Making the Case Why Florida Assistant Coach Korey McCray Would Be A Great Fit For Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech's head coaching search continues as they look to make a splash and land their next head man on the hardwood. It certainly won’t be easy, but a storied program like Georgia Tech needs to ensure it gets this one right and brings forward the right man for the job. Let’s take a deep look at one assistant who could make a tough season for the Yellow Jackets. Meet Korey McCray, who is currently an assistant coach on Todd Golden’s staff at Florida. He already has a championship added to his legacy, among many other things in his coaching career. Here is an inside look.

Rich Experience

latest — Feb 14, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators associate head coach Korey McCray makes a call against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

McCray's experience spans from being a graduate assistant at Florida State to an assistant coach from 2002 to 2004. He would then become an assistant coach at Chipola College for a season. After that, McCray was an NBA trainer for seven years, spanning from 2004-2011. During that time, he was also the CEO and Head Coach of the Atlanta Celtics. He coached, trained and mentored elite athletes during that era, which included Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Randolph Morris, Mike Mercer, Dion Glover, and Jumaine Jones as some notable players.

After he moved on from the Celtics, he was the assistant coach with UCLA, where he spent 2011-2013 with the Bruins. He helped produce the No.1 recruiting class from 2012-2013. Also helped develop guys like Larry Drew, Shabazz Mohammed, Kyle Anderson, Norman Powell, and Jordan Adams.

He would go on to coach for one season at LSU during 2013-2014.

After his stint there, he spent six seasons with Mississippi State from 2015-2021. With the Bulldogs, he was pivotal in helping them produce three 20-win seasons. During 2017-2020, Mississippi State had the fourth most wins during that era with 68. After his time there, he joined the Florida Gators and helped create one of the best teams in college basketball.

McCray helped the Florida Gators win a national championship last season and was responsible for helping them win 30+ games in 2024-2025. You take a look at this year, and it is even more impressive for the Gators. They have also been ranked as high as No.2 in the AP Poll, won the SEC Tournament, and had a top 5 ranking for the transfer portal in 2022-2023. In 2025-2026, Florida struggled out of the gate, going just 5-4, but is now 25-6 and is on the verge of clinching a one seed come Selection Sunday.

Mindset

When you watch Florida, you see a team that plays hard, disciplined, focused and gives their all. That is everything McCray is about and stands for. He wants astute players who are experienced, want to be coached, and have a knack for taking their game to the next level. Not just settling or being complacent, but improving in every facet of the game.

With his aggressive and strategic mindset centered around faith, it is no wonder you see guys like Thomas Haugh blossom into a potential lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Guys like Robert Chinyelu are averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, and free-throw percentage. Chinyelu was just named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and named Scholar-Athlete of the year. So, it isn't just basketball when it comes to McCray, but also getting it done in the classroom.

It is no wonder you see his players are different from the rest and always succeed on the hardwood and in life.

Development

Over the course of his coaching career, McCray has been responsible for helping more than 30 players get to the professional level in the NBA. You can go back to when he coached AAU for the Atlanta Celtics, at UCLA, Mississippi State, LSU, Florida State, and more to see his body of work. He was also a trainer for seven years in the NBA.

Some of the notable names he has coached and mentored include John Wall, Derrick Favors, Jarrett Jack, Jarvis Hayes, Anthony Morrow, Damien Wilkins, Mario West, Darnell Stokes, Robert Woodard, Desagana Diop, and many more. I didn’t mention Howard, Smith, Morris, Mercer, Glover, or Jones because I did earlier in the article. Nonetheless, he has seen plenty of talent have success at the next stage and become marquee players in the league.

So yes, he will be highly sought after, but he has all the tools to turn the Yellow Jackets into a short amount of time and get them back in contention in th