Coastal Carolina Men's Basketball Begins 2026-27 Season Preparations

Last season, Coastal achieved 19 wins and finished tied for second in the Sun Belt Conference. However, with many new players on the roster, Gray's focus is firmly on future performance. He stated, "It's not what they did last year at their own individual institutions. It's not what the guys did last year. We're trying to be the best possible team that we can. And if we try to do that every single day, then I can live with the results."

Only three players from last year's team return: DaJohn Craig, Derrick Green, and Tristan Thompson. Thompson, who played all 32 games as a freshman, averaged 4.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, while Craig also participated in all games, hitting 35 three-pointers with a shooting percentage of 37.2%. Green played 31 games and excelled with a shooting percentage of 65.7%, playing a crucial role in tight matchups, including a key putback against Georgia Southern that led to an overtime victory.

The roster includes 12 newcomers, including transfers Trey Perry (Miami [Ohio]), Jaevian Alston (Mount Olive), Darius Washington III (Kennesaw State), Jaylen Cross (Wake Forest), Caleb Middleton (Elon), Ashton Hardaway (Memphis), Drew Fuquay (Marshall), and Fletcher Bigham (Sewanee), along with freshmen Q Williams IV, Jordan Buzzard, Bryson Sams, and JT Kelsheimer. This influx of talent provides added size and versatility, particularly on the perimeter, which Gray noted was a focus during the offseason.

Gray highlighted Perry and Washington as emerging leaders with NCAA Tournament experience. Thompson, now more comfortable in his role, expressed his commitment to guiding new teammates: "I knew I would have to be more of a leader going into the second year because I know more stuff than the new players. I’ll just help them out with whatever they need help with, just be a leader and use my voice to help them get a better understanding."

Gray has observed progress in the team’s collective understanding of expectations, noting this improvement extends beyond practices into various team activities. "We're all speaking the same language, and that's something that I think the guys have done a good job at," he mentioned.

Monday marked the official start of the season as Coastal prepares for their exhibition game against Columbia International on October 28, followed by the regular-season opener against Eastern Michigan on November 2 at the HTC Center.