Men's Basketball
Taylor, Brendyn
Brendyn Taylor
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Brendyn Taylor has served as an assistant coach at UCLA for the past two seasons. Taylor, who grew up in Los Angeles, joined the program as an assistant coach in August of 2023.
Including the most recent 2024-25 season, Taylor has worked on college basketball coaching staffs for the past four years. In addition to the past two seasons at UCLA (2023-24, 2024-25), he spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns as a graduate assistant at St. John’s in New York. While at St. John’s, he worked for head coach Mike Anderson.
In two years at UCLA, Taylor has helped the Bruins secure an overall record of 39-28. Most recently, UCLA finished in a fourth-place tie in the 18-team Big Ten Conference. The Bruins secured a No. 7 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and defeated Utah State in a first-round matchup. Over the past two seasons, UCLA has led its conference in scoring defense (in the Pac-12 in 2023-24, and in the Big Ten in 2024-25). In 2024-25, UCLA held the opposition to an average of 65.2 points per game through 34 contests.
In 2024-25, Bruins’ forward Tyler Bilodeau was honored as a third-team All-Big Ten selection. In 2023-24, forward/center Adem Bona earned the Pac-12 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year Award in addition to earning first-team all-conference recognition. Bona was a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Taylor has assisted the Bruins’ basketball program in a variety of areas, most notably in a player development role. Hailing from the greater Los Angeles region, he has brought experience as a former player and coach at the collegiate and high school levels.
As a talented high school athlete, Taylor graduated from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles in 2012. He spent three years on the men’s basketball team at USC (2013-15), earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2015 before moving on to Santa Clara University as a graduate transfer for the 2015-16 season. With one remaining year of eligibility in 2016-17, Taylor averaged 12.5 points per game as a redshirt senior at Bushnell College in Eugene, Ore. He helped Bushnell win the 2017 Cascade Collegiate Conference title (CCC) and secure a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NAIA National Basketball Tournament.
After concluding his collegiate career, Taylor briefly played professional basketball in Germany for the Baunach Young Pikes. He returned to California and began his coaching career at Providence High School in Burbank, Calif. As an assistant coach with the varsity boys’ basketball program, Taylor helped Providence High to an overall record of 75-25 through three seasons. He also spent one season honing his skills in player development, video breakdown and scouting as an assistant coach at SoCal Academy, a preparatory academy from grades 6-12 in Northridge, Calif.
Taylor’s father, Brian Taylor, played at Princeton University and was a second-round NBA Draft selection in 1972 by the Seattle SuperSonics. He secured ABA Rookie of the Year honors in 1973 with the New Jersey Nets, spending 10 seasons in the ABA and NBA. Taylor’s older brother, Bryce Taylor, played four seasons at Oregon before embarking upon a decade-long professional basketball career in Europe.
Taylor graduated with his undergraduate degree in psychology from USC in 2015. He earned a graduate degree in sport management from St. John’s in 2023.
Including the most recent 2024-25 season, Taylor has worked on college basketball coaching staffs for the past four years. In addition to the past two seasons at UCLA (2023-24, 2024-25), he spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns as a graduate assistant at St. John’s in New York. While at St. John’s, he worked for head coach Mike Anderson.
In two years at UCLA, Taylor has helped the Bruins secure an overall record of 39-28. Most recently, UCLA finished in a fourth-place tie in the 18-team Big Ten Conference. The Bruins secured a No. 7 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and defeated Utah State in a first-round matchup. Over the past two seasons, UCLA has led its conference in scoring defense (in the Pac-12 in 2023-24, and in the Big Ten in 2024-25). In 2024-25, UCLA held the opposition to an average of 65.2 points per game through 34 contests.
In 2024-25, Bruins’ forward Tyler Bilodeau was honored as a third-team All-Big Ten selection. In 2023-24, forward/center Adem Bona earned the Pac-12 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year Award in addition to earning first-team all-conference recognition. Bona was a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Taylor has assisted the Bruins’ basketball program in a variety of areas, most notably in a player development role. Hailing from the greater Los Angeles region, he has brought experience as a former player and coach at the collegiate and high school levels.
As a talented high school athlete, Taylor graduated from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles in 2012. He spent three years on the men’s basketball team at USC (2013-15), earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2015 before moving on to Santa Clara University as a graduate transfer for the 2015-16 season. With one remaining year of eligibility in 2016-17, Taylor averaged 12.5 points per game as a redshirt senior at Bushnell College in Eugene, Ore. He helped Bushnell win the 2017 Cascade Collegiate Conference title (CCC) and secure a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NAIA National Basketball Tournament.
After concluding his collegiate career, Taylor briefly played professional basketball in Germany for the Baunach Young Pikes. He returned to California and began his coaching career at Providence High School in Burbank, Calif. As an assistant coach with the varsity boys’ basketball program, Taylor helped Providence High to an overall record of 75-25 through three seasons. He also spent one season honing his skills in player development, video breakdown and scouting as an assistant coach at SoCal Academy, a preparatory academy from grades 6-12 in Northridge, Calif.
Taylor’s father, Brian Taylor, played at Princeton University and was a second-round NBA Draft selection in 1972 by the Seattle SuperSonics. He secured ABA Rookie of the Year honors in 1973 with the New Jersey Nets, spending 10 seasons in the ABA and NBA. Taylor’s older brother, Bryce Taylor, played four seasons at Oregon before embarking upon a decade-long professional basketball career in Europe.
Taylor graduated with his undergraduate degree in psychology from USC in 2015. He earned a graduate degree in sport management from St. John’s in 2023.
UCLA M. Basketball Media Availability - Players (Aug. 26, 2025)
Tuesday, August 26
UCLA M. Basketball Media Availability - Coach Cronin (Aug. 26, 2025)
Tuesday, August 26
UCLA M. Basketball Postgame - vs. Tennessee (March 22, 2025)
Saturday, March 22
UCLA M. Basketball Press Conference – Players (March 21, 2025)
Friday, March 21
