John McCray spent four seasons as assistant coach to women's basketball head coach Jim Foster.
McCray came to Chattanooga from St. Joseph’s University where Foster began his collegiate coaching career. For two seasons, McCray served as a graduate assistant. Over that time the Hawks posted a 45-20 overall record and advanced to the postseason in each of those two years.
In his final season with the Hawks, St. Joe’s won the Atlantic-10 title to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, it’s first since 2000. The Hawks recorded a win over No. 5 Maryland (50-49) and followed that with a 61-54 win over No. 11 Dayton.
Over his two seasons at St. Joseph’s, four student-athletes earned Atlantic-10 honors. In 2012 Michelle Baker was named to the Atlantic-10 All-Conference Second Team and the All-Defensive Team. In 2013, three players gained recognition within the league. Chatilla van Grinsven was named the Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year and Atlantic-10 All-Conference First Team. Erin Shields became the first player in program history to earn the A-10 Most Improved Player Award and was selected to the All-Conference Third Team. Natasha Cloud was selected to the All-Defensive Team and selected the Atlantic-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player.
A 2011 graduate of Ohio State, McCray served as a video assistant for the Buckeyes' women's basketball program. An important part of Ohio State's NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011, McCray helped prepare scouting material, created electronic breakdowns for each game and coordinated the Big Ten film exchange.
Possessing an extensive knowledge of the game, McCray has worked at several basketball camps, including camps at Ohio State and Duke, as well as Jim Calhoun's Basketball Camp. He has also served as the girls' basketball head coach at Veritas Academy for the 2008-09 season and boys' basketball head coach in 2009-10 before taking over as athletic director in August of 2009.
