The Nation’s No. 12 Transfer Class: A New Era for Mizzou Basketball
The University of Missouri men’s basketball team has capped off the nation’s No. 12 transfer class with the signing of Josh Gray, a 7-foot, 265-pound powerhouse from SEC rival South Carolina. Gray brings a wealth of experience to the Tigers, having accumulated 375 rebounds with the Gamecocks, including a team-leading 6.3 boards per game during the 2022-23 campaign and 7.9 in SEC play.
“Josh is the final piece of the puzzle of our recruiting class and we’re excited to have him join the Mizzou family,” said Whitten Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dennis Gates. “With our last opening, we sought out a player with a physical presence who can provide rim protection. Not only is Josh capable of filling that role, but with his four years of SEC experience, he has proven to be a top rebounder in this league.”
The newest addition to the Mizzou family
Gray, who spent his first season at LSU before joining South Carolina, has totaled 319 points, 387 rebounds, and 63 blocks, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field in 98 career games. During his career, Gray has ranked as high as 11th in the SEC in rebounds per game, sixth in offensive boards, and 13th in blocks.
In other coaching news, Tim Buckley has joined the Cincinnati men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach. Buckley brings a wealth of experience, having spent 10 years as a head coach at Ball State and NCAA Division III Rockford in Illinois. He has more than 35 years of coaching experience overall, with recent assistant stops at South Carolina, UNLV, Indiana, Marquette, and Iowa.
A veteran coach with a wealth of experience
While at Ball State, Buckley helped lead the team to upset wins over No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 UCLA during the 2001 Maui Invitational. This past season, South Carolina posted its greatest single-season turnaround in school history at 26-8, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
In a recent podcast, IU basketball assistant coach Brian Walsh discussed his young basketball career and time at Indiana. Walsh came to IU with Archie Miller in 2017 and was retained by Mike Woodson in 2021. He shared his rise from being a graduate assistant to assistant coach and discussed the traits of Miller and Woodson that stand out to him most.
A rising star in the coaching world
The Tigers’ fifth signee during the spring transfer window, Gray joins Jacob Crews (UT Martin), Mark Mitchell (Duke), Tony Perkins (Iowa), and Marques Warrick (Northern Kentucky). The five players combine to rank as the nation’s No. 12 transfer class, while the Tigers also welcome the No. 5 freshman class in the country. Mizzou is one of just three schools nationally to own a top-15 transfer and freshman class.
A new era of Mizzou basketball
