Dave Taylor lives by one motto—adapt and overcome. It’s what’s led to 25 successful years of coaching at the division one collegiate level, inner city high schools and national basketball camps. And it’s this single idea that has helped him impact the lives of thousands.
Early on in Taylor’s life he was tasked with overcoming his own circumstances. Growing up in Southern Los Angeles, Taylor was told early on that if he wanted to go to college he’d have to find his own way. Determined to reach the university level he fueled his diligent work ethic through basketball, choosing to avoid the lures of drugs and alcohol by honing his craft. Taylor’s commitment to stay clean and focus on basketball resulted in multiple scholarship offers from division one schools with his loyalties inevitably going to the Air Force Academy.
Following a two and a half year stint at the Air Force Academy Taylor moved back to California where he received his master’s degree in Kinesiology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Taylor began his coaching career by taking a job as head coach at Templeton High School where he took over an 0-17 team and led them to the final four of their division in only his second year with the program.
But the west coast couldn’t contain him for too long. After 5 years he went back to the Air Force Academy to be an assistant men's basketball coach of their Division I basketball team. Taylor also coached their JV team, leading them to their only 20 win season in their history before being promoted to the #2 assistant. After four years at the Division I college level Taylor realized it was not the place for him. Run too much like a business, with wins coming before player development, he retreated back to coach high school ball with one goal in mind—impact lives.
While coaching at various high schools around California Taylor began getting involved with camps in the area. Impressed with his passion and commitment to youth development he quickly became a popular figure among the coaching community to the point where that is all he does now, run basketball camps around the world!
Coach Taylor is now INTERNATIONAL, running events in JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, HONG KONG AND TAIWAN.! In 2015 Coach Taylor ran the NIKE ALL-TAIWAN NATIONAL BASKETBALL CAMP. Coach Taylor has also been involved with a variety of national exposure camps including the Adidas National Superstar camp, the West Coast All-Star camps and the National Phenom camps. Taylor has also worked with the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Sparks.
Coach Taylor also runs NCAA CERTIFIED BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS in Anaheim, California where he meets with the NCAA and hundreds of College basketball coaches. He also runs basketball camps domestically in Connecticut, Hawaii, Florida, California, Oregon, Oklahoma City, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, and many other cities and possibly a city near you in the not too distant future.
Now Dave’s pursuit to positively impact lives through basketball and education has taken a new path with the Dave Taylor X-Factor camps, where he will be flexing his motivational muscles in his own camp forum. As Dave will tell you he’s never coaching basketball players but instead future politicians, lawyers and doctors. Only a select few have the opportunity to play at the pro level, but everyone has the chance to be the best person they can be. Taylor just wants to help them realize their own potential.
Here is a short list of some of the players that have attended one of the various camps Coach Taylor has run:
James Harden
Karl Anthony Towns
Klay Thompson
Paul George
John Wall
Anthony Davis
Jahlil Okafor
Stanley Johnson
Michael Kidd Gilchrest
Kyrie Irving
Julius Randle
Jrue Holiday
Lance Stephenson
Tony Wroten
Jabari Parker
Xavier Henry
Jared Dudley
Kendall Williams
Kyle Anderson
Austin Rivers
Derrick Favors
Harrison Barnes
Jordan Clarkson
Glen Rice Jr
Peyton Siva
PJ Harrison
Shane Larkin
Shabazz Muhammad
Trey Burke
TJ Warren
Jordan Adams
Josh Selby
Bryce Alford
and about another 1500 Divison I, II and III players!