Jay Gibbons has been named the new head basketball coach at Motlow State College, a junior college located in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The appointment was announced this week, marking the latest step in a coaching career that spans multiple programs and continents.
A playing pedigree that paved the way
Gibbons first made his mark as a player at Florida Southern College, where he helped the team capture a Division II Final Four berth. During his junior year the squad held the nation’s No. 1 ranking, and in his senior season he transferred to Clayton State, guiding the Lakers to a Peach Belt Conference title in 2002.
His coaching journey has taken him from the sidelines of South Carolina, where he was part of a staff that reached the NCAA Final Four in 2017, to Savannah State, where he contributed to a Mid‑Eastern Athletic Conference regular‑season championship in 2012, and Georgia Southwestern, which advanced to the NAIA National Tournament in 2004.
Beyond college stops, Gibbons spent two years as CEO, director and head coach of his own Gibbons Basketball Academy, and previously led Redline Basketball Club, Action Sports Academy, and served as a trainer at The Skills Factory in Atlanta.
Looking ahead
The hire reflects Motlow State’s desire to blend competitive ambition with community engagement. Situated roughly 77 miles from Nashville, the college hopes Gibbons’s experience will translate into on‑court success and greater visibility for the program.
While the college has not disclosed a timeline for the upcoming season, an athletic director expressed confidence that Gibbons’s proven track record will revitalize the program and attract new talent.