Arizona assistant coach Justin Gainey will be leaving the program after two seasons on Sean Miller's bench as he will return to Marquette where he previously spent three seasons as the director of operations. Gainey will receive a promotion with the Golden Eagles as Steve Wojciechowski has named him the team's new associate head coach after Stan Johnson recently left to become the head coach at Loyola Marymount in California.
"Justin Gainey is an excellent basketball coach and an even better person," Miller said in a statement released by the program. "I am thrilled for him and his family to have the opportunity to return to Marquette as an Associate Head Coach. Justin did an excellent job in his two years with our program and we will miss him. We wish the Gainey Family well in their transition."
Gainey's oldest son, Jordan, just finished up his senior season at Salpointe High School where he helped lead the Lancers to a state championship. He also played as part of the West Coast Elite travel ball program that Nico Mannion, Josh Green, Ira Lee, Stone Gettings and Jemarl Baker Jr. were all part of at one point in their careers.
Gainey, whose relationship with Miller goes back to their days at North Carolina State, spent two seasons with the Wildcats after UA pulled him away from Santa Clara. Gainey's ties to both Northern California and the Southeast helped UA on the recruiting side and he has been an important part of the process as the Wildcats look at several transfers from the region.
The now former UA assistant had a hand in helping to recruit both Mannion and Green, but the bigger impact he made was on Arizona's pursuit of transfers and recruiting efforts in the Southeast. The Wildcats will be able to make up for the loss on the recruiting side as he hasn't been the team's top recruiter, but he has been a big part of the relationship building the team has gone through during his time with the program.
Gainey is someone several players always spoke highly of when discussing the coaching staff and he is someone the team felt extremely comfortable to be around during his time with the program.
"Justin Gainey is an excellent basketball coach and an even better person," Miller said in a statement released by the program. "I am thrilled for him and his family to have the opportunity to return to Marquette as an Associate Head Coach. Justin did an excellent job in his two years with our program and we will miss him. We wish the Gainey Family well in their transition."
Gainey's oldest son, Jordan, just finished up his senior season at Salpointe High School where he helped lead the Lancers to a state championship. He also played as part of the West Coast Elite travel ball program that Nico Mannion, Josh Green, Ira Lee, Stone Gettings and Jemarl Baker Jr. were all part of at one point in their careers.
Gainey, whose relationship with Miller goes back to their days at North Carolina State, spent two seasons with the Wildcats after UA pulled him away from Santa Clara. Gainey's ties to both Northern California and the Southeast helped UA on the recruiting side and he has been an important part of the process as the Wildcats look at several transfers from the region.
The now former UA assistant had a hand in helping to recruit both Mannion and Green, but the bigger impact he made was on Arizona's pursuit of transfers and recruiting efforts in the Southeast. The Wildcats will be able to make up for the loss on the recruiting side as he hasn't been the team's top recruiter, but he has been a big part of the relationship building the team has gone through during his time with the program.
Gainey is someone several players always spoke highly of when discussing the coaching staff and he is someone the team felt extremely comfortable to be around during his time with the program.
