UPDATED November 27, 2024
Raymoan McAfee, Jr. was selected to serve as an assistant coach at Wayne State University in April of 2022 by head coach Bryan Smothers. The 2024-25 academic year will be his third year with the Warriors.
In 2022-23, Smothers' first season at the helm, Wayne State finished with an overall record of 8-17, including a 5-13 mark in GLIAC play. Off the court, the Warriors received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for finishing the year with a 3.20 team GPA. Individually, Justin Ross, Cortez Jackson, Nate Talbot and Ray Williams, Jr. were each named Academic All-GLIAC.
In year two, WSU compiled a 14-15 overall, along with a 7-11 mark in league play. In the first round of the conference tournament, the Warriors claimed an 87-78 triumph at Lake Superior State for their first post-season win since 2012, and the first opening round victory either on the road (or neutral site) since Feb. 25, 1999. The 2023-24 squad had six individuals recognized with Academic All-GLIAC accolades, including two (Chris Mutebi and Justin Ross) on the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team.
"We are thrilled to have Raymoan and his wife Domonique back in Detroit and a part of our family here at WSU," commented Smothers. "He is regarded as one of the best coaches in the GLIAC, and a rising star in the coaching profession. I look forward to working with him and making this program a perennial power in the GLIAC and the country."
"My wife and I are excited to become a part of Wayne State family," said McAfee. "I would like to thank Coach Smothers for giving me the opportunity to come back home to Detroit. I look forward to immersing myself into the Wayne State community."
Prior to his arrival at Wayne State, McAfee served the previous four years on the coaching staff at Ferris State. He had been promoted to associate head coach in October of 2021. McAfee played at FSU from 2012-14 and later served as a member of the coaching staff for three years prior to returning to Ferris State as the school's top assistant in 2018. He assisted in all facets of the program, including day-to-day operations, recruiting, skill development, on-floor coaching, video, analytics and more.
During his two tenures at FSU, he helped the Bulldogs to three consecutive GLIAC Tournament titles in 2015-16-17, along with GLIAC regular-season titles in 2016-17 and 2019-20.
He spent a year (2017-18) as the top assistant at Indiana Tech under first-year head coach Ted Albert. In his lone season at Indiana Tech, McAfee helped lead the Warriors to a 27-7 overall mark and a 17-3 conference record, which included a trip to the second round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. The Warriors finished as the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) runner-up and were ranked as high as third in the NAIA Division II Coaches' Top 25 poll.
A former prep standout at Detroit's Pershing High School under head coach A.W. Canada, who played for Wayne State from 1997-2000, McAfee was a member of the school's 2009 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) State Championship team and part of a group that claimed back-to-back city championships in 2009 and 2010, posting a triple-double in the championship game his senior year versus Cody. In the 2009 90-73 state championship game win over Kalamazoo Central, McAfee contributed five points, four rebounds and two blocks.
He began his collegiate career at NCAA Division I Bethune Cookman University for two seasons playing in 49 games for the Wildcats. He transferred to Ferris State in 2012, where he became a regular in the Bulldog lineup. In his two seasons on the floor with the Bulldogs, McAfee played in 45 games and totaled 53 blocked shots. His 37 rejections as a senior ranked third in the GLIAC.
The two-time Bulldog alum graduated from Ferris State in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in Applied Speech Communication and earned his master's degree in Educational Leadership in 2022. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
