Big West Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jun 28, 2020

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Jonathan Galloway #5 of the UC Irvine Anteaters celebrates a 70-64 win against the Kansas State Wildcats for a first school tournament win during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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LINCOLN, NE – DECEMBER 22: Head coach Dedrique Taylor of the Cal State Fullerton Titans (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

9. Dedrique Taylor – Cal State Fullerton (2013-2020)

After playing for three colleges, including UC Davis, Taylor began his coaching career at his alma mater and an intriguing assistant coaching career followed. He spent time at Nevada under Mark Fox before being hired at Arizona State, where he spent seven years. He helped Herb Sendek recruit talent for the Sun Devils, which made him attractive to Cal State Fullerton when they brought him aboard in 2013.

Taylor rebuilt the program, with the Titans patient through a slow first three years. In 2017, they returned to the postseason in the CIT and finished 3rd in the Big West. Despite a 4th place league finish, his Titans won the 2018 Big West Tournament, making their first NCAA Tournament in a decade. While this past season was a step back, a total of three postseason bids is certainly a good start for this program.

Cal State Fullerton was near the top of the league during that three-year stretch and its certainly possible they return to that level. Taylor has shown his ability to turn around the program and recruit talented young men to southern California as well. While there’s still plenty of work ahead for him and the Titans, he’s at least managed his first NCAA Tournament; perhaps the second is right around the corner.