UCLA men’s basketball coach Ben Howland formally hired Korey McCray as an assistant on Tuesday, finally filling out a coaching staff left with a void since April.
As documented earlier on Bruin Sights, McCray’s arrival in Westwood has been the subject of speculation for over a month.
The hire, which comes two months after Scott Duncan left for Wyoming, is a bit unorthodox. McCray comes to UCLA from the AAU circuit, having most recently served as the CEO of the Atlanta Celtics. He is notable for mentoring some of the top NBA talent from the southern U.S.; the official UCLA release lists Dwight Howard, John Wall, Javaris Crittenton, Anthony Morrow, Jarrett Jack, Acie Law, Von Wafer, Mario West and Damien Wilkins as some of McCray’s personal pupils.
“I’m very excited to be announcing that Korey McCray has joined our staff,” Howland said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to him developing in every area. He will be a great asset in the development and mentoring of our players, in on the floor coaching and in recruiting.”
“I’m extremely excited to be at UCLA,” McCray said. “It is an amazing University and has a great history in basketball, academics and throughout the entire athletic program. I couldn’t be at a better place. I believe in education and developing student-athletes into a well-rounded person, including basketball, education, values, morals, personal relationships. There is no place better that represents that than UCLA.”