Johnson C. Smith picks familiar faces to head men’s, women’s basketball teams

Johnson C. Smith has solidified its basketball coaching staff, naming a pair of familiar faces to head its men’s and women’s teams.

Antwain Banks, coming off a successful season as interim coach of the men’s team, has been named permanent head coach of the program.

And Vanessa Taylor, who made Johnson C. Smith a women’s basketball powerhouse more than a decade ago, has returned as head coach of the team.

Banks was named interim coach in May 2024, and the Golden Bulls finished 15-13 under his guidance this past season, including 8-8 in the CIAA. Banks coached Johnson C. Smith to its first CIAA Tournament victory in five years.

Before coming to the Golden Bulls, Banks was an assistant at Clayton (GA) State, Alabama A&M and Kentucky State. He served as interim head coach of Kentucky State in the 2011-12 season, guiding the Thorobreds to a 12-15 record.

He is an Indiana native who played high school ball at South Bend’s Adams High and in college at IU Southeast.

Taylor was head coach of the women’s program at Johnson C. Smith from 2001-2012. After that, she was head coach at N.C. Central (2012-17) and then was an assistant at Coastal Carolina and most recently at Lander University.

Taylor, who has more than 30 years’ coaching experience and 331 victories as a head coach, led the Elizabeth City State program in the late 1990s before coming to Johnson C. Smith.

She guided the Golden Bulls to NCAA Division 2 tournament appearances in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012, and the 2010-11 team finished 26-5 — best in school history.

Taylor takes over a program that produced a 9-18 record in the 2024-25 season.