George Mason University men’s basketball head coach Kim English has announced that T.J. Grams and I.J. Poole have joined his program’s staff.

Grams will serve as director of basketball operations, while Poole has been named director of player personnel and scouting.

Grams Named Director of Basketball Operations
Grams comes to Mason after more than a decade at the University of Virginia, where he worked as director of academic affairs for the men’s basketball program.

“T.J. Grams is the absolute best at what he does,” head coach Kim English said. “I got to know T.J. about 18 months ago on a Zoom seminar about student-athlete well being. He was on the academics side of the program, but had an interest in the operations side and had been learning that side of things from the DOBO at UVa. T.J. and I connected and stayed in close contact over the year. I have a close friend on staff at UVa and hearing those guys brag about how valuable T.J. was to their program made me know that I wanted him to be a part of what we are building here at Mason.”

In that role, he monitored class progress, registration and eligibility requirements of a diverse group of student-athletes. He communicated directly with the men’s basketball coaching staff concerning student needs and progress and participated in the recruiting process by meeting with families and prospects and helping through application and admission.

“The structure and the operation of UVa Basketball under Tony Bennett is the class of college basketball,” English added. “T.J. knows the inner workings of that program and that culture and it absolutely is something we will aspire to mimic certain aspects of here at Mason. T.J. is invaluable to our program.”

Grams joined the staff as assistant director of academic affairs in 2010 and was promoted to director of academics in 2016.

Grams came to Virginia after working for the Duke athletics department for five years. From 2007-10, he was an assistant director for the Blue Devils’ student-athlete academic support services. Grams oversaw the academic progress for baseball, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis. He worked as an academic coordinator at Duke from 2005-07.

Grams joined the Duke staff after working at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business as an academic advisor. He was a graduate assistant academic coordinator at NC State while earning a master’s degree from the school, finishing in 2003.

Later this year, he will complete his doctorate of higher education from the University of Virginia. The program presents a broad and systematic understanding of higher education, a definitive knowledge of selected aspects of educational theory and practice, and an ability to apply research in an informed and critical manner to educational practice and problems.

“I am thrilled to be joining the George Mason program and Coach English as he begins his head coaching career,” Grams said. “As my relationship with Kim grew, I quickly became a believer in his vision. I am eager to use my experiences in college basketball and student affairs to serve the players and staff at Mason, in hopes of putting each individual in a position to succeed.”

A native of Sheboygan, Wis., Grams is a 2001 graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He is married to the former Kristen Schmidt and has a daughter, Caroline, and son, Oliver.

Poole to Serve as Director of Player Personnel & Scouting
Poole joins English’s staff after working with him at the University of Tennessee, where he served assistant to the head coach for Rick Barnes from 2019-21. It marked his second stint in Knoxville, as Poole previously was a graduate manager at UT from 2015-17.

“I mentioned when I came to Mason that our program would be one of the best incubators for great basketball coaching talent,” English said. “I.J. Poole fits that bill unequivocally. I was fortunate enough to work with I.J. for two seasons at Tennessee. His work ethic in scouting, his creativity in recruiting and his overall intellect for the game always made me know that if I ever had the opportunity to hire I.J., I would. I think he is a future coaching star.”

Prior to returning to Tennessee, Poole worked for two seasons on the full-time staff at Appalachian State. In 2017-18, he handled budget management, daily scheduling and team travel as director of basketball operations. He then was promoted to assistant coach for the 2018-19 campaign.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to join the Mason staff,” Poole said. “Having worked closely with Coach English over the past two seasons, I have witnessed his passion, energy and love for the game. He is an exceptional leader and I look forward to helping him build something special here. I also want to thank Coach Barnes and Coach Fox for giving me my start in the profession and being invaluable mentors in my life. I can’t wait to get started.”

Poole first worked with Barnes at the University of Texas, where he worked as a student manager. He was a part of two NCAA Tournament teams with the Longhorns, and Texas averaged 22 wins per season during that stretch.

“His resume as a student manager at Texas, GA at Tennessee and assistant coach at Appalachian State is comprehensive. I.J. is the total package,” English added. “Our players love their interactions with him, and prospects and their families connect with him deeply on visits. I.J. was a big part of our recruiting success at Tennessee.”

The Austin, Texas, graduated from Texas in 2015 with a degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Biology.

https://gomason.com/news/2021/4/15/mens-basketball-english-announces-addition-of-t-j-grams-i-j-poole-to-staff.aspx