Justin Ray, the 10th head men's basketball coach at Thomas More University is entering his 9th season on the sidelines in Crestview Hills, Kentucky during the 2026-27 season.  He has a career record of 163-78 in his eight seasons, the most successful era in the 79-year history of Saints basketball.

Since taking over in 2018, Ray has led Thomas More through two major transitions—from NCAA Division III to NAIA and from NAIA to NCAA Division II—while building the program into a national contender. He has averaged 20+ wins per season over eight seasons. His teams have finished in the top three of conference play in seven of his eight seasons, and he ranks second all-time in program wins while being the fastest coach in school history to reach 100 victories.

The Coach Ray Era dominated the NAIA, posting a .768 winning percentage over four seasons, earning the program’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking, and making four consecutive national tournament appearances. That run included the program’s first-ever NAIA Final Four in 2022, a program-record 31-5 season, and Thomas More’s first Mid-South Conference regular-season championship.

Ray is a two-time Coach of the Year and has coached eight 1,000-point scorers, three All-Americans, two Conference Players of the Year, three Freshmen of the Year, 20 All-Conference selections, and nine professional players.

From Division III to NAIA to NCAA Division II, Justin Ray has helped transform Thomas More basketball into a program defined by winning, player development, toughness, and a championship culture—making the Coach Ray Era the most accomplished era in the program’s 79-year history.

Ray came to Thomas More from across-the-river rival Mount St. Joseph University where he was the assistant men's basketball coach for seven seasons.  While at Mount St. Joseph, he helped lead the Lions to three conference championships, first-ever NCAA Division III Championship Tournament appearance and first-ever national ranking.  Ray has also helped the Lions' student-athletes succeed in the classroom as the team has carried a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and 100 percent graduation rate for four-year student-athletes.

Prior to MSJ, Ray served as a graduate assistant coach at NCAA Division I Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio for two seasons where he worked under current Clemson University Head Coach Brad Brownell and current Clemson University's Associate Head Coach Billy Donlon. While at Wright State, he helped the team to their fourth straight 20-win season, a Horizon League Tournament runner-up, and a second place Horizon League regular season finish behind National Runner-up Butler University.

Prior to Wright State, Ray was an assistant men's basketball coach at his alma mater NCAA Division II Christian Brothers University for one season under Hall of Fame Coach Mike Nienaber. Christian Brothers finished the 2008-09 season with a 25-7 record, captured the program's second Gulf South Conference regular season championship and then would go on to make a historic run all the way to the Elite Eight in the D-II NCAA National Tournament.

Ray played four years of college basketball and was a three-year starter and three-time team captain for Christian Brothers. He helped lead his team to a regular season championship, tournament championship and Division II NCAA National tournament berth. Ray has a top four, single-season school mark in three-point field goals made, is sixth all-time in school history in three-point field goals made (200). Christian Brothers was ranked as high as No. 8 nationally during Ray's four-year career. He was on Christian Brothers' Dean List and was awarded the Certificate of Presidential Recognition while an undergrad.

A Cincinnati, Ohio native and graduate of Oak Hills High School, Ray earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business marketing from Christian Brothers and received his Master of Science degree in leadership development from Wright State. Ray resides in Cincinnati with his wife Sarah and their son Lincoln and daughter Laney.