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Former Wellington basketball coach Artie Taylor dies after cancer battle
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- Former Wellington basketball coach Artie Taylor dies after cancer battle
The central Ohio high school basketball community is remembering former Wellington boys coach Artie Taylor, who died Dec. 10 at age 50.
Taylor, a native of Indianapolis who coached Wellington to Division IV state tournaments in 2016 and 2017 and a runner-up finish in the latter appearance, was diagnosed earlier this year with pancreatic cancer.
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The school's basketball court was renamed for Taylor in November.
He went 143-134 in 11 seasons, resigning in June and shifting to a new role as director of basketball operations amid his cancer battle.
Former Wellington boys basketball coach Artie Taylor yells to his players during the 2017 Division IV state final against Cleveland Heights Lutheran East.
"So much of our collective athletic success began with that unforgettable 2015-2016 season that took us to our first (state tournament)," said Lindsey Smith, Wellington's chief operating officer and former athletic director. "The spark that started in boys basketball carried into every corner of Wellington athletics. It ignited something special and made our students believe they could not only win games, but they could win championships."
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Area coaches and programs offered their condolences in recent days.
"The St. Charles Basketball program is keeping his family and the entire @GoJagAthletics community in our thoughts and prayers," read a post on the Cardinals' team account on X. "May he rest in peace."
"RIP Coach Artie Taylor," Pickerington North boys coach Jason Bates said on X. "Thoughts and Prayers to the family…"
Taylor, who was a college coach for 15 years – including a stint at Ohio Dominican from 2007-13 – also served as Wellington's assistant athletic director. He was an assistant at Wittenberg from 2002-07, a run that included an NCAA Division III runner-up finish in 2006, and also had stints at John Carroll and Defiance College as well as Indianapolis Ritter High School.
Taylor played at John Carroll from 1994-98, scoring more than 1,000 points, graduating as the Blue Streaks' third all-time leading rebounder and helping the program to two Ohio Athletic Conference championships.
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Taylor became Wellington's boys coach in 2014, and less than two years later, the Jaguars reached their second state tournament and first since 2003.
"When we hired coach Taylor in the summer of 2014, my only lingering concern was that Wellington might just be a steppingstone in his coaching career," Smith said. "But over the next several months, that changed. I watched him lean fully into our community, into our program and into the lives of the young men he had the opportunity to coach."
The Jaguars lost in a state semifinal in 2016 and fell to Cleveland Heights Lutheran East in the 2017 final, coming up short of winning central Ohio's first small-school title since Worthington Christian in 1999.
Wellington got within a win of returning to state in 2019-20, advancing to a regional final before the remainder of the season was canceled because of the COVID pandemic.
Former Wellington boys basketball coach Artie Taylor cuts down the net and twirls it in celebration after a 69-45 win over Berne Union in a Division IV district final on March 5, 2020.
Taylor is survived by his wife, Christine, son AJ, parents Artie and Marva Taylor and five siblings, according to his obituary .
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The family will receive friends from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 14 at Schoedinger Worthington, 6699 N. High St. The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Dec. 15 at One Church, 817 N. Hamilton Road, Gahanna.
High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio high school basketball coach Artie Taylor dies at 50
