When Billy Taylor entered the lounge at Worthen Arena to be introduced as the new head basketball coach of Ball State University, he faced a group of people who knew very little about him.
During his tenure as head coach at Lehigh University, his team had never played a school from the Mid-American Conference. With a simple statement, he introduced his coaching style to the media and fellow coaches, as well as senior guard Peyton Stovall, who was in attendance.
"I always joke with our guys and I believe it to be true, and I'll say it and Peyton can hear it now for the first time - he'll hear it again," Taylor said. "We're going to hold our opponents to somewhere around 60 points. If we choose to score 80, that's great. If we choose to score 61, that's great."
Taylor spent five years at Lehigh, where he amassed a 81-69 record. Perhaps more impressive is his graduation rate - he has seen 20 of his 21 student athletes graduate during his time at Lehigh, and the 21st is six credit hours away.
"It's one of the things you look at; it's one of those things you can put a check mark by on the list," Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins said of Taylor, who earned a CPA after graduating from Notre Dame. "I'm mean, how many basketball coaches have their CPA? So he's committed to that and making sure his student athletes are successful in the classroom as well as on the court."
President Jo Ann Gora said more than just Taylor's academic record was important in his hiring.
"I think his greatest strength is that he is an experienced head coach who has dealt with the challenges of a struggling team and understands what it is you need to do to build a winning team," she said. "He grew up in a small town and he currently works in a small town, and I think he understands the interest and passion of people for basketball in a small town."
Taylor's announcement came just one day after reports surfaced that IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter had been offered the job. Collins said Taylor was the only candidate he offered the position.
"I want to make sure everybody understands this job was only offered to one person, and it was [Tuesday] afternoon," Collins said during his opening statement. "The job was offered to Billy Taylor."
Taylor's name had not been mentioned as a potential candidate until a few days before he was hired.
"As soon as I heard about him, I Googled him," Stovall said. "Meeting him, the good things I heard were confirmed. He's definitely the right man for the job."
STYLE AND GOALS
Taylor said he would focus on the defensive end of the floor and pre-game preparation.
"My style is more of that of a teaching and instructive methodology," Taylor said. "I'm not one about storming up and down the sidelines and yelling and screaming at officials. My job is to coach our team, to prepare our team, to coach our team and communicate with our players."
Collins said Taylor's style on the sidelines, while not electric, is a good fit for Ball State.
"One of the things he tries to teach his student athletes is that he's going to be calm on the sidelines so they can be calm on the sidelines," Collins said. "He's not an excitable coach, and I personally like that type of style and I think our fans will embrace that type of style in what he does."
Taylor said he wants to recruit Indiana players to play at Ball State. One of the biggest problems raised with Ronny Thompson was his lack of recruiting local talent. Thompson only recruited one player from Indiana, who never played for Ball State.
"Indiana is a talent-rich state in basketball," Taylor said. "I'm excited to be here and have the opportunity to recruit in-state here and attract that local talent that can put our program in a position to be successful in the future."
Taylor said that although he wants to be successful right away, it will take a while to meet with the team and determine how to measure growth. He does, however, have a clear long-term vision.
"We're not trying to build a successful team, we're looking to build a successful program, and a successful program happens over a period of five to seven to ten years," Taylor said. "The type of success that I'm looking for with in this program is going to take a little more time to build. I think we can have success as a program and build things and make people proud of the product we put on the floor."
He added that, while building a program is his goal on the court, off the court his goal is to become a member of the Muncie community. As a player, Stovall said he appreciates that desire.
"He wants to get out into the community," Stovall said. "But he also wants to bring people in, bring people to Worthen Arena."
CHALLENGES
Taylor will be a few steps behind coaches who've had more time to become familiar with their programs. The opening practice is less than three months away and games will quickly follow.
"We play our first game in a few months here," Taylor said. "We have a lot of work to do."
That work will begin during the next few days, when Taylor will discover the team he has. With eight new players and three assistant coaches who were brought in by the departing Thompson, it remains unclear who will be returning to Muncie by the time the season starts.
"I would hope the young men who have committed to this program will remain committed to this program," Taylor said. "Hopefully they will get an understanding of my background, what I bring to the table, my experience and that we are going to have a terrific experience."
Taylor was announced late last night and, of the players, Stovall is the lone Cardinal he has had a chance to meet - the two were introduced minutes before the press conference. He also has not met with any of the assistant coaches.
"I haven't even really had a chance to talk with any of them yet and find out what the situation is with those guys," he said. "I look forward to getting a chance to talk with those guys."
He admitted that all the student athletes may not want to stay, and that he would respect the decision.
"Change is a difficult thing for people, whether it's student athletes, coaches, administrators," he said. "And I understand that and I am sensitive to that."
Taylor said he has also not watched any tape on Ball State, and is as unfamiliar with Ball State players as Ball State players are with him.
Stovall, meanwhile, seemed upbeat and excited to be working with a new coach - his third in as many years.
"When the guys meet him, they'll definitely be all for it," he said. "I'm excited. I think under coach Taylor I'll bloom, and a lot of the other young guys will bloom as well. That the key - to get guys to academically and athletically increase their skills."
Stovall, who is a fifth year senior, expects to be a leader both on and off the court under Taylor. While he admitted that switching coaches is often rough, it is part of the game.
"It is difficult to make that transition from one coach to another," Stovall said. "But, at the Division I level, if you want to win you're willing to make the sacrifice to do what you have to do to win."
"And you've got to follow your coach," he said.
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