As Arizona head coach Sean Miller continues to look for options to fill out the roster for next season he will now have to add finding an assistant coach to the list. Wildcats assistant coach Justin Gainey will be leaving the program after two seasons after he was announced as the next associate head coach at Marquette where he served as director of operations for three years earlier in his career.
It will be a promotion for the North Carolina native who spent two seasons on Miller's bench after the Wildcats pulled him away from Santa Clara where he was on staff with Herb Sendek.
"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."
During his time with the Wildcats, Gainey helped the program put an increased emphasis on recruiting in the Southeast with his ties back to the region. He was set to be especially important for the team this offseason as several of the transfer players UA has been in contact with come from that part of the country.
The opportunity will present a chance for Gainey to have increased responsibilities as Wojciechowski's lead assistant and will come at a place the former UA coach has familiarity with already.
"My family and I are humbled and excited to return to the Marquette basketball family and this great University," Gainey said. "Marquette is a special place, with amazing people who make it one of the best Universities in the country.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with one of the best college basketball coaches in the country, as well as one of my mentors, Steve Wojciechowski. I'm excited about the future of Marquette basketball and all the great things that lie ahead."
The decision by Gainey comes at a crucial time as the Wildcats continue to look to build the roster for next season as they await final decisions from a few more players. Miller will now have to add a coaching search on top of his tasks for the offseason, but that is something he has become plenty familiar with over the last several years.
Being on Miller's bench tends to lead to more opportunities and Gainey is just the latest coach to earn a promotion after being on staff with the Wildcats. Lorenzo Romar left Arizona two years ago to take over the head coach position at Pepperdine. Archie Miller, Joe Pasternack and James Whitford are other UA assistants who moved up to head coaching positions upon leaving the Wildcats.
MORE COVERAGE: Senior editor Matt Moreno discusses the impact Gainey's decision to leave Arizona will have on the Wildcats current team and recruiting.
