TOLEDO, Ohio - Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk announced the hiring of Stevie Taylor as the Toledo men's basketball program's Director of Operations on Friday.

"I've known Stevie a long time and I'm excited to have him be a part of our staff," Kowalczyk said. "We recruited Stevie out of high school and competed against him when he played at Ohio. I feel he has a bright future and potential to be a great coach. The fact that he's from Ohio and has strong recruiting connections in the Columbus area is a bonus."

A Gahanna, Ohio native, Taylor spent last season as an assistant coach at Nicholls State, where he helped the Colonels to a 21-9 overall record and their second consecutive Southland Conference title. Prior to that, Taylor served a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Langston (Okla.) University from 2019-21. During his time with the Lions he actively contributed to opponent scouting reports, on-court instruction, recruiting and overall student-athlete development.

"I am honored and humbled to get the opportunity to work for Coach Kowalczyk," Taylor said. "I'm glad to be back home here in Ohio and back in the MAC. Being a part of the Toledo brand and getting involved with the Toledo community is something I'm really looking forward to. I can't wait to get started and continue to build on the program's success."

Taylor also served as a graduate assistant coach at Boston College for two seasons (2017-19) where he learned the basics of coaching while helping with pre-game scouting, in-game adjustments and prospect database management.

Taylor played in 137 career games as a collegian at Ohio University with 34 starting assignments in his final two seasons. During his time in Athens, the Bobcats earned three postseason appearances and advanced to the NCAA Tournament on one occasion, reaching the Sweet Sixteen during his freshman campaign.

Following the conclusion of his collegiate career, Taylor played professionally for two seasons in Italy where he averaged 23.0 ppg.

Taylor earned his bachelor's degree in University Studies from Ohio in May 2015 and his master's degree in Sports Administration from Boston College in May 2019.