University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- wtaylor2@unca.edu
- Phone:
- 251-6927
Woody Taylor finished his sixth season as an assistant coach on Head Coach Mike Morrell's staff in 2024-25. Taylor was hired to the staff on Thursday, August 15, 2019.
Taylor earned his 100th win as a member of the Bulldogs' coaching staff in Asheville's 95-53 victory over Columbia International on Dec. 30. The Bulldogs earned their third consecutive 20-win season and Asheville has compiled a program-record 70 wins over the last three seasons. In the last four seasons of Big South Conference play, the team has a league-best .712 winning percentage and is 47-19 against Big South opponents. The Bulldogs went 13-1 inside Kimmel Arena during the 2024-25 season. Asheville has a .926 winning percentage and a 38-3 record in Kimmel Arena over the last three seasons, the third-highest home winning percentage in the nation. The 2024-25 season also saw the men's basketball program set a new school record for most Big South Conference Awards received and most individuals recognized, as five Bulldogs earned seven league awards at the completion of the regular season. Asheville went 21-11 and 11-5 during the 2024-25 season.
In his fifth year with the Bulldogs, Taylor helped guide the program to its second consecutive appearance in the Big South Conference Championship contest. Asheville finished its season 22-12 after falling in the conference championship. The Bulldogs’ 22 wins and the team’s 27 wins the previous year set a new program record for the best two-year winning stretch in school history with 49 wins. The Bulldogs’ two-year record of 49-20 is the second-best record in the state of North Carolina, and they are tied for 27th in the country for most wins over two years. Among mid-major schools, Asheville checks in at No. 17 for most wins in the last two years.
Taylor coached Drew Pember to become the most decorated player in program history. He was the first back-to-back Big South Men's Basketball Player of the Year honoree since 2008-09 and the seventh multiple-winner in league history. He is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Preseason Player of the Year. He is the fifth back-to-back recipient of the Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year Award since the award began in 1999-00, but the first basketball player to earn the honor in consecutive years.
Pember earned Lou Henson All-America Team honors for the second year in a row, NABC All-District honors for a second time, and was named to the Big South All-Tournament team in 2024. Pember became the first Bulldog in program history to play in the NABC Reese's All-Star Game and competed in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
Pember became the first player in program history to record two triple-doubles in a season, as Pember recorded his first triple-double of his career against App. State on Dec. 21, before earning one against Gardner-Webb in the Bulldogs’ overtime win against Gardner-Webb in the Big South Championship semifinal contest.
Against App. State on Dec. 21, Josh Banks set a new program record for most 3-pointers in a single game with 10. The record was held previously by Fletcher Abee, who recorded nine 3-pointers on Nov. 18, 2023. Banks earned Big South Honorable Mention honors for his effort during the season.
In his fourth season in Asheville, Taylor helped the Bulldogs to one of their best seasons in school history. Asheville not only posted a school record 27 wins on the season but also captured both the Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championships. It marks Asheville's fourth outright regular season championship and eighth overall. The tournament title for the Bulldogs is their sixth in program history and with it earned the Big South's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, their first appearance since 2016.
The Bulldogs' 27 victories were tied for the fourth-most in Division I men's basketball and were tied for the most by any Division I school in the State of North Carolina. Furthermore, the 2022-23 Bulldogs matched the school record with 16 Big South regular season victories and set a new single-season program record with 25 wins against Division I opponents. Additionally, Asheville posted an 18-2 record during the 2023 calendar year.
During his third season as a part of the coaching staff, Taylor helped lead the Bulldogs to their first postseason appearance in four seasons as they were invited to compete in the College Basketball Invitational. At the Invitational, the Bulldogs tallied their first postseason win at the event, toppling Stephen F. Austin, 80-68. Asheville got out to a fast 10-5 start to the season, which was the program's best start since 2015-16. The Bulldogs also went 9-6 (.600 winning percentage) against non-Big South foes marking its best non-conference performance in terms of winning percentage since 2007-08.
Some individual standouts for Asheville in 2021-22 included Drew Pember being named the Big South's Defensive Player of the Year after ranking 10th in the country with 93 blocks. Pember's 93 blocks were the second-most ever by a Bulldog in a single season and helped him gain NABC All-District Second Team honors as well. LJ Thorpe earned All-Big South Honorable Mention honors for the third straight season, while Coty Jude garnered All-Academic team honors.
