2012 Post Season Media Guide - Antelope Valley College

MARAUDER MEN’S BASKETBALL 2011-12
John Taylor became
the Marauders’
head men’s basketball
coach for the
2010-11 season, and
for the first 10 games
was both men’s and
women’s head coach.
In that season, just
as in 2011-12 he
guided the Marauders
to another 20 win
season, and made
playoffs.
In his 10 plus
seasons as women’s
coach, Taylor’s
accomplishments included
both state and
school prominence.
In 2008 he added “Giant Killer” to his already impressive
resume.
JOHN TAYLOR
The win over the top team last season was added to other
accomplishments that included becoming the first Marauder
women’s basketball coach to get 200 wins on the way to the
team’s seventh Foothill Conference championship -- their fifth
in the last seven years. He also won his 350th career game as a
head coach.
Last season’s Elite Eight performance
also points to a remarkable career for Taylor at
AVC, where he is now in his 10th season as head of
the women’s basketball program.
Taylor led the No. 17 seeded Marauders to
a 73-63 win over the No. 1 Orange Coast Pirates
-- the first women’s team seeded lower than 16th
to pull the upset against the top seeded team in
state history. Intriguingly, Taylor almost accomplished
the feat against Ventura when he coached
LA Valley in 1998. The Monarchs lost by a point
on a buzzer beater after six seconds were put on the
clock after time expired.
Last season he led the Marauders to their
seventh Foothill Conference championship and
their fifth in the last seven years, while becoming
the first Marauder women’s basketball coach to get
200 wins. He also won his 350th career game as a
head coach.
In the 2004-2005 season, Taylor put together
the best team AVC has ever had.
The Marauders’ theme for the season -- “History Made” -- was
appropriate. AVC ended with a school record 31 wins on the season. At
second in the state, they had their highest ranking ever.
They also had their highest seeding ever. In 2004-05
AVC won 10, 20 and 30 games faster than any Marauder
team in history. AVC opened the season with a school
record seven straight wins. These seven included AVC’s
first-ever tournament championship (SD Mesa), AVC’s
first tournament MVP (Shalonie Hutchinson) and AVC’s
second tournament win (Glendale). AVC won their third
tournament of the season by winning the Clear Channel
Holiday Tournament, marking the first home tournament
win.
All this surpassed a 2002-03 team that crafted a
school record 25 wins, which included a 17-game winning
streak and undefeated Foothill Conference championship
team. Taylor won his 200th community college
game as a head coach during the 2002-03 season, and
was named the Foothill Conference Coach of the Year.
Head Coach
Second Season - 42-17
The Taylor Era
The 2007-08 season was the Marauders’ sixth straight 20-win season
a record, and marked the eighth straight playoff appearance for AVC.
In 2006-07, Taylor not only became the winningest women’s basketball
coach in AVC history, beating El Camino for win 143, but also
picked up win 300 in his overall career -- against Chaffey at home.
The 2004-05 Marauder team became the first to play in the state
semifinals, also a first for Taylor. Another first for Taylor was being
named the State Coach of the Year.
Taylor was hired in 2002 as a full-time physical education faculty
member after coaching two 19-win seasons, including two trips to the
playoffs, and the inauguration of the Clear Channel AVC Holiday Tournament.
In 2007, Taylor finished his tenure as President of the California
Community College Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
Taylor came to the Marauders after spending seven seasons as the
head coach of the LA Valley women’s basketball team. He crafted a
144-93 record with the Monarchs, and led them to an Elite Eight berth
in the state playoffs in 1999, losing to the eventual state champion. The
year before, LA Valley dumped the Marauders out of the playoffs, 70-65,
in the first round, then lost by a point to the eventual state champion
Ventura.
In fact, Taylor’s teams have played in the playoffs 11 straight
seasons, including a school record last six seasons with AVC, and three
times the Monarchs played for a chance to play in the Elite Eight, making
it once.
The Monarchs won the 1995-96 Western State Conference championship,
and was runner-up three times. Taylor was named WSC Coach
of the Year in that championship season. The worst
Monarch conference finish was fourth.
Taylor spent five seasons as the Monarchs’ assistant
coach under Doug Michelson, before taking over as
head coach. In those seasons, LA Valley played in the
state championship game twice, and reached the Elite
Eight four times.
Taylor graduated from LA Polytechnic High School,
where he started as a point guard as a junior and senior.
As a senior he was named All-East Valley League as
he scored 12.5 points and dished off seven assists per
game for the Parrots, helping lead Poly to the EVL
title and the AAA quarterfinals. That season he was
the Hart Invitational MVP, and was named to the LA
Times All-Valley team. He was also named All-EVL
in tennis as a junior and senior.
He then played a season at point guard for Michelson
at LA Pierce College. Taylor has a bachelor’s in
physical education from Cal State Northridge, and his
master’s from Chapman University in education.
Taylor has been married for 28 years to his high
school sweetheart and scorekeeper, Kathi. They have three sons, Sean
(27), Brian (26) and Matthew (21).
YR W L PCT
2010-11 20 10 .667 Foothill 5th (2nd rnd)
2011-12 22 7 .759 Foothill 3rd
2 Years 42 17 .712
Career 427 213 .667
at AVC 283 120 .702
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