Brett Carey Tabbed as Associate Head Coach for Men's Basketball
July 15, 2026 | Men's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Head coach Jeremy Luther and the Gardner-Webb men's basketball team have announced the addition of Brett Carey as the newest Associate Head Coach of the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Carey comes to Gardner-Webb after one year at UNC Charlotte. While with the 49ers, Carey helped to guide Dezayne Mingo to American Conference Third Team All-Conference, the first all-conference selection for the 49ers since Lu'Cye Patterson and Igor Milicic Jr. following the 2023-24 season. Charlotte finished last year's campaign with a .500 record both overall (17-17) and in conference (9-9).
Carey spent the 2024-25 season at Campbell, serving as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator. Under his direction, the Fighting Camels led the nation in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (27.4%) and led the Coastal Athletic Association in scoring margin (+10.8), points allowed per game (61.6) and field goal percentage allowed (40%). He also helped develop two of the league's top players — All-CAA forward Colby Duggan and CAA Defensive Player of the Year Nolan Dorsey.
Carey joined Campbell in July 2024 after spending the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach and director of player development at Middle Tennessee State. At MTSU, he reunited with Nick McDevitt, his former coach and teammate at UNC Asheville. The Blue Raiders finished 14-19 overall and 7-9 in Conference USA play, with four players earning all-conference honors, highlighted by Jestin Porter's second-team selection.
Before his stint in Murfreesboro, Carey was associate head coach on Nate James' inaugural staff at Austin Peay from 2021-23. He primarily coached the Govs' post players and served as acting head coach for two games when James was sidelined due to COVID-19. Under Carey, Elijah Hutchins-Everett was named 2021 OVC Freshman of the Year, becoming the first freshman in program history to lead the team in points, rebounds and field goal percentage. APSU ranked fifth in the league in rebounding and offensive rebounds per game.
Carey spent the previous four seasons (2017-21) at Indiana State under Greg Lansing. In 2020-21, the Sycamores led the Missouri Valley Conference in turnover margin and advanced to the league tournament semifinals. Tyreke Key earned first-team All-MVC honors, with Jake LaRavia and Tre Williams also earning postseason recognition. During the 2019-20 campaign, Indiana State went 18-12 and 11-7 in MVC play, with Key and Jordan Barnes receiving all-conference and all-district honors.
In his four years at ISU, Carey coached numerous all-conference selections and was part of several milestone wins, including a 21-point victory at Indiana in 2017-18 and a run to the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic later that season.
Prior to Indiana State, Carey spent nine years on staff at UNC Asheville, including two as associate head coach. He helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back Big South titles in 2011 and 2012, the 2016 Big South Tournament championship and a share of the 2017 regular-season crown. UNC Asheville advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2017.
A standout guard at UNC Asheville from 1999-2001, Carey was a two-year starter who helped the Bulldogs reach the 2000 Big South Tournament championship game. He earned second-team All-Conference honors as a senior, was named UNC Asheville Male Athlete of the Year, and ranked third nationally in three-point field goal percentage.
Following his collegiate career, Carey played professionally in Norway and was briefly with the NBDL's Asheville Altitude. He later gained experience at Oak Hill Academy, where he coached future NBA players Brandon Jennings and Marcus Williams, and at South Carolina, where he was part of the Gamecocks' 2006 NIT championship staff under Dave Odom.
"I'm incredibly grateful to Coach Jeremy Luther for the opportunity to join the Gardner-Webb basketball family", said Carey. "Gardner-Webb is a special place and I'm excited to get to work with our student-athletes and build on everything this program stands for."
A Lincolnton, North Carolina, native, Carey and his wife, Chyrise, have two daughters, Briana and Maecyn.
