Longtime boys basketball coach Derrick Taylor, who won four CIF Los Angeles City section championships at Woodland Hills Taft and a CIF Southern Section championship and state title at St. John Bosco, was named the head coach at Blair on Tuesday.

Taylor is one of the most decorated coaches around. He has been coaching for over two decades and has over 500 wins. At Taft he coached the likes of Jordan Farmar and Spencer Dinwiddie and has eight former players who made the NBA. He also was the head coach in the McDonalds All-American game in 2007.

“I had some opportunities elsewhere, some with colleges, but at this stage of my life I was looking for the right fit and love everything about Blair,” Taylor said. “I like the location, they want to win and I want to help them win. I feel like there is so much untapped potential here and all those factors just added up. I can’t wait to get started.”

Taylor, 61, wasn’t sure if he would coach again. After winning three L.A. City Section titles in his first tenure at Taft, he moved on to St. John Bosco (2011-15). He won the CIF-SS Division 3A title in 2013 and a CIF Division II state title in 2014.

Taylor returned to Taft, where he won his fourth City Section title in 2023. However, Taylor was dismissed not long after that season ended.

Prior to his dismissal, Taylor had been suspended by the school district as a coach and teacher at Taft while it conducted an internal investigation. The Los Angeles Times reported it was related to allegations of improper adherence to district policy regarding COVID-19 testing procedures at Taft.

Taylor was set to move on. He was named the head coach at Serra in June of 2024, but health issues forced him to resign before he could get started.

Taylor said that after four surgeries and a lengthy recovery, his health is good and the fire is back in his belly.

“I’m an old dog and we’ve got to see if the old dog still has it,” Taylor said, jokingly. “I might have lost 10 miles on my fastball, but my fastball still has some velocity.”

Taylor replaces Devon Richardson, who was let go last month after going 15-11 last season and finishing third in the Rio Hondo League. Richardson, hired in 2020, led Blair to the CIF-SS Division 5A title in 2023 and resurrected its program. Blair was 55-33 over its past three seasons.

Blair athletic director Kyla Berman had good things to say about both coaches.

“It’s really tough for me because (Richardson) and I are very close and I hated to see him go,” Berman said. “He built something amazing here and I have so much respect for him as a coach, as a man and as my friend.

“But the show must go on and I’m looking forward to working with such a fantastic coach. Coach Taylor and I have strong athletic backgrounds and share a love for high school athletics, so I think he can really build on what (Richardson) started and put his stamp on it. We’re very fortunate to have him here.”

Taylor has coached his fair shar of star players, and he’s hoping one of the San Gabriel Valley’s biggest stars, Timmy Anderson, returns to Blair for his senior season. Anderson averaged 31.4 points this past season. As a sophomore, he averaged 33 points and eight assists, and he helped lead the Vikings to a CIF-SS title as a freshman.

“Anyone would like to start their tenure with a player averaging 31.4 a game,” Taylor said. “You would be a fool not to say you want a kid like that on your team. I’m going to respect him, respect the process and would love the opportunity to coach him, no doubt about that.

“But I’m also excited about all the kids coming back and what we’re capable of building here. Blair is a sixth grade through 12 high school. You can start building a program with middle school (aged) kids, sort of like Harvard Westlake. I’m excited, man, excited about all the possibilities.”