During his second season in Asheville, Taylor and the Bulldogs posted a 10-10 record overall and a 9-5 mark in Big South play. Despite not being able to compete for 30 days down the stretch of the season due to COVID-19, Asheville's 9-5 mark in the Big South was its sixth-best win percentage (.643) in the last 15 seasons. The Bulldogs were able to earn a first-round bye in the 2021 Big South Tournament, hosting a quarterfinal matchup for the first time since 2018. Asheville's nine conference wins also made them one of just four schools within the Big South to post a combined winning record against conference foes over the course of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
Taylor helped coach Tajion Jones (Second Team) and LJ Thorpe (Honorable Mention) to Big South honors, while Jones also garnered NABC All-District 3 Second Team recognition. Additionally, Coty Jude was named to the Big South All-Academic Team. While the condensed season had its share of memorable moments and wins, no victory shined brighter than the Bulldogs' 57-55 win at Winthrop on January 29, when Asheville knocked off the previously unbeaten Eagles and snapped the nation's longest win streak (21 games) in the process.
In Taylor’s first season in Asheville, he helped the Bulldogs achieve one of the best turnarounds in the country. The Dogs went from a four-win team the season prior to a 15-16 record in 2019-20. The 11-victory improvement ranked tied for third in Division I and Asheville was one of just four teams in the country with a double-digit win improvement.
Taylor coached two All-Big South selections in Second-Team honoree DeVon Baker and Honorable Mention selection LJ Thorpe.
The Bulldogs established their identity as a pressure defense squad, leading the Big South and ranking Top 25 nationally in turnover margin (plus-5.2), turnovers forced per game (16.9), total steals (250) and steals per game (8.3).
In addition to the defensive successes, the Bulldogs also vastly improved their offense, averaging 15.1 points per game more than the previous year. All five starters averaged in double digits scoring and four players – Baker, Thorpe, Tajion Jones and Lavar Batts, Jr. – all ranked inside the Top 16 in the Big South in scoring. No other team had more than two players in the Top 16.
Taylor joined the Bulldogs staff after two seasons as an assistant coach at Bethune-Cookman, where he helped usher in unprecedented success for the Wildcats’ program. During the 2017-18 season – his first with the Wildcats – the team went 12-4 in MEAC play and earned a share of the regular-season conference title for just the second time in program history.
During their regular season championship, the Wildcats broke numerous school records, including 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).
Two of Taylor’s pupils earned postseason recognition as Brandon Tabb was named MEAC Player of the Year, while Soufiyane Diakite took home the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. Additionally, Shawntrez Davis and Isaiah Bailey earned All-MEAC honors, along with Tabb and Diakite.
In his second season, Taylor coached another MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, as Cletrell Pope took home the hardware after setting a MEAC single-season record with 22 double-doubles during the 2018-19 season, leading the nation with 4.32 rebounds per game. Pope led the MEAC and ranked 13th nationally with 7.84 defensive rebounds per game and hauled in 12.2 boards per game to rank third in the country.
In addition to Pope who earned First-Team All-MEAC honors, Taylor also coached Second-Team selection Malik Maitland and Davis, who earned Third-Team recognition.
Prior to his time at Bethune-Cookman, Taylor served as associate head coach at Salem (WV) International University during the 2016-17 season.
Taylor spent the three prior seasons at Marshall, where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 2013. His core responsibilities included breaking down film, creating scouting reports, on-campus recruiting and player development.
Taylor earned a promotion during the 2015-16 season to interim assistant coach under head coach Dan D’Antoni. The Thundering Herd offense soared to new heights, averaging 86 points per game, which was tied for second nationally. The Herd obliterated school records in points scored (2,838) and 3-point field goals made (322) that year.
Before he took to the coaching ranks, Taylor had a standout career as a point guard for Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, from 2009-13. He helped lead his team to three-consecutive 20-victory seasons, and appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament as a junior and senior. Upon graduation, he ranked fifth in Eckerd history in games played, sixth in assists and seventh in free throw percentage and steals.
Big South All-Conference Selections Under Taylor
2019-20: Second Team- DeVon Baker | Honorable Mention- LJ Thorpe | All-Academic- Jax Levitch
2020-21: Second Team- Tajion Jones | Honorable Mention- LJ Thorpe | All-Academic- Coty Jude
2021-22: Defensive Player of the Year- Drew Pember | First Team- Drew Pember | Honorable Mention- LJ Thorpe | All-Academic- Coty Jude
2022-23: Player of the Year- Drew Pember | Defensive Player of the Year- Drew Pember | Coach of the Year- Mike Morrell | First Team- Drew Pember | First Team- Tajion Jones | All-Academic- Fletcher Abee
2023-24: Player of the Year- Drew Pember | First Team- Drew Pember | Honorable Mention- Josh Banks | All-Academic- Fletcher Abee
