From Emory University Athletics
Emory University men's basketball assistant coach Gebereal Baitey has resigned from his position to take an assistant coach role with Tulane University, the team announced on Thursday.
Across his two seasons on the Eagles' bench, Baitey helped his alma mater to a combined record of 37-15 as well as two appearances in the NCAA tournament. In his first season on the coaching staff, Baitey helped the Eagles win their third straight University Athletic Association championship with a 12-2 conference record and advance to the Round of 32 in the postseason.
He assisted in mentoring three different players to All-Region acclaim, including National Player of the Year finalist Matthew Schner, and oversaw five Eagles to All-UAA honors – notably Schner who captured UAA Player of the Year honors in 2021-22 and Benjamin Pearce, who landed UAA Rookie of the Year kudos in 2022-23.
"Gebereal has been an integral part of Emory Basketball and the Emory community since he arrived on campus as a student-athlete," said Head Coach Jason Zimmerman. "His spirit, his commitment to excellence, and his care for those around him have been valuable assets to our program and our staff and will guide his success in the future. We are looking forward to following his coaching journey and have been blessed to be a part of it."
Prior to his coaching stint, Baitey enjoyed a tremendous playing career with the Eagles as he led the team to four NCAA tournament appearances, a pair of UAA titles, and won 82 games from 2015-16 through 2018-19. At the time of his graduation, he ranked 11th on the Emory all-time chart with 191 assists and was 17th with 113 steals while appearing in 105 games. Following his playing career, Baitey earned a master's degree in Childhood, Youth and Social Policy while continuing to play basketball in the United Kingdom at Loughborough University before going on to play one season in the NBL1 in Australia. He got his coaching start at his former high school where he assisted the staffs in both football and basketball.
"Words cannot adequately describe how blessed I have been to be a part of the Emory basketball family since I arrived on campus in 2015," said Baitey. "Since then, I have come into contact with people, ideas, and philosophies that have changed my life for the better. I am immensely grateful to Coach Zimmerman for taking a chance on me as a player all those years ago, and then doing so again by trusting me to take over as an assistant coach in service of the program, university, and community that helped shape me."
"The opportunities that I've been afforded here have been vital to my growth both personally and professionally and I owe much of that growth to the members of this athletic department that have continued to uphold the standard of excellence that permeates Emory University," Baitey continued. "I am ecstatic about the direction of this program and this department as a whole, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Emory Athletics. In the meantime, TCC and Fly Higher!"