Former UTC Southern Conference Player of the Year Johnny Taylor has been hired as the director of player development for the VCU basketball program.
“We are very excited to have Johnny Taylor as a part of our staff at VCU,” said VCU head coach Will Wade. “He will be a valuable resource for our players as they continue their growth on and off the court.”
Taylor played two years for the Mocs under coach Mack McCarthy and led them to the Sweet 16 in the 1997 NCAA tournament with wins against Georgia and Illinois.
He averaged 16.5 ppg and 7.3 rbpg as a senior.
Taylor was a No.1 draft choice of the Orlando Magic (17th overall pick) in 1997 and played three years in the NBA with Orlando and Denver before 11 seasons professionally overseas.
This is the second time Taylor has worked for Wade, who was the UTC coach for two seasons.
Wade hired Taylor as a graduate assistant coach in July 2013.
Wade who was 40-25 at UTC, was hired as the VCU coach in April 2015 and led the Rams to a 25-11 record and the second round of the NCAA tournament this past season.
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net