University of California, Riverside Head Women’s Basketball Coach Nicole Powell announced today the hiring of two assistant coaches, Brad Langston and Taylor High. Both coaches join Powell at UCR after spending three seasons on her coaching staff at Grand Canyon University (GCU).
During their three seasons together at GCU, Langston and High helped guide six student-athletes to All-WAC team honors, including a WAC Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.
Prior to coaching under Powell at GCU, Langston coached in the Big West Conference at Hawaii, where he worked on player development, scouting and both offensive and defensive strategies. At Hawaii, the team maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.42 while Langston developed a first-team All-Big West student-athlete and landed another on the Big West All-Freshman Team.
Prior to Hawaii, Langston coached five seasons at West Campus High School in Sacramento, where the Warriors won five consecutive league titles and reached the state tournament three times. He helped develop two student-athletes into ESPNW Top 100 prospects and founded the Evolution Skills Academy.
On hiring Langston, Coach Powell said, “Brad is great with people and an outstanding teacher of the game. His passion for coaching young women as well as his recruiting prowess makes him a perfect fit as we transform this program into a championship contender.”
High spent four seasons at Texas Women’s University prior to his time at GCU, where he worked with perimeter players, and led the defense for the Lopes. At TWU, High’s work included recruiting, scouting, film breakdown and on-court walkthroughs. He successfully landed recruits from across the country, developed a pair of Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year players, and helped lead TWU to its first ever at-large NCAA Tournament bid in 2016.
Prior to TWU, High spent two seasons as an assistant at Pratt Community College in Kansas, and was also an assistant coach at Dodge City Community College from 2008-11.
From 2004-08 High served as the head manager for the University of Kansas men’s basketball program, under the leadership of Bill Self.
“Taylor has a wealth of experience and is one of the hardest working people I know,” said Powell. “His attention to detail for all aspects of the game, especially the defensive end, will benefit our players and program greatly.”
Powell continued, “I’m thrilled to welcome Brad and Taylor to our program and to the UCR family! Their knowledge of the game and experience are a given, but what I love most about them is their integrity and commitment to serving student-athletes on and off the court.”
Langston and High have been introduced to the players through digital methods, and will be participating in team activities as soon as safety protocols allow them to resume.
Tagged with: Big West UC Riverside
