ROBERT TAYLOR NAMED A&M-COMMERCE'S ASSISTANT MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
COMMERCE, Texas – A&M-Commerce head men's basketball coach Sam Walker today announced the hiring of Robert Taylor as the Lions' new assistant basketball coach.
"I'm extremely excited to have Robert join me on the staff here at A&M-Commerce," Walker said. "I've known Robert for 15 years, and he brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge at all levels. He has proven to be a solid recruiter both locally and nationally, and brings with him ties to the area. Robert will bring a wealth of experience and maturity and I'm extremely excited to have him on board."
Taylor comes to A&M-Commerce from Oklahoma City where he spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of the Arena Football League. There he coached three players who would go on to sign contracts with either the National Football League or the Canadian Football League, as well as helping the Yard Dawgz reach the playoffs in 2009.
Previously, Taylor served as an assistant coach at Neosho County Community College, helping lead the Panthers to a 10-win improvement and coached a pair of Jayhawk Eastern Conference Players of the Year. Taylor made his first appearance in the Arena Football League from 2006-07, working for the Grand Rapids Rampage.
Taylor spent three seasons in South Texas, serving as an assistant coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi from 2000-02 after spending three seasons at Grand Valley State, where he coached the GVSU and GLIAC all-time leading scorer John Flynn.
Taylor logged his roots in Northeast Texas from 1996-98, serving as an assistant coach at Paris Junior College. There he recruited and coached DeJuan Brown, who would go on to be named the 2001 NAIA National Player of the Year. He began his coaching career in 1991, spending five seasons as an assistant coach at Cowley County Community College in Kansas.
His experience with A&M-Commerce basketball extends beyond just the coaching realm. Taylor's son, Dominique, played for the Lions from 2008-09 and is now an assistant coach at South Alabama, serving under head coach Ronnie Arrow, whom the elder Taylor served as an assistant coach for at A&M-Corpus Christi.
Taylor fills the spot vacated by former associate head coach Jason Burton who accepted an assistant coaching position at Texas State in June. He is married to the former Janelle Smith.