ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop head men's basketball coach Pat Kelsey announced former Wake Forest standout Justin Gray will be joining his staff as an assistant coach. 

Gray comes to the Eagles after spending last season as the director for basketball development at Wake Forest. Prior to that Gray spent the previous 12 years playing professional basketball overseas, most recently with Tsmoki-Minsk of the Belarusian Premier League.

"I've known Justin for 17 years and had the pleasure to coach him at Wake Forest during our magical run during the 2000s," said Kelsey. "It was obvious to our entire staff at Wake that Justin had the innate talents to be great a coach someday. He has a dynamic engaging personality, has never met a stranger and has an elite basketball mind. I am excited to welcome him to the Winthrop family."

During his 12 years overseas Gray played for various teams from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Ukraine, China, Germany, France, Turkey, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Romania and Belarus. He also a couple of stints in the NBA Summer League. During his play abroad he racked up three Belarusian League Championships and three Belarusian Cup Championships. He also guided teams to a Czech Republic League and Cup championship as well as participating in the VTB United League All-Star Game in 2016. Gray competed in the highest level of European competitions: Euroleague, EuroCup, and FIBA Europe Cup.

Gray was a three-time All-ACC selection in his career (2002-06) and left Wake Forest as the program's most prolific    three-point shooter. In his career at Wake Forest he scored nearly 2,000 points as he finished his career 8^th on the scoring list with 1,946. During his four years, Gray averaged 16.2 ppg and finished with 319 threes, 2^nd all-time at Wake Forest. In his sophomore season, Gray and Chris Paul teamed up to become one of the best back courts in the ACC as Gray averaged 17.0 ppg on his way to All-ACC First Team honors. In 2002-03, Gray played a role in helping the Demon Deacons to an ACC Regular Season Championship with a 13-3 league mark.

On Jan. 15, 2006, Gray dropped in a career-high 38 points at 23^rd-ranked Maryland, which still holds as the second highest single-game point total by a Wake player over the last 49 years. In addition to being a three-time All-ACC selection, Gray was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team, a three-time USBWA All-District selection and two-time NABC All-District selection.

-What They Are Saying About Justin Gray-
"Justin as a player was one of the smartest guys I ever coached. He thought like a coach, he saw the next play, his teammates gravitated to him. I'm not surprised one bit that he's entered into the coaching profession following his playing career. He'll be awesome." - Chris Mack, Head Men's Basketball Coach, University of Louisville (Assistant at Wake Forest for Gray's freshman/sophomore season)

"Justin will be a great addition to the Winthrop coaching staff because of his knowledge of the game, his on court presence, and his ability to communicate with the young men under his charge. Coaching is all about credibility with your administration, your fan base and most importantly with the players under your charge. Justin has tremendous credibility in our game. Having coached him for four years you immediately saw his leadership ability and his understanding of the game. Coach Kelsey made a great hire for Winthrop basketball." – Dino Gaudio, Assistant Men's Basketball Coach, University of Louisville (Assistant at Wake Forest all four years Gray competed)