A veteran head and assistant coach with over 30 years of experience, Gee came to Cullowhee after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Cincinnati. Gee and Gray worked together previously at Winthrop as the former spent the 2018-19 season as the associate head coach of the Eagles.
Gee made the move to Rock Hill from fellow Big South Conference member Longwood, where he was the Lancers’ head coach from 2013-18. Along with Longwood, he has also served as a head coach at the University of Charleston (W.Va.) from 1996-2003. Combined, he has a career head coaching record of 202-175 over 11 seasons.
“Jayson is one of the most respected coaches in college basketball. The impact he will have on our staff, our players and this community will be tremendously profound,” said WCU head coach Justin Gray. “I am lucky to have Jayson on my staff. His wealth of knowledge and experience as a head coach will be invaluable to me in all areas of our program. More importantly, Jayson is a great person and I’m so excited to have him and his family joining the Catamount family.”
Gee has also served as an assistant or associate coach at Cleveland State (2006-13), where he helped the Vikings to three NIT bids and an NCAA tournament appearance and was named one of the nation’s top 10 assistant coaches by BleacherReport.com. Gee’s squad at Cleveland State defeated fourth-seeded Wake Forest in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament. He also was an assistant coach at St. Bonaventure (2003-06), Ohio (1993-96), and Youngstown State (1989-93).
The veteran basketball coach is also the author of “The Battle for Brandon,” a book that is a dramatic and compelling story about Jayson Gee and his wife, Lynette, and their son Brandon's courageous fight against child onset paranoid schizophrenia. The Gee family also worked with mass media veteran Chad Bonham to transform the book into a documentary that has received endorsements from Emmy Nominated and Golden Globe Award winning actress Jennifer Garner, WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings, former Pittsburgh Steeler Antwaan Randle El, and many more.
Gee was one of 18 selected for the 2008 ACE (Achieving Coaching Excellence) Program in Indianapolis. Sponsored by the NCAA Black Coaches and Administrators Council, the ACE Program prepares minority collegiate coaches for success as future head coaches.
Originally from Springfield, Ohio, Gee played four years at the University of Charleston in West Virginia, helping the program to a record of 92-30, including 30-5 during his sophomore season. A two-year team captain, Gee finished his collegiate career third in both rebounds (844) and games played (122). He was inducted into the Charleston Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003 after previously being inducted into the Springfield South High Hall of Fame in 2000.
Gee earned his bachelor of science degree in social science education from Charleston in 1988, and his Master of Science degree in sport science and administration from Ohio University in 2003.
Jayson and his wife, Lynette, have two sons, Brandon and Bryan, and a daughter, Briana.
