Coach Spotlight: Taylor Whitley

Due to the current coronavirus situation with all sports being shut down, there are a lot of coaches who had their chance to coach their senior athletes one last time cut short. ENC Sports Review would like to highlight some of these coaches since their season has hanged so dramatically. Today, we will highlight Faith Christian School’s Taylor Whitley. We thank Taylor for taking the time to sit down with ENC Sports Review and answer these questions for us. We had fun learning more about him and we hope you will too.

How long have you been coaching?

I started coaching in 2010.

What sports have you coached?

The sports that I have coached are basketball, soccer, and volleyball.

Out of all the sports you have coached, which one do you enjoy the most?

Basketball is where I feel the most knowledgeable and most comfortable. Although I can look at every sport and every season I’ve coached and remember events that were just fun to be a part of.

Has an athlete impacted you in an important way or taught you something that has helped shape you as a coach?

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a sports family where my parents and granddads coached different sports and were involved in sports their whole lives. It was natural for me to move right into coaching when I graduated college. I was also fortunate enough to have mentors such as my family and my college coach to call for advice. But there is no learning experience quite like coaching your first couple teams. I truly feel like the coaches learn more during their first couple years than the players. The best thing I learned early on is all players respond to coaching and situations differently which means you have to coach individuals even in a team sport. Those athletes early on heard me apologize a lot for things I was trying that just would not work as a whole. They were patient with me, willing to learn with me, and it would pay off for them by winning a soccer state championship in our third year together.

What is your favorite memory of coaching and what is your least favorite?

It is hard to beat winning a state championship and going undefeated in that season, but my favorite memory is one that is still going. The last two years I have been blessed to be able to coach with my wife. This basketball season was tough because we coached all three girls’ basketball teams at Faith Christian, but to be able to build a program with my wife has been so much fun and easily is and will be my favorite memory.

Whenever a season ends is a tough situation to deal with. Only one team can finish the season with a win. No one likes losing to end the season, but my least favorite memory is looking back on the first school I coached at and worked so hard to build a basketball and soccer program that was successful. We were able to win a soccer state championship, but the school was closed before we could see basketball reach that level. I strongly feel that within two years in that program we could have done some really special things. I’d love to see what could have been with that group of athletes and the ones that were coming up.

If you could change one thing in your coaching career, what would it be and why?

I took a few years off from coaching before I came to Faith Christian to referee basketball and soccer. I think I would actually have jumped into refereeing early knowing what I do now. Having been a referee allowed me to see the game from their perspective and be able to speak their “lingo.” I honestly feel like it has made me a better coach during games. For the most part I can explain to players or fans what the referee is seeing or looking for which allows me to not focus so much on trying to “get a call” but to focus on getting my players in the best position to succeed. I, like most coaches, had a tendency to try to coach the referees (and sometimes I still do when I lose track of what my purpose is), but coaching referees has no positive effects on your players. 

Who is someone you look up to and why?

This is the easiest answer to give and without a doubt I look up to my dad. As a coach, he pushed me to be the best player I could be while not showing favoritism as he coached the whole team. I have learned more about sports from him than just about any person I have been around. Even now when I’m coaching, my parents come to support my teams and my dad will always throw me some advice going into halftime or is always willing to offer advice if I turn and ask him. Obviously, I have learned many things about sports and coaching from my dad, but more importantly I have learned how to be a man who fears God and strives to be a husband and father who takes care of his family to the best of his ability. I cherish those things more than anything he will ever teach me about sports.

If you could go back 5 years and tell yourself something that you know now, what would it be?

Cherish each moment with your team. In practice, make it fun, make it active, make it productive. Take each game seriously, learn from it, and move on to the next one. At the end of the day sports are just games, so make it enjoyable for you, your players, and your fans.

If someone wants to follow in your footsteps, what advice would you give them?

Soak up knowledge of whatever sport you want to coach. Teach fundamentals and teach the game. Don’t kill yourself by teaching the X’s and O’s because if you understand the game and can communicate the game to your players then they will be able to accomplish things on the court/field they never dreamed they could accomplish.

After the pandemic is over, what is the first thing you are looking forward to doing that you can’t do now?

I work at a church full time and more than anything I cannot wait to have our church family back in the building worshipping and learning together. We have so many things planned around the church for the upcoming weeks and months and I’m praying we are able to have these events that we look forward to every year! From a coaching perspective, I am hoping to have one more last get together with my soccer team and their families as just a closure on an unexpected shortened season. Thank you for reaching out to me as a coach, but more importantly thank you for spotlighting our Senior Athletes in our community. My hope is through this they will feel appreciated for years of hard work and not feel lost in the shuffle of this crazy time.