Georgia State officially announced the hiring of associate head basketball coach Ray McCallum on Wednesday.
McCallum comes to Georgia State after serving as head coach at Detroit. He joins Sharman White as the second new assistant on coach Ron Hunter's staff. They replace Everick Sullivan, who accepted head-coaching position at Lenoir-Rhyne, and Darryl LaBarrie, who accepted an assistant coach position at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
“I am so pleased to add an excellent coach and close friend to our staff in Ray McCallum,” Hunter said in a statement from the athletics department. “The amount of experience and expertise he will bring to our staff is unmatched. I can’t wait for him to get started working with our players as we look to return Georgia State to the NCAA tournament.”
McCallum twice led Ball State to the NCAA tournament in 1994-95 and 1999-2000. He led Houston to the NIT in 2001-02 and Detroit to the NCAAs in 2011-12 and the NIT the following year. He has 18 years of experience as a head coach and 30 overall. He has also been an assistant at Oklahoma and Indiana. He played at Ball State.
“I am extremely thankful to Ron Hunter on allowing me this opportunity to join his staff,” McCallum said in a statement from the athletics department. “He and his staff have built a great program and I am thrilled to be a part of it. We have known each other for a long time and I look forward to helping get Georgia State back to the NCAA tournament this season.”
After a disappointing 2015-16 season in which the Panthers (16-14) were defeated in the first round of the Sun Belt men’s basketball tournament, the team returns several starters: leading scorer Jeremy Hollowell, point guard Austin Donaldson, shooting guards Isaiah Williams and Isaiah Dennis and forwards Jeff Thomas and Jordan Session.
The team will also welcome transfers Willie Clayton, a power forward from Charlotte, Devin Mitchell, a shooting guard from Alabama, and Justin Seymour, a point guard from Murray State. Also joining the team will be two of the highest-rated signings in program history: shooting guard D’Marcus Simonds and forward Chris Clerkley.
