Columbia basketball coach Corey Taylor resigns after six seasons – Morning Journal

When it comes to sports in small schools, it is important to make the most of all available resources.

Nevertheless, Coach Corey Taylor’s teams in Columbia fought for the Lorain County League championship year after year.

On June 26, Columbia Athletics announced that they were looking for a new head coach after Taylor resigned from his coaching position.

“A huge thank you to former girls basketball coach Corey Taylor for all your hard work, dedication and dedication to Columbia Athletics over the years,” @ColumbiaAth’s X-post read. “Please know that your efforts were truly appreciated. We wish you nothing but the best in your new role.”

A huge thank you goes out to former girls basketball head coach Corey Taylor for all of your hard work, dedication and dedication to Columbia Athletics over the years. Please know that your efforts have been truly appreciated and we wish you nothing but the best in your new role! pic.twitter.com/Zf5pxnKw8e

— Columbia Raiders Athletics (@ColumbiaAth) 26 June 2024

Taylor said it was a fun journey, but it ended when he accepted a position as assistant principal, pending board approval. He did not say where.

However, Taylor made sure to tell the players first, as they had already been informed earlier in the week.

“There were a lot of emotions involved. It’s never an easy conversation. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” he said. “They congratulated me and were happy for me. It was sad because it’s never easy to say goodbye to someone I’ve known for almost seven years.”

Taylor wanted to become an assistant principal and is excited about the next step in his career.

“I’m excited about it. It’s a great opportunity for me, for my family and for my professional situation,” he said. “It was something I wanted to do. I wanted to be an assistant principal. There was never a right time for me to stop. I knew it was going to be hard.”

When he took over, he recalled going winless in his first eight games at Columbia. But he stuck with the process and it paid off, as he posted a career record of 86-48.

“It was just an incredible experience,” Taylor said. “We were very competitive. We really still have a good program. … We lost a lot of seniors, but we have a few core players coming back. They’re going to be a very competitive team.”

His best season was 2022-23, when the Raiders went 20-4 (12-2 in LC8). Led by All-Ohioan Elise Champagne, they reached the Division III district semifinals.

Taylor also coached Ally Ross, a four-time All-Ohioan and Lorain County Ms. Basketball honoree.

Columbia achieved a record of 19-4 (12-2 in LC8) in his final year as coach.

“I always tell the girls that what’s so special about this program is that despite the turnover of players, there hasn’t been any real fluctuation in performance. I think that’s really rare at small schools,” he said.

After the news broke, Taylor mentioned that former players had been contacting him, which he thought was a good thing.

“The students were incredible and I have a great relationship with every student I’ve had contact with. I still have a relationship with them. I still talk to them and many of them have reached out to me. That tells you what kind of people they are. They’ve done a lot for my career and, along with the (Columbia) staff, helped me tremendously.”