Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Five Questions with Justin Gray
8/5/2021 12:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Wake Forest Basketball alum Justin Gray got the first head coaching job of his career as he's taking over at Western Carolina University, after Mark Prosser was hired at Winthrop — where Gray was previously as an assistant to Pat Kelsey.
Gray recently spent some time with Deacon Sports Xtra for this Five Questions feature on his new position.
What about coaching did you find enticing?
Gray: "Truly being given opportunities. I could just remember being recruited by all these colleges knowing that this opportunity to go to college — I was a first-generation college graduate, it changed the trajectory of my family. Things like that are really important to me. At the core of my heart, I'm a servant. I love young people, so I want to give back. I want to serve them, I want to help them, I want to guide them. And I love the game of basketball, and there's nothing like being able to make the decisions for yourself. I enjoyed working for coach (Pat) Kelsey because he allowed a lot of freedom for me, and he did have a structure to his program, but there's nothing like making the final decision. I think that's part of the competitor in me — always wanting the last shot, always wanting the ball in your hands, make or miss, just knowing that you were prepared. You're not afraid of the moment. Those things, for me, made me want to be a head coach."
How were you able to attain a head coaching gig after just two years as an assistant? Gray: "If I'm honest, I don't know. I just put my head down and I worked hard. Things didn't always go my way. I learned on the job, and I made mistakes. I'm imperfect, but I owned up to them. I always wanted to learn, and I believed in what I preached because I was a product of it. Those things sort of allowed me to be a head coach quickly because people see that. It wasn't only me. I had an opportunity to interview at other places. It wasn't only Western. Those experiences built confidence in me. I think coach Kelsey did a great job of allowing me to man the offense, make decisions, call a game, and put a game plan together. He let me run practice. All those small things that led up to me knowing I could do it, and all along I was putting together a program.
"I was always preparing, waiting for the moment for someone to call and ask if I was ready for that interview. If you're ready, I'll be ready. That's what it is — staying ready so you don't have to get ready. Those are all things I learned from Skip (Prosser) and being a pro, I feel confident about it. I know in life, everything doesn't go as planned, and sometimes it takes luck being in the right place at the right time. If you think about me, coach Kelsey, and Mark (Prosser), we sort of played musical chairs in a sense. Kels got out, I was in at Winthrop for a bit as an interim. Mark comes to Winthrop. I go to Western. It's just how it is. I'm learning so much about this coaching. I learn every single day. My staff is going to be a big part of our success, as I know, and I think I've got one of the best in the country, so I'm excited about that."
How did you handle coaches telling you even back in your college days that you were going to be a good coach someday, because clearly you believed you had a lot of playing days remaining?
Gray: "That's just the competitive nature in me — being young as well. When you're young you're always thinking about the moment, which you should be, but in a sense, you should also be planning ahead. I did that by getting a degree, and I knew that the degree from Wake Forest would help me in any avenue that I wanted to take after the ball stopped. It's the same message, if you've seen my speech, it's the same message that I was recruited on by Skip. The ABC's, doing the right things and all the Skip-isms. All those things will come through me because that's how I learned, then things that I learned from playing in Europe, my experiences there. I got a chance to play with a lot of good coaches, a lot of players that were really, really talented, and smarter than I was. I just picked up things along the way."
What was your experience like with Kelsey at Winthrop?
Gray: "Oh man it was awesome. Being able to be under Skip's tree and learn from Kels. He's a marketing genius. He's a great basketball mind. He's loyal; I think that's one thing that I really learned from being around him — if he rocks with you, he rocks with you. He's going to support you to the end. It was great because I told him I wanted to be a head coach from day one when I went to the interview. A lot of times if you hear that, the head coaches don't really want to hear that. But I had to be honest and tell him, and then he told me he would help me. He told me he was going to be hard on me, give me freedom and help me prepare to be a head coach. In my two years there I learned so much from him. Not only on the court, but family, how he loves his wife, how he loves his kids and tries to make time for them in a business that time is priceless. I think those things all played a role, and I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to work for coach Kelsey."
How is it following in the footsteps of Mark Prosser at WCU and has he been available for any logistical questions you might have early?
Gray: "In a sense yes, in a sense no. I really didn't know Mark as well. Some people on my staff were at Winthrop and they had connections as well, so if there's anything that we need to ask, we can. I think in the business in general it's always good for a young coach to call and ask questions and try to learn as much as possible. Like I told them, I don't know everything, but I'm willing to learn anything. That's where I'm at, just trying to figure out how we get them going in the right direction."
Not yet a subscriber or know someone who would like to receive these stories in their email inbox? Click here for the DSX subscription link - share it with your friends!
