Simpkins will pair up in the backcourt for the Phoenix. Despite being born on the same day, the twins are separated by a year in terms of eligibility as TJ is a sophomore and TK is a junior. Billy Taylor has previous experience coaching talented twins. Most notably, he was the assistant coach at Iowa when twin guards Keegan and Kris Murray played for the Hawkeyes. Both now play in the NBA and were selected in the first-round of the NBA Draft. 

GIANT SLAYER
Standing at 7 foot 4 inches, Matthew Van Komen comes in as the tallest player in Elon program history. Van Komen is in rare company with few players in college basketball history standing at 7'4" or taller. He is the same height as reigning two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, who led Purdue to the National Championship game last season before being drafted ninth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies.

THE SHERRY EXPERIENCE
Senior forward Sam Sherry is the most veteran Phoenix and the only one who played for Elon prior to Billy Taylor accepting the head coaching job in 2022. Over the last two seasons, Sherry has played in 63 games with 56 starts. 
 

---

'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.

---