Earl Grant hired as Tennessee basketball assistant coach on Rick Barnes' staff

Earl Grant has been hired as a Tennessee basketball assistant coach on Rick Barnes‘ staff, UT announced Thursday.

“Earl Grant is a perfect fit for Tennessee basketball and I’m so glad he is coming aboard,” Barnes said in a school release. “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 spent the past five seasons as the head coach at Boston College. He had a 72-92 record before he was fired in early March.

“I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to serve, learn and grow at Tennessee,” Grant said. “I look forward to helping the program continue to strive for excellence, both on and off the court. I feel blessed that coach Barnes has chosen me for this position. My family and I cannot wait to move to Rocky Top and be part of the Knoxville community.”

Volquest first reported on April 12 that Grant was expected to be hired to Barnes’ staff and a deal was being finalized to hire Grant.

The North Charleston, South Carolina, native got his first head coaching opportunity at College of Charleston in 2014. He coached College of Charleston for seven seasons, winning 20 games three times and going to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Coastal Athletic Association tournament title and a share of the regular-season title.

Grant was an assistant coach at The Citadel, Winthrop, Wichita State and Clemson before jumping into head coaching positions. He played college basketball at Division II Georgia College.

Grant, 49, fills the vacancy created by Justin Gainey‘s departure. N.C. State hired Gainey as its coach on March 30 as he returned to his alma mater. He played for the Wolfpack from 1996-2000 and broke into college coaching at N.C. State.

Gainey spent five seasons on Barnes’ staff. He became the fifth assistant coach from Barnes’ tenure at Tennessee to land a head coaching gig. Kim English (George Mason), Mike Schwartz (East Carolina), Rob Lanier (Georgia State) and Chris Ogden (Texas-Arlington) previously were hired as head coaches after being on Barnes’ staff.