Gray recently spent some time with Deacon Sports Xtra for this Five Questions feature on his new position.
What about coaching did you find enticing?
Gray: "Truly being given opportunities. I could just remember being recruited by all these colleges knowing that this opportunity to go to college — I was a first-generation college graduate, it changed the trajectory of my family. Things like that are really important to me. At the core of my heart, I'm a servant. I love young people, so I want to give back. I want to serve them, I want to help them, I want to guide them. And I love the game of basketball, and there's nothing like being able to make the decisions for yourself. I enjoyed working for coach (Pat) Kelsey because he allowed a lot of freedom for me, and he did have a structure to his program, but there's nothing like making the final decision. I think that's part of the competitor in me — always wanting the last shot, always wanting the ball in your hands, make or miss, just knowing that you were prepared. You're not afraid of the moment. Those things, for me, made me want to be a head coach."
How were you able to attain a head coaching gig after just two years as an assistant? Gray: "If I'm honest, I don't know. I just put my head down and I worked hard. Things didn't always go my way. I learned on the job, and I made mistakes. I'm imperfect, but I owned up to them. I always wanted to learn, and I believed in what I preached because I was a product of it. Those things sort of allowed me to be a head coach quickly because people see that. It wasn't only me. I had an opportunity to interview at other places. It wasn't only Western. Those experiences built confidence in me. I think coach Kelsey did a great job of allowing me to man the offense, make decisions, call a game, and put a game plan together. He let me run practice. All those small things that led up to me knowing I could do it, and all along I was putting together a program.
"I was always preparing, waiting for the moment for someone to call and ask if I was ready for that interview. If you're ready, I'll be ready. That's what it is — staying ready so you don't have to get ready. Those are all things I learned from Skip (Prosser) and being a pro, I feel confident about it. I know in life, everything doesn't go as planned, and sometimes it takes luck being in the right place at the right time. If you think about me, coach Kelsey, and Mark (Prosser), we sort of played musical chairs in a sense. Kels got out, I was in at Winthrop for a bit as an interim. Mark comes to Winthrop. I go to Western. It's just how it is. I'm learning so much about this coaching. I learn every single day. My staff is going to be a big part of our success, as I know, and I think I've got one of the best in the country, so I'm excited about that."
How did you handle coaches telling you even back in your college days that you were going to be a good coach someday, because clearly you believed you had a lot of playing days remaining?
Gray: "That's just the competitive nature in me — being young as well. When you're young you're always thinking about the moment, which you should be, but in a sense, you should also be planning ahead. I did that by getting a degree, and I knew that the degree from Wake Forest would help me in any avenue that I wanted to take after the ball stopped. It's the same message, if you've seen my speech, it's the same message that I was recruited on by Skip. The ABC's, doing the right things and all the Skip-isms. All those things will come through me because that's how I learned, then things that I learned from playing in Europe, my experiences there. I got a chance to play with a lot of good coaches, a lot of players that were really, really talented, and smarter than I was. I just picked up things along the way."
What was your experience like with Kelsey at Winthrop?
Gray: "Oh man it was awesome. Being able to be under Skip's tree and learn from Kels. He's a marketing genius. He's a great basketball mind. He's loyal; I think that's one thing that I really learned from being around him — if he rocks with you, he rocks with you. He's going to support you to the end. It was great because I told him I wanted to be a head coach from day one when I went to the interview. A lot of times if you hear that, the head coaches don't really want to hear that. But I had to be honest and tell him, and then he told me he would help me. He told me he was going to be hard on me, give me freedom and help me prepare to be a head coach. In my two years there I learned so much from him. Not only on the court, but family, how he loves his wife, how he loves his kids and tries to make time for them in a business that time is priceless. I think those things all played a role, and I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to work for coach Kelsey."
How is it following in the footsteps of Mark Prosser at WCU and has he been available for any logistical questions you might have early?
Gray: "In a sense yes, in a sense no. I really didn't know Mark as well. Some people on my staff were at Winthrop and they had connections as well, so if there's anything that we need to ask, we can. I think in the business in general it's always good for a young coach to call and ask questions and try to learn as much as possible. Like I told them, I don't know everything, but I'm willing to learn anything. That's where I'm at, just trying to figure out how we get them going in the right direction."
Not yet a subscriber or know someone who would like to receive these stories in their email inbox? Click here for the DSX subscription link - share it with your friends!
Steve Forbes - Postgame Presser vs. Clemson
Thursday, February 19
Steve Forbes - Postgame Presser vs. Stanford
Sunday, February 15
Wake Forest Baseball 2026 Opening Day Trailer
Friday, February 13
Steve Forbes - Postgame Presser at Georgia Tech
Thursday, February 12