Andre Gray, a veteran NCAA men’s basketball coach with head coaching experience, has joined the staff of Western Carolina first-year head coach Tim Craft. Gray, who previously spent three seasons on the Catamount men’s basketball bench from 2008-11, has been named the associate head coach by Craft.
Gray joins previously announced assistant coaches Andrew Brown and Adam Bullard, both of whom served under Craft at Gardner-Webb.
Known as one of the top assistant coaches in Division I basketball, Gray has over 20 years of coaching experience within the state of North Carolina including 15 years at the NCAA D-I level. During his collegiate coaching career, he has been a part of 10 postseason and conference championship teams, recruited and developed 28 all-conference performers, and mentored both six mid-major and five national All-America selections.
With Gray on the bench, three programs including Western Carolina posted program records for single-season victories.
Gray returns to Cullowhee having most recently served as the head men’s basketball coach at Elizabeth City State University. He took over as the program’s interim leader in May 2022 before being named the full-time head coach in 2023. In his first season, his squad led the NCAA Division II in blocked shots as a part of ranking sixth in the country in defensive field goal percentage and finished as a Top 30 rebounding squad. He coached and developed the 2022-23 CIAA Defensive Player of the Year in Amadou Faye and CIAA All-Freshman team selection, Jaquantae Harris.
Before taking over in Elizabeth City, Gray was an assistant coach under Levelle Moton at North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C., after coaching three seasons at Southern Conference member UNC Greensboro (2018-21). With the Spartans, Gray was part of three 20+ win seasons including a program-record 28 victories in 2018-19. UNCG made two postseason appearances in Gray’s trio of seasons on the bench, once earning the SoCon’s automatic NCAA bid by winning the conference tournament and also garnering the overall No. 1 seed in the 2019 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2018-19.
Gray’s collegiate coaching career began at his alma mater Methodist College. He then spent four seasons on the bench at Wingate University, located just outside of Charlotte. The Bulldogs made the NCAA Division II tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007, capturing the South Atlantic Conference Championships in both seasons. In the latter, Wingate advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, winning the South Atlantic Region championship.
His career path then took him west of the Queen City as he made the move to the NCAA Division I level, joining the coaching staff at Big South Conference member, Gardner-Webb in July 2007. The 2007-08 Runnin’ Bulldogs won 16 games including a victory at nationally-ranked Kentucky.
Gray then spent three years (2008-11) as an assistant coach at Western Carolina. While in Cullowhee, the Catamounts posted three consecutive winning seasons and two Southern Conference North Division titles. The 2009-10 Catamounts finished 22-12 marking WCU’s first-ever 20-win season – a mark that was matched in 2023-24 – and advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
Following the three years at WCU, Gray was on the sidelines for three seasons at UNC Wilmington (2011-14) under head coach Buzz Peterson. His career path then took him to Winston-Salem State for a season in 2014-15, helping the Rams win 18 games and reach the championship game of the CIAA Tournament.
Gray then spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Charlotte (2014-18). While in the Queen City, he helped recruit Jon Davis who garnered Conference-USA All-Freshman team honors in 2015-16 before finishing second in the C-USA the following season. Davis and Joseph Uchebo both earned all-conference honors, Uchebo after setting the C-USA single-season rebounding record.
During his coaching career, Gray has worked alongside many well-known names in basketball. He spent time on the bench with former UNCG head coach Wes Miller, who is currently at Cincinnati; former Cleveland Cavaliers great, Mark Price during his tenure at Charlotte; former UNC Wilmington head coach Buzz Peterson, who is currently the assistant general manager with the Charlotte Hornets; was on the bench with current DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann during his time at Gardner-Webb; LSU head coach Matt McMahon at UNCW; Eddie Beidenbach, the winningest head coach UNC Asheville; and the late Larry Hunter while on the sidelines in Cullowhee.
Gray graduated in May 1998 with a B.S. in Physical Education from Methodist University. He returned to his alma mater to begin his collegiate career as the top men’s basketball assistant coach in 2001, serving as the recruiting coordinator and junior varsity head coach. With Gray back on the bench as a coach, the Monarchs claimed the 2003 DIAC/USA South Atlantic Conference regular season championship and posted a 22-6 league record in his two seasons.
Gray started coaching at Clayton Middle School in Clayton, N.C., as the head boys’ basketball coach. He then parlayed that experience into an assistant’s position at J.F. Webb High School in Oxford, N.C., as an assistant on the boys’ varsity squad, while maintaining head coaching status with the boy’s junior varsity team with both positions helping him move to the collegiate ranks.
A native of Elizabethtown, N.C., and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Gray received a Master of Science in Sport Management from Western Carolina University. He is married to the former Tarius Williams.
Andre Gray – Coaching Career:
Western Carolina University, Assistant Coach (2024-present)
Elizabeth City State University, Head Coach (2022-2024)
North Carolina Central University, Assistant Coach (2021-22)
UNC Greensboro, Associate Head Coach (2018-2021)
Charlotte, Assistant Coach (2015-2018)
Winston-Salem State University, Assistant Coach (2014-15)
UNC Wilmington, Assistant Coach (2011-14)
Western Carolina University, Associate Head Coach (2008-11)
Gardner-Webb University, Assistant Coach (2007-08)
Wingate University, Assistant Coach (2003-07)
Methodist College, Assistant Coach / Head JV Coach (2001-03)
J.F. Webb HS Varsity Assistant Coach / JV Head Coach – (1999-01)
Clayton Middle School Boys’ Head Coach – (1998-99)
