LANGLEY, B.C. – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Wednesday, Feb. 9, that internationally renowned and former Poland men’s national basketball team head coach Mike Taylor will serve as the club’s new head coach for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season.
Taylor is a 1990 graduate of Clarion High School. His decorated coaching resume spans the globe with accomplishments achieved atop the world’s most prominent basketball stages, including the FIBA Basketball World Cup and EuroBasket tournaments, the Basketball Bundesliga (first division of German professional basketball) and the NBA Development League All-Star Game (now known as the G League).
The 49-year-old most recently coached for the Polish national team from 2014 to 2021. Taylor spent nearly eight years helping Poland ascend the world rankings. When Taylor took over the program, Poland was ranked 42nd in the world. Today, the program is ranked 13th.
“Mike is a world-class coach with a world-class resume,” Bandits general manager Kyle Julius said. “Mike is an extremely high-level and high-profile coach. He is an even better person. Mike has proven to be able to develop players while building very successful teams at extremely high levels. What coach Taylor accomplished as head coach of the Polish national team is truly remarkable and is a very special accomplishment.
“Coach Taylor’s infectious passion for the game and his positive leadership style combined with his ability to win in difficult circumstances is going to be really exciting for our great fans and players. We are all very excited to work alongside coach Taylor and learn from him in the process. I really believe coach Taylor will help push our organization and the league to another level.”
Under Taylor’s direction, the Poles accomplished several notable achievements over the past decade, such as qualifying for three EuroBasket tournaments in 2015, 2017, and 2022, as well as a berth at the 2019 World Cup in China after defeating Croatia on Feb. 22, 2019. Poland’s appearance at the World Cup was its first in 52 years and second in the country’s history; however, Poland’s historic run under Taylor’s leadership did not stop there.
Fast forward to the World Cup and Poland continued to make tremendous progress. Labeled underdogs heading into the tournament, Poland won all of its round-robin games to top its group, which set the stage for a climactic matchup against Russia. The Poles emerged victorious 79-74 to advance to the quarterfinals where they eventually fell to Spain.
“Mike is a tremendous addition to our organization,” said Bandits president Dylan Kular. “He is a seasoned professional who has won championships and has earned international praise for his positive outlook, dedication to building leaders, and his ability to build a cohesive group that plays for each other, rather than the individual. I am excited to welcome Mike to the Fraser Valley and to introduce him to the best fans in the CEBL.”
In addition to helping Poland achieve international basketball prestige, Taylor has also made his mark on the German basketball scene. Over the course of more than two decades, Taylor has served as head coach for three different German professional teams; including Niners Chemnitz (formerly known as BV Chemnitz 99) from 2001-02, Ratiopharm Ulm from 2003-11, and the Hamburg Towers from 2018-20.
Throughout his tenure with each club, Taylor established a reputation as a winner. This reputation is cemented by the fact that he helped Chemnitz earn a promotion from Germany’s third division to its second division of professional basketball. Following the 2005-06 season, Ratiopharm Ulm was promoted from the second division to the Bundesliga (BBL). More than a decade later, Hamburg repeated the same feat under Taylor’s leadership after winning the German ProA championship in 2019.
“I would like to thank Kyle, Dylan and the entire Fraser Valley Bandits organization for this exciting opportunity. Looking ahead to the season, I am focused on building on the team’s established success and to help the Bandits reach new heights,” Taylor said. “The CEBL is a fun, rising league and we are preparing for a great summer in the Fraser Valley.”
Prior to coaching in Hamburg, Taylor spent time as head coach of the Maine Red Claws (now known as the Maine Celtics) of the NBA D-League from 2012-14. During the 2012-13 season, Taylor served as head coach of the D-League’s “Futures Team” at its annual all-star game. Thanks to the Red Claws’ affiliation with the Boston Celtics of the NBA, Taylor spent valuable time learning from current Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers (coached the Celtics from 2005-13) and now Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens (coached the Celtics from 2014-21).
In between stops in Ulm and Maine, Taylor also spent time as an assistant coach with the Czech Republic men’s national team from 2009-13. Notable members of the Czech program that Taylor had an opportunity to work with include current Portland Trail Blazers guard Tomas Satoransky and Jan Vesely, a former 2011 sixth overall pick of the Washington Wizards and current center for Fenerbahce Basketball, one of Europe’s most esteemed basketball teams.
Fraser Valley opens its season on the road on Wednesday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. PDT against the Ottawa BlackJacks. Following a three-game road swing to open the year, the Bandits will make their debut at LEC against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Saturday, June 4 at 2 p.m. PDT.
After graduating from Clarion High, Taylor went on to play at IUP and was a member of the Indians (the team’s nickname at the time) from 1991-95 helping the squad to the NCAA D2 Final Four in 1995, the NCAA D2 Elite 8 in 1994, the PSAC Title in 1995, PSAC West titles in 1994 and 1995, and a PSAC runner-up finish in 1994.
Mike Taylor’s Coaching Resume
1996-96: Clarion Golden Eagles (Graduate Assistant)
1997-00: IUP Indians (Assistant Coach)
2001: Pittsburg St. Gorillas (Assistant Coach)
2002: Chemnitz 99ers (Germany 3rd Division) (Head coach)
2002: Dodge City Legends (United States Basketball League) (Head coach)
2003: DG Essex Leopards (British Basketball League) (Head coach)
2003-11: Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany 2nd Division 2003-05; Germany Bundesliga – Germany 1st Division 2006-11) (Head coach)
2004-05: Kansas Cagerz (United States Basketball League (Head Coach)
2010-13: Czech Republic National Team (Assistant coach in the summer)
2012: Rio Grande Valley Vipers (NBA D-League) (Assistant Coach for Nick Nurse)
2013-14: Main Red Claws (NBA D-League) (Head coach) (Named all-star game head coach)
2014-21: Polish National Team (Head coach)
2018: Team Fredette (TBAT 2018) (Head coach)
2019: Hamburg Towers (Germany Bundesliga – German 1st Division) (Head Coach)
Assistant for Czech Republic national team summers 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013
2022-present: Fraser Valley Bandits (Canadian Elite Basketball League) (Head Coach)
