Byron Taylor: From Player to Coach
In the competitive sport of basketball, a good coach is essential to propel and energize a team toward success. In just his second year at Galloway, Coach Byron Taylor is working diligently to show that he is the person for the job. Coach Taylor comes from a long and rich basketball background. This includes playing at the Division 1 level (the highest level of collegiate basketball) at Florida A&M. During college, he found his love for coaching due to unfortunate circumstances. In his Junior season, he broke his foot which sidelined him for the entire season. However, this did not stop him from contributing to the team. During the season Coach Taylor explained that he would, “Help teammates excel and learn.” This was his first experience teaching others and where he “found his passion to coach.”
After graduating, he dove head first into coaching as the assistant coach at the University of North Florida, where he coached for seven years. After that, he coached at several colleges and high schools, most notably Holy Innocents where he coached just before coming to Galloway. His love for teaching and coaching doesn't just apply to basketball but also the next generations. This is apparent as Coach Taylor is the EL (Early Learning) KW teacher. This is partly due to the GHSA (Georgia High School Sports Association) rule that all head coaches of the varsity teams need a job at the school. Coach Taylor has described his working experience at Galloway as “really enjoyable.” He says the kids are just “ready to get out of the class and play” and it’s exciting for him to see.
In Coach Taylor’s first season at The Galloway School, the team had a record of 6-19. While that was not the best outcome, Coach Taylor took the opportunity to set up a pre-season plan that aimed toward building teamwork and improving performance. He stated that to succeed the team needs to “know each other on a deeper level.” To achieve this, the team has workouts before and after school three times a week. He hopes that this will bring the team together and improve chemistry and on-the-court relationships. Dylan Homer, a junior, noticed the change in the team this summer stating “We look more together now.” These newfound relationships will “help you enjoy the experience more,” Taylor stated. Players enjoying the experience is the number one priority for Coach Taylor. He stated that while looking back on his high school years, he doesn’t “remember how his team played” but instead he remembers “the friends and memories he had.” Junior student-athlete Matthew Edmonds backed Coach Taylor stating that “the experience of playing with my friends” was the best perk of being part of the team.
Coach Taylor believes that basketball is a powerful and effective teacher of important life lessons. His desire is for players to graduate with valuable skills that extend beyond the basketball court. He believes that the sport can teach you how to “take and give constructive criticism” and “accept your role in a situation.” He insists these lessons are not just about basketball but about preparing young student-athletes for the rest of their lives. Coach Taylor and the players hope that with enough work over the off-season, they can bring Galloway success in both the regular season and the playoffs. Under the leadership of Coach Taylor, we hope the future is bright for the Galloway Basketball team.
By Daniel Meza