Gainey Among Rising Coaching Stars Selected for TopConnect Symposium

Justin Gainey, who is entering his first season as an assistant basketball coach at Tennessee, has been selected to participate in the 2021 TopConnect Basketball Virtual Symposium.

Gainey boasts 15 years of Division I coaching and administrative experience, including assistant coaching tenures in the ACC, Pac-12 and Big East. Immediately prior to coming to Tennessee, Gainey spent the 2020-21 season as the associate head coach at Marquette. He assisted in the recruitment and development of three players who were selected in the 2020 NBA Draft, including a pair of first-round picks.

The event will take place Aug. 17-18. TopConnect (formerly Villa 7), which began in 2003, identifies the top assistant basketball coaches in the country and connects them with mid-major athletic directors, providing tremendous networking and leadership development opportunities for both parties.

TopConnect develops educational programming that allows these top assistant coaches to hear from a wide variety of successful leaders and speakers. The 2021 virtual symposium is headlined by a panel of prominent and successful head coaches in Tina Langley, head women's basketball coach at Washington, and Mike Rhoades, head men's basketball coach at VCU.

Sessions include a panel of mid-major athletic directors who recently completed a basketball coaching search, a breakout session on the first 100 days on the job from recent head coaching hires during the past year, navigating the media, a small group setting with search firm representatives from across the country and a panel on coaches who are entering their second year and the lessons they've learned. The three-word mantra of "Connect. Prepare. Lead." identifies the purpose of TopConnect.

TopConnect continues to pave the way in development of the next generation of leaders in college athletics. Since its inception in 2018, 17 attendees have been hired as an athletic director, head men's basketball coach or head women's basketball coach.

Men's Basketball:
Dwayne Killings, Albany; Kyle Neptune, Fordham; Tony Stubblefield, DePaul; Greg Gary, Mercer; Kim English, George Mason; Brett Nelson, Holy Cross; Rashon Burno, Northern Illinois; Bryan Mullins, Southern Illinois; Steve Lutz, Texas A&M, Corpus Christi; Isaac Brown, Wichita State; Drew Valentine, Loyola Chicago; and Jay Young, Fairfield.

Women's Basketball:
Ganiyat Adeduntan, Colgate ; Mark Campbell, Cal State – Sacramento and Cayla Petree, Morehead State

Directors of Athletics:
Randale Richmond, Kent State and Dr. Trayvean Scott, Grambling State

University of Tennessee Athletics

Gainey Among Rising Coaching Stars Selected for TopConnect Symposium

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