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June 18, 2013Happy 26th Birthday to the local sports guy
June 18, 2013
The LSU men’s basketball team has a new assistant coach.
Tigers second-year coach Johnny Jones announced this week that Korey McCray has signed a contract to join LSU’s staff for the 2013-14 season.
McCray joins the program after spending two seasons with UCLA.
“We are excited about the addition of Coach McCray to the LSU basketball program,” Jones said. UCLA was McCray’s first time coaching at the premier level of college basketball.
Prior to his stint with the Bruins, McCray served as an assistant coach at his alma mater Mercer University.
He also was an assistant coach at Chipola Junior College in Florida.
During his time with Chipola, McCray helped lead the team to the semifinals of the National Junior College Championships.
He said that he is “thrilled” to be a part of the LSU family.
“I’m thrilled to be an LSU Tiger,” McCray said at his introductory press conference. “I can’t wait to get to Baton Rouge. I’m so grateful that Coach Jones is giving me this opportunity, and I am looking forward to coming in, working hard and representing the university extremely well.”
McCray’s biggest asset to LSU will be his first-class recruiting.
While at UCLA, the new LSU assistant coach had his hands in the team’s 2012 recruiting class, which was dubbed by ESPN.com as America’s best.
The players in that class helped power the Bruins to a PAC 12 title in 2013, and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
McCray also will land at LSU with rich experience developing some of the best players in the world.
Before landing the job at UCLA, McCray worked as a skill development trainer. During his time was a trainer, McCray polished the crafts of NBA stars like Dwight Howard, John Wall, Jarrett Jack, Acie Law, Von Wafer and Anthony Morrow.
“He will be a tremendous asset for this program in recruiting and his coaching ability on the basketball floor,” Jones said. “He will also make a huge impact in the continuing development of our players both on and off the court.”
On the floor, McCray was an impact player.
The 34-year-old coach was a four-year letter winner at Mercer, serving as the team’s captain in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
McCray remains fourth all-time in the school’s history with 344. He also is 10th in school history with 113 3-pointers.
McCray is a Decatur, Ga., native, and his hire is pending routine approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors.
The Tigers were in need of an assistant coach after 2012-13 assistant coach Robert Kirby left the program to take a similar job at the University of Memphis.
