Korey McCray has been named Florida men’s basketball associate head coach, Gators head coach Todd Golden announced on Wednesday. McCray is a veteran of the Southeastern Conference coaching ranks, spending time on staff at Mississippi State and LSU and totaling 12 years of experience on staff at power-conference programs.
“Korey is one of the most respected coaches across the Southeastern Conference, and he has proven the ability to recruit and develop complete student-athletes at the highest level,” Golden said. “He has worked tirelessly to build real relationships all around the country – specifically within the Southeast region. As a former point guard in college, he has great leadership qualities that will rub off on our student-athletes. He is a great husband and father, and he will be an integral part of my coaching staff moving forward.”
“I’m excited about joining Florida’s historic program and working with such an innovative and analytical coach like Coach Golden,” McCray said. “I can’t wait to start.”
McCray most recently coached seven seasons at Mississippi State from 2015-22 in addition to spending two seasons as an assistant coach on Ben Howland’s UCLA staff.
A tireless worker and top-notch recruiter, McCray already owns 14 years of collegiate coaching experience. highlighted by 12 seasons in Power 5 conferences. His previous stops include UCLA, LSU, Florida State, Mercer and Chipola Junior College.
McCray’s main responsibilities at Mississippi State included working with MSU’s guards, assisting with scouting reports and engaging in all aspects of recruiting. His efforts on the recruiting trail were fruitful, as McCray has been ranked among the top recruiters in the nation and the SEC multiple times by 247 Sports.
McCray landed a pair of 1,000-point scorers at Mississippi State in Aric Holman and Lamar Peters. He also played an instrumental role in the signing of first-team All-SEC honoree Iverson Molinar and impact transfer Shakeel Moore from North Carolina State.
McCray helped lead the Bulldogs to 86 victories from 2017-21, which was tied for fourth among SEC schools during that span. State also registered three consecutive bids to postseason play when postseason tournaments were played, headed by a 2019 NCAA Tournament trip and 2021 NIT runner-up finish. The Bulldogs captured 10-plus SEC victories in 2019 and 2020, reaching double-digit SEC wins in consecutive seasons for the fifth time in program history.
McCray first teamed up with Howland at UCLA, which resulted in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2012 according to ESPN.com. The class was headed by Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad. All three heard their names called during the NBA Draft’s first round and helped the Bruins to a Pac-12 championship.
McCray spent the 2013-14 campaign at LSU on Johnny Jones’ staff. The Tigers came away with a 20-14 record and featured three future NBA players in Jarell Martin, Jordan Mickey and Tim Quarterman.
McCray’s first opportunity as an assistant coach at the Division I level came at his alma mater, Mercer, in 2007-08 following a one-year stint at Chipola College in 2004-05. The Chipola squad advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Semifinals.
McCray got his start in the college coaching ranks at Florida State as a graduate assistant under Leonard Hamilton. He earned a master’s degree in adult education with a minor in higher education at FSU in 2004.
After his time in Tallahassee, McCray worked as a skill development trainer based in Atlanta beginning in 2004. He had the chance to work with and create tailor-made offseason training programs for NBA talents such as Dwight Howard, John Wall, Anthony Morrow, Jarrett Jack, Jarvis Hayes, Von Wafer, Mario West and Damien Wilkins, among others.
McCray was a four-year player for Mark Slonaker at Mercer in Macon, Georgia. He served as the team captain during the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons. The Decatur, Georgia, native led the Bears in assists all four seasons. His 344 career assists were second in program history following his career and still sits among the program’s top five. He earnwed his bachelor’s degree in communications with a major in theatre arts and a minor in Christianity from Mercer in 2001.
Since 1999, McCray has served various stints as the CEO and head coach of the Atlanta Celtics AAU travel team. The team was co-founded by his father, Karl McCray and Wallace Prather in 1990. In 2009, he led his Atlanta Celtics U-15 team to a national title and has consistently produced teams at all age levels that rank in the top 10 nationally.
McCray and his wife, Lauren, have a daughter, Olivia.
SEC vet McCray named Associate Head Coach at Florida
