NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Christopher Newport University men's basketball fans may have noticed a familiar face on the Captains sideline this season. CNU head coach John Krikorian added Conley Taylor to his coaching staff prior to the 2013-14 campaign, and Taylor is no stranger to the Christopher Newport program.
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Taylor played at Christopher Newport from 2007 to 2012, and wore uniform #4 as a Captain. Appropriately enough, the Newport News native finished his career as the fourth all-time leading scorer…and was named All-American as well as the Virginia Player of the Year. Taylor finished his outstanding career with 1,821 points in 107 games, an average of exactly 17 points per game.
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The CNU teams Taylor played on were very successful, and that success has continued so far this season with the Menchville High School graduate on the sideline next to Krikorian and fellow assistant coaches Shawn Postiglione and Roland Ross. The Captains this season are 6-1 overall and 1-0 so far in the Capital Athletic Conference, and riding a three-game winning streak.
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The Captains return to action on Sunday, playing at Virginia Wesleyan College. Game time at the Batten Center in Virginia Beach is set for 2:00 p.m.
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Taylor played at CNU for both C.J. Woollum and John Krikorian, and posted remarkable statistics as a player. He averaged 23 points per game as a junior and 20.8 points per game as a senior. He was named the USA South's Player of the Year as well as the Conference Tournament MVP his senior season.
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The addition of Taylor to the coaching staff came at a very late time prior to the start of the season. Casey Conwell was originally slated to serve in the same capacity, but left CNU to take the Director of Basketball Operations position at Lafayette College, a Division I program in Easton, Pennsylvania. Taylor, fortunately, was able to step in and join the CNU staff.
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Taylor is coaching a team led by senior Tra Benefield, who continues to post Taylor-like numbers. Benefield is averaging 18.6 points per game and is now 8th on the all-time scoring list, just 396 points behind Taylor.
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The Captains are coming off a 63-60 road win at York (PA) last Saturday. CNU led by as many as 18 in the second half and withstood a furious comeback attempt by the Spartans. Benefield again led the way with 22 points, the only CNU scorer in double digits.
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Following Sunday's non-conference game at Virginia Wesleyan, the Captains return to the Freeman Center on Wednesday night. CNU will host Salisbury in Capital Athletic Conference action, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. It will be CNU's first home game since November 24th.
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