Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Hires Additional Assistant Coach For Jerrod Calhoun's First Staff

Cincinnati has nearly 10 assistants on Calhoun's staff now.

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles forward Kenny White Jr. (13) collects a defensive rebound in the second half of the NCAA basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. Cincinnati finished its non-conference schedule with a 76-67 win over the Golden Eagles. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles At Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bearcats made another addition to Jerrod Calhoun's coaching staff this week. Jason Slay is wrapping up his three seasons at Illinois State and joining the staff as the newest assistant coach.

He is now the ninth member of Calhoun's coaching staff. Slay just spent three seasons with the Redbirds, including the past two as associate head coach. ISU won 60 games in that stretch and is coming off of an NIT semifinal appearance in 2026.

“I am really excited that Jason Slay will be joining our Bearcats’ staff,” Calhoun said in a press release. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and familiarity to our system. Jason has a tremendous motor and really cares deeply about developing student-athletes on and off the floor.”

Slay should factor into some nice development patterns for the roster in the next few months. Calhoun has an entirely new roster to learn with, while leading a semi-new staff as well. Plenty of voices have worked with him before. Slay is new .... to Cincinnati.

He also spent time with Calhoun at Youngstown State. Slay was an assistant at USF for two seasons before ISU, and served on Calhoun’s staff at Youngstown State from 2017-21, helping guide the Penguins to the first consecutive winning seasons in almost a decade as an aide for Calhoun.

Calhoun is trying to dial in the right tendencies for his program throughout this decade.

"I agree, and every stop I've really had to really build the program," Calhoun said to The Field of 68's Rob Dauster this month about growing a team. "At Fairmont State, we inherited a team that won eight games. The year before, Youngstown was very similar, and then you step into Utah State, where Coach Sprinkle absolutely crushed it for one year, so you're kind of on edge every single day trying to live up to that standard. So every stop has been different, but every stop, I think we've gotten better and learned a great deal."

Cincinnati has a few months before the season tips off inside Fifth Third Arena in early November.

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