ANDERSON, S.C. - Anderson University head men's basketball coach Jason Taylor was one of 20 local community leaders honored Tuesday as a member of the Anderson area's "Top 20 Under 40."

Taylor and 19 others were recognized at a luncheon as the top 20 Under 40. Sponsors for the program include Anderson University, AnMed Health, Duke Power, Peoples Bank, the Independent Mail and the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce.

Honorees were nominated by friends, family and co-workers and were chosen by a panel of community judges.

Taylor was named the 2012 Southeast Region Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches after guiding his team to its' second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Southeast Championship contest last season. The seventh-year head coach led the Trojans to a school-record 26 wins last season and was also named the South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year after leading Anderson to the league's regular-season crown with a stellar 17-1 record.

Taylor played collegiately at Jacksonville State in Alabama following the 1999 season at Roane State. During his junior campaign with the Gamecocks, he was a member of JSU's first winning season since moving to Division I. The Gamecocks finished 17-11 which was good for a third-place finish in what was then the Trans American Athletic Conference (TAAC) and is now the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The native of Clarkrange, Tenn., earned an associate of science degree from Roane State in 1999 and a B.S. degree in health and physical education from Jacksonville State University in 2001 and two years before arriving at Anderson, Taylor was the assistant basketball coach, adjunct professor of physical education and fitness center supervisor at Roane State

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