Benjy Taylor, architect of Tuskegee University’s men’s basketball resurgence, earned SIAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Golden Tigers to a 20-win season while navigating a shocking viral moment.
Taylor’s squad clinched the No. 1 seed in the SIAC West Division with a 20-7 overall record behind a roster that included multiple All-SIAC selections. Guard Kusamae Draper was named conference player of the year.
The honor arrives amid lingering fallout from Jan. 31, when Taylor was handcuffed and escorted off the court by police following a 77-69 loss at Morehouse College.
Taylor led the way despite viral incident
Video that exploded across social media showed Taylor—calmly asking officers to enforce conference security protocols amid Morehouse football players mingling aggressively in the handshake line—being grabbed, cuffed, and marched into a hallway weight room.
Taylor, who wasn’t charged with any crime and rejoined his team for the bus ride home, called the episode “heartbreaking” for his players and family to witness. “I was simply trying to get the football team out of the handshake line as they were yelling obscenities,” he told reporters. “It was a very dangerous situation.”
Tuskegee head coach Benjy Taylor was handcuffed by police after the loss at Morehouse.
Here’s his statement to @TheFieldOf68:
“I am at a loss for words and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today. For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that… pic.twitter.com/2AQRNCu1Dd
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 1, 2026
Taylor later retained civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels, Gregory Reynald Williams, and Gerald Griggs to “pursue all legal avenues, including a potential civil suit against Morehouse and the unnamed police agency.
“To put a respected coach like Taylor in chains in front of his team is disgusting,” Daniels said.
No charges were filed, and as of early March, the attorneys continue evaluating video evidence showing Taylor’s shocked smile amid the absurdity.
Tuskgee went on a late season roll
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference fined Morehouse College and cited the institution for failing to meet required game security standards following the incident.
Taylor indicated that he was trying to enforce postgame security rules when the situation spiraled. Morehouse football players reportedly joined the handshake line — a direct violation of conference policy — prompting Taylor to ask security to step in.
The Golden Tigers would go on win five of the next seven games after the incident to shoot up the SIAC standings with a 19-5 conference record
Now tournament-bound with hardware in hand, Taylor’s Golden Tigers carry both on-court dominance and off-court resilience into March—a story few SIAC programs can match.
