Clay Wilson - Director of Player Development - Men's Basketball Support Staff

Clay Wilson

Title:
Director of Player Development
Email:
clay.wilson@ttu.edu

Clay Wilson is in his first season as the Director of Player Development for the Texas Tech men's basketball program after two years at North Texas with head coach Grant McCasland.

An all-state player in high school, an Ivy League student-athlete, and a former overseas professional, Wilson arrived in Lubbock after two seasons as a graduate assistant at North Texas for Tech head coach Grant McCasland. Prior to UNT, Wilson was at Cornell University where he was an assistant coach from 2018-21. A Princeton University graduate, he played for the Tigers for four seasons before playing professionally overseas and then coaching.

“Clay is an elite skills and development coach,” McCasland said. “He has a knack for helping players get better with his relentless approach and passion for the game. We are thrilled to have him join us. He will make an immediate impact on and off the court for our program.”

Wilson helped the Mean Green to the 2023 NIT championship title and a 31-7 record during the 2022-23 season after a 25-7 record in his first season. In each of Wilson’s two seasons North Texas won a program record 16 league games. Wilson was instrumental in the development of All league performers such as Tylor Perry, Thomas Bell, Rubin Jones, JJ Murray and more. Wilson was heavily involved with the offensive game plan and scouting of other opponents. Wilson was also an assistant coach for the inaugural North Texas TBT team ‘Bleed Green’.

During his time at Cornell as an assistant coach,?Wilson helped develop players who had accomplished career years, including All-Ivy guards Terrance McBride, Greg Dolan and Academic All-American and leading scorer Jimmy Boeheim. Wilson served as the recruiting coordinator, player development coach, scheduling coordinator, and data analytics coordinator while at Cornell. Wilson helped recruit a number of players to Cornell but most notably 2023 All-Ivy guard Nazir Williams.

Prior to joining Cornell's coaching staff, Wilson was a varsity head coach for the Green Country Defenders in Oklahoma. Wilson had five players that went on to play collegiate basketball after his one season at the helm. Wilson was also the co-founder, co-owner, and trainer for Elev8hoops in Oklahoma. He helped create one of the largest skill development programs in the region with more than 600 clients. He also co-founded the Clay Wilson and David Mason Skill Academy, instructing more than 400 campers and organizing logistics for eight separate camps.

As a player at Princeton, Wilson helped lead the Tigers to 74 wins over his four seasons on the team. He served as team captain his senior year and earned the school's Bob Rock Sixth Man of the Year in his final season. Wilson played on a pair of teams that advanced to the postseason with appearances in the CBI quarterfinals in 2012 and 2014. After graduating he played professional basketball in Germany, New Zealand, Estonia, and?Latvia.

A Tulsa, Oklahoma native, Wilson played at Lincoln Christian High School where he was named the Oklahoma Class 3A player of the year after averaging 27.8 points, six assists and six rebounds per game as a senior. He graduated from Princeton in 2015 with a Sociology degree and went on to get his MBA in Sport Entertainment Management from the University of North Texas in 2022.