Billy Taylor, a veteran leader with 18 years of collegiate head coaching experience, is in his fifth season at the helm of the Elon men’s basketball program in 2026-27. Taylor, who became the Phoenix’s 19th head coach on April 15, 2022, has been a part of teams – either as a head coach or on staff – that have advanced to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament seven times.
Taylor has won 52 games through four seasons at Elon (2022-2026), including a 17-16 record during the 2024-25 campaign that marked the Phoenix's first winning season since 2016-17. The 17-win season included marquee victories at Notre Dame – the program’s fourth win against a power conference opponent in its NCAA Division I era – as well as Coastal Athletic Association foes Towson and UNCW, which finished 1-2 in the league standings.
Taylor, who reached 250 career wins during the 2024-25 season, was recognized as the midseason recipient of CollegeInsider.com’s Hugh Durham Award, presented to the top mid-major college basketball coach in NCAA Division I, and was later named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award.
Taylor has served as a head coach at three other institutions, including Lehigh (2002-07), Ball State (2007-13) and Belmont Abbey (2016-19). He arrived at Elon in spring 2022 following a three-year stretch as an assistant coach at Iowa (2019-22), his second stint with the Hawkeyes on Fran McCaffery’s staff.
A two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (2003, 2004), Taylor led Lehigh to both the regular season and tournament titles in 2004, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament that season. He also guided Ball State to the 2009 Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division crown.
Taylor went 81-69 in five seasons at Lehigh, including a 43-27 mark in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks were 20-11 overall and 10-4 in conference action on the way to winning the 2004 Patriot League regular season and tournament titles. His first season at Lehigh (2002-03) was marked by the nation’s second-largest turnaround, improving its win total by 11 from the following season. Taylor’s 2005-06 squad set the school record for conference wins in a season (11-3).
Taylor’s Ball State squads finished first or second in the MAC West Division three times and advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals twice in his six-year tenure.
Taylor left Ball State following the 2012-13 season for his first of two stints at Iowa (2013-16), where he originally served as Director of Basketball Operations. During his three most recent seasons at Iowa (2019-22), Taylor and the Hawkeyes were a mainstay in the national rankings and the NCAA Tournament, winning the 2022 Big Ten Tournament title. The Hawkeyes won 26 games in 2022 – the second-highest single-season win total in program history – and Taylor’s time on staff was highlighted by the play of two-time national player of the year Luke Garza, as well as Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy finalist Keegan Murray.
In between his stays at Iowa, Taylor was head coach at Belmont Abbey for three years (2016-19), initiating a turnaround for the Crusaders program. After 26 total wins over his first two seasons with the Crusaders, Belmont Abbey went 23-8 in 2018-19, a record that included a 14-4 mark in Conference Carolinas action. Taylor built the foundation for the program to go 61-25 in the three season following his departure in 2019.
Taylor has more than 25 total years of collegiate coaching experience, having started as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Notre Dame (1998-99). He also served as an assistant coach at UNCG from 1999-2002, helping the Spartans reach the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and earn a NIT bid in 2002.
A four-year letterwinner at Notre Dame, Taylor was recruited by Digger Phelps, was a team captain as a senior, and started 79 career games. He graduated with a degree in accounting and computer applications in 1995. He also earned his CPA license in 1998.
Taylor and his wife, Avlon, have two daughters, Tamia and Gavielle, and a son, Savion.
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The Billy Taylor File
|
| Birthday |
June 12 |
| Education |
Notre Dame, 1995 (Accounting & Computer Applications) |
| Spouse |
Avlon |
| Children |
Tamia, Gavielle, Savion |
|
Accomplishments & Honors
|
| Championships |
Patriot League – Regular Season (2004, Lehigh)
Patriot League – Tournament (2004, Lehigh)
MAC – West Division (2009, Ball State) |
| Postseason Appearances |
2004 – NCAA Tournament Opening Round (Lehigh)
2025 – CBI First Round (Elon) |
| Awards |
2x Patriot League Coach of the Year – 2003, 2004 (Lehigh) |
|
Coaching Experience
|
| 1998-99 |
Notre Dame (Assistant Coach) |
| 1999-2002 |
UNCG (Assistant Coach) |
| 2002-07 |
Lehigh (Head Coach) |
| 2007-13 |
Ball State (Head Coach) |
| 2013-16 |
Iowa (Director, Operations) |
| 2016-19 |
Belmont Abbey (Head Coach) |
| 2019-22 |
Iowa (Assistant Coach) |
| 2022-Present |
Elon (Head Coach) |
|
Year-By-Year Record (Head Coach)
|
| Career Record (18 seasons) |
266-287 (.481) |
| Lehigh (2002-07; 5 seasons) |
81-69 (43-27, Patriot League) |
| 2002-03 |
16-12 (8-6) |
| 2003-04 |
20-11 (10-4) |
| 2004-05 |
14-15 (7-7) |
| 2005-06 |
19-12 (11-3) |
| 2006-07 |
12-19 (7-7) |
| Ball State (2007-13; 6 seasons) |
84-99 (44-52, MAC) |
| 2007-08 |
6-24 (5-11) |
| 2008-09 |
14-17 (7-9) |
| 2009-10 |
15-15 (8-8) |
| 2010-11 |
19-13 (10-6) |
| 2011-12 |
15-15 (6-10) |
| 2012-13 |
15-15 (8-8) |
| Belmont Abbey (2016-19; 3 seasons) |
49-42 (29-27, Conference Carolinas) |
| 2016-17 |
14-15 (10-10) |
| 2017-18 |
12-19 (5-13) |
| 2018-19 |
23-8 (14-4) |
| Elon (2022-Present; 4 seasons) |
52-77 (26-46, CAA) |
| 2022-23 |
8-24 (6-12, CAA) |
| 2023-24 |
13-19 (6-12, CAA) |
| 2024-25 |
17-16 (8-10, CAA) |
| 2025-26 |
14-18 (6-12, CAA) |
Last Updated: July 1, 2026
