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C-M hires former players Murphy, Taylor to lead basketball programs

3 min read
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Talk about coming full circle.

It was 11 years ago that both Charles Murphy and Brittany Taylor were graduating from Canon-McMillan High School.

The two friends now have been hired to lead the Big Macs.

The district announced Thursday night that Murphy will replace longtime coach Rick Bell as the boys basketball head coach. Taylor was hired as the girls basketball coach, a position held by Shawn Urbano for the past two seasons.

“I think everything is coming together like it is supposed to,” Taylor said. “(Charles) is one of my best friends. With us being the new head coaches of both programs, we will definitely work together.”

The situations the two are coming into couldn’t be more different.

Bell, who spent the last 18 years at Canon-McMillan, led the program to uncharted territory. He guided the Big Macs to the WPIAL playoffs six times and to their most wins in a single season (21) in 2017-18. In the past five years, Canon-McMillan had a 74-45 record and qualified for the state tournament three times. It advanced to the WPIAL semifinals for the first time in school history last season.

Murphy, 28, was a part of all of it, spending the last seven seasons as an assistant coach. He has been the junior varsity coach the last four seasons.

As a player at Canon-McMillan, Murphy was a standout. He was the Observer-Reporter Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2008 as a senior.

“I had the goal of coaching, eventually,” Murphy said. “I didn’t think it would happen this quickly. I just wanted to be able to stay in basketball. Ever since I started, I love it more than playing. It’s different. Coach Bell has helped me in so many ways. It’s about being as positive as you can be and show the kids you legitimately care. Once kids see that you care, they will follow. That’s what we’ve tried establishing here.”

Taylor, who played college basketball at Ekerd College and Ohio Valley University, is the fifth Big Macs girls basketball coach since 2010. They have missed the playoffs two straight years.

“Even when I played it was almost a revolving door,” Taylor said of the coaches that have come and gone. “It’s always been my dream to coach (at my alma mater). You build consistency by treating it like a family, getting coaches you trust and building it from the ground up.”

Taylor, 29, was hired by the district as a counselor last August. The last three years she spent as a basketball official for the Big 56 Conference. In 2015 and 2016, Taylor was an assistant coach under Laura Montecalvo for Chartiers-Houston.

“Laura was always my role model even growing up,” Taylor said. “She taught me to have a tenacious attitude. Coaching is more than a part-time job.”

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