FERRIDAY — A coaching philosophy change for new Delta Charter School basketball head coach Dwayne Taylor isn’t foreign for the former Natchez High School defensive backs coach.

In accepting the head boys basketball position and defensive coordinator role on the football team, Taylor understands that he will do certain things differently coaching younger players.

“It’s different coming from a team at St. Helena Central that was senior-led going to a team that’s full of kids from eighth and ninth grade,” said Taylor, who coached track and basketball at St. Helena Central in Greensburg. “But they joke around with me and play around a lot. Like when I was taking a picture today, they were like, ‘Coach Taylor is a model.’ I love being around them, and they love being around me. It’s really cool.”

Taylor’s coaching adjustments began at St. Helena Central High School, when the former Hawks track coach ventured out of his comfort zone.

“When I was at St. Helena, the basketball coach stepped down and I was asked to step in,” Taylor said. “We actually did better than expected.”

Though he played basketball growing up, football was the route chosen by Taylor. After playing basketball, football and running track at McDonough 35 Senior High School in New Orleans, Taylor accepted a football scholarship with Alcorn State. He would go on to coach with Delta Charter School head football coach Josh Loy at Natchez High for five seasons following graduation in 2008.

Taylor, 27, would then become the track coach at St. Helena in 2013, and when the opportunity of becoming head basketball coach for the Hawks presented itself, he was prepared for the job for going the extra mile at coaching clinics.

“When I used to go to coaching clinics, I sat in on all the sessions, so once I was asked to take over as the basketball coach, I already had a lot of information from those sessions,” Taylor said. “After reaching out to other coaches and observing other ways, I took a lot from that.”

That flexibility and work ethic made Taylor a wanted man by Delta Charter headmaster Clovis Christman.

“That’s what we’re all about,” Christman said. “We’re here to help the kids, and he fits the philosophy here. His willingness to get outside of his comfort zone to help kids fits the bill.”

Taylor plans on using those multiple coaching hats to his advantage by inviting kids to play multiple sports.

“I love it, because it helps the kids that play football see your face and maybe want to come and play basketball,” Taylor said. “You’re almost recruiting them to play each sport.”

Besides coaching under Lance Reed at Natchez and coaching alongside Loy, Taylor has ties to the area with his fiancée Alphaka Moore, who is coming off of a state championship win with the Natchez Lady Bulldogs.

Taylor, who will teach fifth grade technology and fine arts, said he enjoys the aspect of instilling his own coaching philosophies without having to battle previous coaching styles or methods. As he put it, the kids are open-minded, making them easier to coach.

“You get the mold the kids into what you want,” Taylor said. “It’s pretty cool to watch these kids grow from seventh to eighth grade to being seniors. I plan on being here a long time to watch that.”