Former Wittenberg men’s basketball assistant coach dies at 50

AJ Taylor is a junior guard at Wittenberg.

“Artie was so much more than a basketball coach,” Wittenberg coach Darren Hertz said in a press release. “He was a leader of men. And he was an incredible family man. His infectious personality and big smile brought so much joy to everyone who knew him. Our entire program is devastated by this loss. Our focus is to make sure his wife, Christine, and son, AJ, have our full love and support throughout this time.”

AJ played for his dad at the Wellington School in Columbus. Taylor coached there for 11 years and also served as assistant athletic director.

Wellington dedicated its basketball court to Taylor in November. He attended the ceremony and spoke as he sat in a chair on the court with his son next to him.

“I was told there’d be no crying,” Taylor said as he took the microphone. “This is a celebration. I missed that boat. I wish I could stand up at that podium and address you guys. You guys know, I’m fighting.”

Taylor played college basketball at John Carroll University. He was a three-year starter and was the team MVP as a senior in 1998 when the program reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III tournament.

Taylor spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Defiance College and one season as a head reserve coach and varsity assistant coach at Cardinal Ritter High School in Indianapolis before landing a job on Brown’s staff in August 2002.

Anyone watching Wittenberg in those years will remember the stylish suits Taylor to wore to games. He wore a bright, red suit during the North Coast Coast Athletic Conference championship game in 2006 when Wittenberg beat rival Wooster

“This is my net-cuttin’ suit," he told the Springfield News-Sun.

Wittenberg reached the NCAA Division III championship game in 2006. Taylor wrote a diary for the News-Sun in the days leading up to the Final Four and championship game.

“My day started off waking up this morning to finish packing (I had too many suits to choose from),” Taylor wrote. " I ate my breakfast of champions — a big bowl of Cheerios. I said goodbye to my family and headed to Spring-held from my home in Columbus.

“Once I arrived in Springfield, I ordered food from the famous Mike and Rosy’s Deli for our trip. I made sure to tie up all my loose ends around the office and watched a few video segments of potential recruits (I never stop recruiting). I then made my way around the office to have a few laughs with some colleagues before I headed to the locker room to make sure all of our players had all the things they needed.

“I made my way over to pick up food and load the bus for departure. Before leaving, I took a moment to soak up the moment of fans cheering for us as we loaded and departed.”

Wittenberg lost the national championship game 59-56 to Virginia Wesleyan on a last-second 3-pointer.

Taylor spent one more season at Wittenberg before leaving in 2007 to become the head coach at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. He coached there for six seasons.

In 2014, Taylor was named the head coach at Wellington. He led the program to the state final four in 2016 and a state runner-up finish in 2017. According to the Columbus Dispatch, he was 143-134 in 11 seasons.

According to Taylor’s obituary, “Artie didn’t just build winning basketball programs — he created a space for young men to push themselves, achieving success they might not have thought possible. His players learned discipline, commitment, and love for their team. Basketball was simply the vehicle through which Artie shared his passion for growing others. But above all the trophies, titles, and accolades, Artie’s greatest joy was his family."

Taylor’s family will receive friends from 2-5 p.m. Sunday at Schoedinger Worthington at 6699 N. High Street in Columbus.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at One Church at 817 North Hamilton Road in Gahanna. A gathering in Taylor’s honor will be held from 1-4 p.m. Monday at High Line Car House at 550 South High Street in Columbus.