Tennessee State head men's basketball coach Nolan Smith announced Wednesday the hiring of veteran coach Vince Taylor as an assistant coach.
Taylor, a Lexington, Kentucky, native, brings more than two decades of experience at the collegiate and professional levels, with stops at UCF, Texas Tech, Minnesota, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Wyoming, as well as two seasons with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.
"Coach Taylor has more experience in every situation you can possibly think of — Duke player, [New York] Knickerbocker player, UCF, Louisville, Texas Tech, Pittsburgh, Timberwolves, Wyoming," Smith said. "Coach is an amazing human being. It was important for me to go find guys that wear that hat first, and Coach is one of those special human beings in this business.
"Coach has always affected winning every place he has touched. Knowledge, care factor, love, motivator — all the characteristics are there, and Coach is here to be a part of something special."
Most recently, Taylor spent seven seasons (2017–24) at UCF, where he helped guide the Knights to their first at-large NCAA Tournament berth, the program's first NCAA Tournament win, and a second-round appearance in 2019 against Duke. That season, UCF earned 24 victories and a spot in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2011. Taylor also worked closely with Tacko Fall, who signed with the Boston Celtics.
Before UCF, Taylor was an assistant at Texas Tech (2013–16) under Tubby Smith, where he focused on the frontcourt and was named to the Hoop Scoop Top 60 Assistant Coaches list for his recruiting success. He previously spent six seasons at Minnesota (2007–13), helping the Gophers sign 10 Top 150 recruits and secure multiple NCAA Tournament berths.
Taylor's coaching career began at Louisville (1998–2005) under Hall of Famers Rick Pitino and Denny Crum. He helped assemble Louisville's 2001 top-five recruiting class and recruited future NBA first-round draft picks Reece Gaines and Francisco Garcia. The Cardinals reached the 2005 Final Four with a roster built largely on Taylor's recruiting.
He also spent two seasons with the Timberwolves (2005–07), working in player development and opponent scouting.
As a player, Taylor starred at Duke, earning All-ACC and honorable mention All-America honors in 1982 after leading the league in scoring at 20.3 points per game. He finished with 1,455 career points and once held the school record for most consecutive games played (120).
Selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 1982 NBA Draft, Taylor played one season in the NBA before embarking on a 13-year professional career in Europe, including two years as a player/assistant coach in Belgium.
A McDonald's High School All-American at Tates Creek High School, Taylor earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Duke in 1982 and was named to the President's List for his academic and leadership achievements.
