Taylor Angley-Holman has a new yet familiar home.
The U-Prep boys basketball coach took over the Panthers’ varsity team in 2021. Since then, Angley-Holman led U-Prep to four Northern Section championships and five Northern Athletic League titles.
He boasts an overall record of 118-47 in his five seasons as head coach, becoming the winningest coach in program history. But in the winter, Angley-Holman will be on the sidelines leading a new team: the Shasta College mens basketball team.
“The opportunity to be an ambassador of basketball in our community is truly an honor and an opportunity that I look forward to immensely,” Angley-Holman said. “Basketball is the medium, but the chance to truly be an ambassador for the young men in our community that I believe in is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Angley-Holman served as the Knights assistant coach from 2018-19 before heading to U-Prep as an assistant coach. He’ll be taking over the Shasta College program from longtime coach Kele Fitzhugh.
Fitzhugh, who retired earlier this year, started coaching at Shasta College in 1997 and led the Knights to seven Golden Valley Conference championships in his 29 years.
“There’s a long history of success before me,” Angley-Holman said. “What I’m looking to do is to continue that and to make sure we are competitive on a yearly basis.”
While Angley-Holman is well-versed in the X’s and O’s of the game — having played and coached his entire adult life — he’s most excited about creating meaningful relationships with the players and fans of Shasta College basketball.
“The opportunity to impact young men from throughout our community is such a great opportunity and that’s what it’s all about,” Angley-Holman said. “When you care about the people in your building, and you truly take time to get to know everybody and to value everybody, it really makes for something special. That’s what U-Prep was for me.”
Those relationships defined his time at U-Prep, but through those relationships, Angley-Holman learned how to be a better coach and leader.
U-Prep’s motto, “Enjoy the Journey,” was introduced to the Panther community through Angley-Holman’s mother and longtime principal Rochelle Angley. Angley-Holman embodied that mentality during his time as U-Prep’s basketball coach and offensive coordinator with the football team.
“That was an amazing time in my life,” Angley-Holman said. “I spent much of my 20s at U-Prep and met some amazing people and learned so much about myself and built relationships that will last a lifetime.”
The most important thing Angley-Holman learned, however, was that talent alone doesn’t guarantee success. It’s those relationships that Angley-Holman invested so much time and effort in building that allowed the Panthers to win four section titles in five years.
“When you build relationships and spend time on the people, that’s when greatness on the court becomes evident.”
In addition to his role with the basketball team, Angley-Holman also served as the offensive coordinator with the Panther football team under head coach Dustin Fortenberry. Fortenberry and Angley-Holman have worked together for years and built a relationship that embodies the U-Prep mentality.
“Taylor is one of the most brilliant leaders that I’ve been around,” Fortenberry said. “(He’s) incredibly organized, the kids play hard for him, he played and attended there … it’s a win for the Redding community and certainly a win for Shasta College athletics.”
It was a bittersweet moment for Fortenberry when he learned of Angley-Holman’s departure from U-Prep, but it’s a move that Fortenberry wholeheartedly supports.
“He’s a glue guy; he’s somebody that is an essential part of the fabric of our school, and he will continue to be, just in a different role,” Fortenberry said. “I’m proud of him for achieving his dreams; I can’t wait to be out there and support him.”
While the location has changed, the mission stays the same.
“The opportunity to coach at the next level is amazing, and I’m honored to have the opportunity,” Angley-Holman said. “While I’m extremely grateful for my time (at U-Prep), I’m equally as excited for this next opportunity. The chance to impact our entire community is a responsibility I don’t take lightly.”
The change is still new, and while the basketball season is still months away, Angley-Holman is already hard at work preparing for the upcoming season.
The first item on the agenda is recruiting and building a roster for the 2026-27 season.
“We’re hitting the ground running,” Angley-Holman said. “Recruiting starts immediately, and we want to make sure we’re contacting all the local talent in the Class of 2026. We are really putting an emphasis on building this thing with local guys that want to be a part of something special.”
It’s been a difficult year for Angley-Holman on a personal level. Rochelle Angley died in July after a seven-year battle with breast cancer — roughly a month before Angley-Holman took the field with the Panther football team for their first game of the 2025 season.
But the basketball coach practices what he preaches. He relied on his loved ones for support, and his new job with the Shasta College mens basketball team is an accomplishment he shares with those who have stood by him.
“I want to make sure I thank my wife and family for their support. It’s been a tumultuous past year with the passing of my mom, but to know that I have their support is something I value,” Angley-Holman said. “I’m just so grateful for them. They’re always reminding me to Enjoy the Journey, and I hope that I can pass that on to our local young men.”
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Taylor Angley-Holman named as Shasta College mens basketball coach
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
