North Texas men's basketball head coach Grant McCasland has taken the Mean Green program to new heights in just two years at UNT.
Since his arrival to Denton on March 13, 2017, the Dallas-Forth Worth native who has over 18 years of college coaching experience mostly all in the state of Texas, has led the Mean Green to back-to-back 20-win seasons, a College Basketball Invitational championship and set a number of program records.
In his first season at UNT, the Mean Green more than doubled their win total from the previous season. Sophomore guard Roosevelt Smart, who McCasland recruited to North Texas, set the single-season scoring record with 742 points and demolished the school record for three pointers in a season with 133. The Mean Green capped McCasland's first season by winning the 2018 College Basketball Invitational, the program's first national postseason tournament championship.
After leading UNT to a 20-win season in 2017-18 (the program's first 20-win season since 2011-12), McCasland and the Mean Green began the 2018-19 season with a 16-1 record. The program's best start ever. From the start of the CBI tournament through the Mean Green's first 17 games of the 2018-19 season, UNT was just one of four teams that had won 21 of its last 23 games. The Mean Green concluded its second season under McCasland by posting 21 wins, its most wins in a season since the 2010-11 season.
In two seasons under McCasland, UNT has had three players named to an all-conference honor. In 2018-19, redshirt freshman guard Umoja Gibson was named to the league's all-freshman team after he set the Conference USA freshman record for three pointers with 99.
McCasland also helped North Texas break multiple team records in most points scored (2,828), total rebounds (1,451) and three-pointers made (302). Individually, Ryan Woolridge broke the school record for most assists with 221, breaking a mark that was set back in 1976-77. Zachary Simmons took down the school record for field goal percentage at 66.2 as just a freshman in 2017-18.
McCasland came to UNT from Arkansas State where he was the head coach for one season. In that year, the Red Wolves made a 10-win improvement, which was the second-best turnaround in Division 1 basketball that year.
Prior to Arkansas State, McCasland spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Baylor, helping lead the Bears to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The Bears also won their first-ever postseason title in program history in 2013, capturing the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) championship.
Before Baylor, he spent two seasons as head coach at Midwestern State and led the program to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
McCasland's roots as a head coach are at the junior college level.
In his early 20s, McCasland got his first assistant coaching job at Northeastern JC in Sterling, Colorado, where he not only served as a coach but was a resident assistant at the school's dorms. After just two seasons at Northeastern, McCasland earned a head coaching at Midland College, he was just 27 years old.
Despite being young and having to cover a variety of duties including team bus driver, McCasland guided the Chaparrals to the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. He coached against legendary college coaches such as Mark Adams who had over 25 years of head coaching experience at the time and still led MIdland to win four games in four days at the national tournament to win the title. He had six guys on the team go on to earn division one scholarships. . McCasland Prior to Midwestern State, McCasland spent where he won a NJCAA National Championship at Midland College in 2007. McCasMcCasland also has head coaching experience at the junior college level, leading Midland College to the 2007 NJCAA national championship.
McCasland often tells his team that the "toughest team always wins" and the head coach embodies tha motto. A 5-foot-9 walk-on at Baylor, the 1999 graduate earned his spot on the Bears by being the ultimate competitor. McCasland earned Academic All-Big 12 honorable-mention honors as a senior. He graduated from Baylor with a degree in entrepreneurship and management and received his master’s degree from Texas Tech in 2001.
At Tech, he served as the Director of Basketball Operations under James Dickery. At Tech, McCasland met his wife CeCe, who was a former soccer player for the Red Raiders. Grant and Cece have four children: daughters Amaris and Jersey and sons Jett and Beckett.
McCasland File
PERSONAL
• Family: Wife Cece; daughters Amaris and Jersey; sons Jett and Beckett
EDUCATION
• College: Baylor, 1999 (B.S.); Texas Tech, 2001 (M.S.)
COACHING EXPERIENCE:
• 1999-2001 Texas Tech, director of operations
• 2001-03 Northeastern JC, assistant coach
• 2004-09 Midland College, head coach
• 2009-11 Midwestern State, head coach
• 2011-16 Baylor, assistant coach
• 2016-17 Arkansas State, head coach
• 2017-pres. North Texas, head coach
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE
• 2004-05 NJCAA, Elite Eight (Midland)
• 2006-07 NJCAA, national champions (Midland)
• 2008-09 NJCAA, finals (Midland)
• 2009-10 NCAA Division II, Elite Eight (Midwestern State)
• 2010-11 NCAA Division II, Elite Eight (Midwestern State)
• 2011-12 NCAA, Elite Eight (Baylor)
• 2012-13 NIT, champions (Baylor)
• 2013-14 NCAA, Sweet 16 (Baylor)
• 2014-15 NCAA, first round (Baylor)
• 2015-16 NCAA, first round (Baylor)
• 2017-18 CBI Champions (North Texas)