Taylor returns to UVa

MADISON — After Madison County’s loss to Dan River in the Group A, Division 2 state boys basketball semifinals in March, Mountaineers coach Tim Taylor had a singular focus — returning to Richmond next year and capturing the state title.

There was only one person who could get him to turn his attention elsewhere. So when University of Virginia women’s basketball coach Debbie Ryan phoned, Taylor, 43, had a tough decision to make. In the end, he chose to rejoin Ryan’s staff at U.Va. and become the Cavaliers’ associate head coach. Former Virginia and WNBA player Wendy Palmer is also returning to UVa as an assistant.

“I am very pleased and excited to have Tim Taylor and Wendy Palmer joining our family,” Ryan said in a press release. “Our players will really benefit from the unbelievable knowledge and passion they both bring to our program.”

But Taylor also had a passion for Madison, where he was a player in the 1980s.

“Frankly, I feel like I’m walking away from a state title,” Taylor said. “But it was too tough to pass up with the associate head coach title. Madison County is the only place that could make me even consider turning this down.”

Taylor was previously an assistant under Ryan from 2000-05, but left the program after his wife, Tonya, was diagnosed with cancer to return to the high school ranks, where there would be less travel.

He coached two seasons each at Orange County and Madison County, racking up an 83-23 record and taking both schools to the state tournament. Last year, the Mountaineers won their first 28 games before losing to Dan River. With four starters returning, Madison could be considered a favorite to win a state championship in 2010.

But Ryan called and offered Taylor the job after assistants Jeff House and Curtis Loyd both left the program. Tonya Taylor has been cancer-free for about four years and said she would be happy to see her husband return to UVa.

But even into last weekend, Taylor was working with his players at Madison, where the Mountaineers hosted a team camp Saturday and Sunday. He met with the team to tell them about the offer and later broke the news he would take the job.

“I was kind of shocked,” said Bull Run District player of the year Jerel Carter.

Carter, who will return to the Mountaineers as a senior next season, said many of the returning players thought Taylor might pursue a college job after they graduated.

“We didn’t think he was going to leave this year,” Carter said. “Guys took it different ways, but I think most of us understood. He was a good coach and we had a great relationship on and off the court. I wish him the best.”

Taylor said the Madison players took the news well.

“I felt good that they were looking at the big picture,” he said. “They’ve actually supported me, which made the decision even harder. When we say we bleed blue, we really mean that. Virginia is the only place I would have left Madison for.”

Taylor helped recruit U.Va. standouts Monica Wright and Lyndra Littles, among others, in his first stint with the Cavs and said he’s looking forward to the opportunity to coach Wright, a rising senior.

He’s also excited because he sees potential for his new position to lead to a head coaching opportunity down the road.

“You take that title of associate head coach because, yes, you want to be a head coach eventually,” Taylor said. “I’ve been proud of what we’ve done over the last four years. I think I’ve shown I can be a head coach.”