Tennessee fills the void left by assistant coach Justin Gainey’s departure earlier this offseason with former Boston College head coach Earl Grant.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee basketball announced Thursday that former Boston College head coach Earl Grant was hired to fill the assistant coach position left by Justin Gainey’s departure.
49-year-old Grant is a Charleston, S.C., native with assistant and head coach experience. He will join assistant coaches Steve McClain, Amorrow Morgan, Gregg Polinsky and Bryan Lentz on Barnes’ staff.
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Gainey held the title of associate head coach, while Grant has only been named assistant coach.
The Eagles fired Grant after five years at Boston College and an 11-20 record this past season. The school did not make it to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure. Grant had a 72-92 record at Boston College, which is widely considered one of the worst jobs in Power Five basketball because of the school’s focus on hockey.
“Earl Grant is a perfect fit for Tennessee basketball and I’m so glad he is coming aboard,” Barnes said. “I called him recently just to talk and, as we continued our conversation, I realized he was just the person we needed on our staff. I’ve known Earl for a long time and always had a great deal of respect for him. I love his coaching philosophies and we are bringing him here to help make us even better. Earl is a man of impeccable character and I am certain he will make a positive impact on the players in our program.”
Grant was the head coach at the University of Charleston for seven years before his time at Boston College. He led the Cougars to a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they upset four-seeded Auburn in the first round. He left the Cougars with a 127-89 record.
