Ray becomes new Lady Tigers basketball coach

There’s nothing like a 2-for-1 deal of any kind, and Jay Ray will be the first to tell you that.

Ray, a Gore High School graduate with family around the Sequoyah County area, is not only getting to return to his kinfolk but is becoming the new Central Lady Tigers basketball coach.

“I’ve got family very close to here,” Ray said Wednesday morning after he had just met his new players. “It’s a quasi-homecoming. I think this is a great place to coach basketball. I’ve had cousins that graduated from here, so I’m familiar with it (Central). I know numerous coaches who have coached here or are coaching here. I just think it’s a great place. Not only do I get to come to a great place, but I get to be close to family. I don’t think it can get much better. I’m excited.”

Because of his Sequoyah County ties, Ray knew about Central and was excited to get the job, which became open when Shane Brown resigned earlier this month and ended up becoming the Keota Lady Lions coach.

“I grew up on the other end of Sequoyah County, so I’m familiar with Central,” he said. “I went to Gore High School. I lived there and was raised there my whole life. So I’ve known about Central and have heard from everybody how good a school it is and how it’s a community school. I knew they’ve had some good basketball history. I thought it would be a great place for me to come to continue my (coaching) career.” The new Lady Tigers coach said he cannot wait to continue the success which the squad has been enjoying — going 20-7 this past season and getting to the Class 2A Area Tournament consolation quarterfinals after enjoying a 19-6 campaign in the 2023-24 season and getting to the Class 2A Regional Tournament consolation finals.

“I feel it’s an established program,” Ray said. “I’m hoping we can pick up where they’re at and just continue to improve — and enjoy some success. That’s going to be nice for me because the school I’m leaving (Atoka), it was not that way. They won three games the year before I got there, so it was a complete rebuild — which was OK. I feel we accomplished most of our goals there. I got to meet with most of the girls (on Wednesday) and Coach (Courtney) Bair. Hearing from what they already know, mainly like man defense — because that’s what I run — I won’t have to start at ground zero. That’s going to be nice.”

Ray also said there was a lot of excitement shown by his new players when they met him for the first time Wednesday morning.

“They were very receptive,” he said. “They had smiles on their faces. They had some questions and some comments to get to know each other a little bit. They seemed excited, and I know I’m excited. I’m ready to get rolling.”

The first thing Ray wants to do is get the summer schedule of basketball activity set for the Lady Tigers.

“We’re going to get summer camps lined out,” said Ray, who led the Atoka Lady Wampus Cats to a 15-14 record and a spot in the Class 3A Area Tournament this past season after inheriting a program that saw the team win only three games the season before his arrival. “I don’t have it all set yet, but I’m going to get them set in the next few days. We’ll get started with our very basic system. Summer will be about me learning about the girls and what their tendencies, strengths and weaknesses are — and vice versa. When we come back in October, that’s when we’ll really start getting the system in and get going. Oct. 1 (first day high school basketball practice can begin) ought to be a holiday.”