In his first season with Head Coach Ryan Ridder, Woody Taylor wasted no time in helping change the culture of Bethune-Cookman men's basketball with immediate success on and off the court. Their inaugural 2017-18 Wildcat team finished 18-14 overall, and 12-4 in MEAC play to claim a share of BCU's second-ever MEAC regular season title. The win totals were the second-most in school Division 1 history for overall and conference play. The Wildcats broke numerous school records and featured the MEAC Player of the Year, Brandon Tabb, and Defensive Player of the Year, Soufiyane Diakite.
The team got off to a quick start with its winningest November in school history by totaling four victories. BCU defeated two ASUN Conference opponents for the first time ever with road victories over Jacksonville and Stetson, and BCU finished with the second-most road wins ever with eight. In January, BCU put together its second-longest win streak ever with six straight wins to open up the 2018 calendar year.
In addition to Tabb and Diakite, Taylor coached All-MEAC members Shawntrez Davis and Isaiah Bailey. The team took home six Defensive Player of the Week honors, most in the conference, and had two Player of the Week Honors.
The 2017-18 team finished with new school D1 records in scoring (2622 points and 81.9 per-game), free throws (575), attempts (820), rebounds (1346), rebounding average (42.1 and second nationally behind UNC), and assists (501). The Wildcats were second in both three-pointers made (241) and attempts (759), and finished fourth in single-season history with 123 blocks.
Under the eye of Taylor, Tabb finished first in single-season and BCU career history in free-throw percentage, and finished 22nd all-time in Wildcat scoring.
The next season saw Taylor help navigate the team through a series of adverse obstacles to again set milestones, including consecutive Defensive Players of the Year when Cletrell Pope earned the honor and set a MEAC single-season record with 22 double-doubles. For the first time ever, BCU was pegged as the Preseason Favorite in the MEAC. The Wildcats placed three on the All-Conference Preseason team.
BCU just posted its second ever three-win November. Coupled with 2017's 4-3 mark in the month, the Wildcats have posted their best consecutive Novembers in program history. All this came despite losing All-MEAC pick Isiah Bailey to a season-ending injury.
To cap the month, BCU defeated cross-county foe Stetson at home, 84-74, to mark the first time in series history that the Wildcats won Volusia County bragging rights in consecutive years.
In its 72-70 home victory against FAU on Dec. 1, BCU claimed its first victory over a Conference USA opponent, and the win carried the most quality of its first four, as FAU entered with a NET ranking of 90.
The Wildcats finished the month where neither the remaining All-MEAC picks, Shawntrez Davis and Soufi Diakite, played together. It again ended with a milestone in a 74-66 road win at Boston U on 12/21. It was BCU's first win in last game before Christmas break since 2009, December true “road” win since 2010, December non-conference road W since 2009, win against the Patriot League, men’s D1 Florida program to win at Case Gym, and the first time BCU shot over 60% from 3 since Feb. 3, 2014 vs. SCSU (83.3%).
As the calendar turned to January, the nation became acquainted with first-year Wildcat Cletrell Pope. In a road contest at Morgan State, he registered career-highs of 24 points and 22 rebounds that put him in rare company. He was just the 8th player in the nation to post a 20/20 game in the season, and joined Western Michigan’s Seth Dugan as the only players with at least 24 points and 22 rebounds (Dugan totaled 32 on Nov. 6).
No player in the NCAA since March of 2016 had produced 24/22 with at least 10 offensive rebounds, and only eight others have done so since 2010-11.
Pope went on to earn Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-MEAC honors. He was second in the country with 22 double-doubles, and led the nation with 4.32 offensive boards per-game. He pulled down 7.84 defensive rebounds per-game to rank 13th overall and lead the MEAC, and was third in the country with a 12.2 total rebound average. Pope's 377 total boards was fourth-most in the nation and set a BCU Division 1 record. It also placed him 5th all-time in school single-season rebounds.
Malik Maitland earned Second Team and Davis was named to the Third Team.
BCU led the MEAC in rebounding average (41.10) and was third nationally. The Wildcats also paced the conference with 13.58 offensive rebounds per-game (eighth nationally), an average of 27.52 defensive rebounds (27th nationally), and three-point defense of 30.2% (18th nationally).
The Wildcats were second in field goal defense (41.3%), steals (7.5 per-game), and rebounding margin (3.4).
BCU had a 10-4 home record that matched last year’s win total. The 20 wins represent the highest two-year total since 2009-11, when the Wildcats won 11 home contests each year. Those years, however, the Wildcats could play up to four non-Division 1 foes.
BCU finished 9-7 in the conference, and Taylor helped Ryan Ridder to 32 wins through his first two seasons leading the Wildcats. That is tied for first in BCU history for a Head Coach’s first two seasons, along with his predecessor, Gravelle Craig. Ridder’s 21 MEAC wins is best in the first two-year span.
Taylor came to Bethune-Cookman after serving as Associate Head Coach at Salem (WV) International University in 2016-17.
Prior to Salem, Taylor held a three-year coaching stint at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He began as a graduate assistant in 2013 under head coach Tom Herrion and resumed responsibilities in 2014, under head coach Dan D’Antoni. His main responsibilities included developing scouting reports, film breakdown, on-campus recruiting, and player development.
With a strong base in player development, he was instrumental in the growth of Kareem Canty, who finished third-team All-Conference USA in 2014, and was a C-USA All-Freshman selection in 2014, Ryan Taylor, who was also on the C-USA All-Freshman team in 2014, and third-team All-C-USA in 2015, and now professional player, James Kelly, who was first-team All-C-USA 2016, and 2016 C-USA Newcomer of The Year.
Taylor was promoted to interim assistant during the 2015-2016 season as well. He saw the program rise from 11 wins in his first two seasons to 17 wins in his final season with The Herd. Marshall finished tied for third in C-USA with a 12-6 record in conference, its highest finish in the last four years. Additionally, The Herd finished tied for second in the country in scoring with 86 points-per-game and first in the conference in scoring at 92 points-per-game while running the D’Antoni up-tempo offense. He assisted in helping The Herd shatter school records in points scored (2,838) and 3pt field goals made (332) during the 2015-2016 season.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Taylor was a standout player for Division II Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, from 2009-2013. In his time at Eckerd, he was a three-year starter at point guard where he led his team to three-consecutive 20-win seasons and back-to-back NCAA national tournament appearances his junior and senior year. Taylor left his mark at Eckerd finishing fifth in games played, seventh in free throw percentage and steals, sixth in assists.
