Assistant coach promoted to head coach for Eastlake boys basketball program
Matthew Taylor is ready for the next challenge in his coaching career.
The 45-year-old Taylor, who is a native of Kentucky and who had various experiences in high school and college coaching, was formally announced as Eastlake High School's basketball coach on Tuesday afternoon.
He replaces James Moreno, who left the program earlier this summer.
"I'm excited for this journey. We have great kids and we want to help make them great people and be a part of our community in addition to helping them grow as people," Taylor said.
Taylor was an assistant on Moreno's staff last season and knows the kids in the program well. He also worked with Moreno at Clint High School and was on staff there when the Lions reached the Sweet 16 in Class 4A in 2020.
Taylor comes from a basketball family. His brother, Jeff, played college basketball and is currently a high school basketball coach in Kentucky. His father, Gary, coached high school basketball and his two children, Braeden and Ava are basketball players at Eastlake.
"I learned so much from my father in terms of how to be myself. I talk to my brother often about basketball and my kids love the game and it's great to be on campus with them," Taylor said. "I'm grateful for this opportunity and we're going to work hard to get better every day."
The Falcons compete in the nine-team District 1-6A and several administration and team members spoke at Tuesday's introduction and talked about the excitement of playing for Taylor.
"He brings a great deal of enthusiasm to the job," Eastlake football coach and campus athletic coordinator Ruben Rodriguez said.
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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Matthew Taylor hired as Eastlake boys basketball coach
