Newark, NJ (April 27, 2011) - St. Benedict's has announced that Mark Taylor has taken over as head basketball coach at St. Benedict's Prep.

Mark Taylor, who nurtured former first-round NBA draft picks in Jay Williams and Andrew Bynum when they were budding scholastic superstars, was named Wednesday night as the new coach of the Gray Bees basketball team.

"This is a great opportunity for me," said Taylor. "St. Benedict's should be one of, if not the best, teams in New Jersey year-in and year-out. I believe we can get back there sooner than later."

Taylor, 46, takes over for Roshown McLeod, who lasted only one season after finishing the 2010-11 campaign with a 13-12 ledger. McLeod, the former NBA player, took over last season for Dan Hurley, who built the Gray Bees into a national powerhouse during his nine-year tenure before moving on to Wagner College.

"Mark is a very driven and organized individual with a good knowledge of the game," said St. Benedict's Athletic Director Jim Wandling. "When you combine these traits as a coach, with an ability to lead young men in a positive direction on and off the court, then you have the tools to be successful."

Taylor also has a history of turning programs around. He did so at St. Joseph's of Metuchen at the start of his nine-year tenure there before doing likewise in his most recent, five-year stint at Ridge High School.

St. Joe's won just 4 games the year before he took over and, within three years, he had them ranked nationally. Ridge won just 1 of 30 conference games before Taylor took the reins - they lost just once in league play with him at the helm.

"I'm really good at turning things around and I expect do that quickly here," said Taylor, who has a career record of 266-111. "St. Benedict's isn't broken. They just need to get back to basics with some stability, direction and guidance."

"St. Benedict's is a great campus with a great history and I'm looking forward to this journey," Taylor said. "I'm excited to get things started and bring this program back to where it was."

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