After retiring from playing basketball three years ago, Jarvis Hayes is ready to become a full-time coach.
The former Georgia Bulldog star played in the NBA and in Turkey, Russia, Israel, Italy, Romania and Qatar. When the ball stopped bouncing, he coached AAU for a bit and also worked for NBA TV and the SEC Network.
But this year, he’ll be on the sidelines as a Division II college basketball coach. Morehouse College has hired Hayes as an assistant coach for its men’s basketball team, the school announced Wednesday.
Morehouse coach Grady Brewer said in a statement that he’s known Hayes for a long time and offered him a scholarship back in the late 90s when he was playing at Atlanta’s Frederick Douglass High School. Hayes instead went to a smaller Division I school, Western Carolina.
"We are very excited about having Jarvis as part of the Morehouse coaching staff," Brewer said. "... I know that he has an extremely strong work ethic that we will benefit greatly from. He will strengthen our program in recruiting, on-court coaching and player development.”
After becoming the first freshman in nearly 40 years to lead the Southern Conference in scoring, Hayes jumped at the chance to play on a bigger stage. He came back to the Peach State to play for the Bulldogs.
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Over two seasons in Athens, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per-game. The 6-foot-7 forward was twice named First Team All-SEC and led the conference in scoring in the 2001-02 season. The Bulldogs made the NCAA tournament in 2002, but fell in their second game to Southern Illinois, despite 26 points and 11 rebounds from Hayes.
He entered the NBA Draft after his junior season and was picked No. 10 overall by the Washington Wizards. Hayes was named to the All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per-game in his inaugural NBA campaign. He also played for the New Jersey Nets and the Detroit Pistons.
Hayes then played overseas from 2011 through 2015, playing in various leagues and countries. He was on a team that won the Russian Cup in 2012 and then a team that won the Romanian championship in 2015. He also played for the Qatari national team in the 2013 FIBA Asian Championship.
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"It's absolutely an amazing feeling joining the Morehouse family," Hayes said in a statement. "After retiring three years ago I was like a fish out of water and didn't know what was next for me. I'm so thankful to Coach Brewer for giving me this opportunity to begin my college coaching career, as he gave my brother the same opportunity over 13 years ago. I'm excited to be part of this talented staff and help this program reach its full potential."
Hayes’ twin brother, Jonas, is now an assistant coach at Xavier. Hayes earned a degree in family and consumer finances from Georgia in 2014.
The Morehouse Maroon Tigers went 25-3 and appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament last year. Brewer’s 19th season at the helm will begin in November.
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