Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Utah on February 24, 2026 , Win , 75, to, 59
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Men's Basketball
75
Utah
59
Iowa State University Athletics
Jeff Grayer Returning to ISU Basketball
04.23.2010 | Men's Basketball
AMES, Iowa ? Jeff Grayer is coming back to Ames.
Arguably Iowa State University's most accomplished men's basketball player ever ? he was an Olympian, NBA first-round draft pick and the school's all-time scoring leader ? Grayer is joining Greg McDermott's coaching staff as a full-time assistant pending administrative approval.
“I am honored and humbled to be provided the opportunity to return to the college program that wooed me to Ames 26 years ago,” Grayer said. “As a graduate of Iowa State University, I'm familiar with the program and extremely proud of its history. I'm anxious to get started working with Coach McDermott to help the Cyclones regain national prominence on the basketball court.”
Grayer's storybook career and legendary playing status caught McDermott's attention. But, it was Grayer's earnest desire to help his alma mater and give other young men the opportunity for a Cyclone experience like his that sold McDermott.
“It is a great shot in the arm for our program to bring back a man with the reputation of Jeff Grayer,” McDermott said. “It was obvious in our discussions how much Jeff wanted to get back to ISU and help reignite the magic in Hilton Coliseum. His status as one of the legends in our school history speaks for itself. The more I checked into his reputation, his work ethic, his experience and his passion ... the more convinced I became that he was the perfect fit for our staff. He can't wait to start selling the Cyclones and helping our players realize the dream he realized a quarter century ago.”
The Grayer story is well told. After earning prep All-America honors as a center and leading Flint (Mich.) Northwestern to the state championship, Grayer chose the Cyclones and Coach Johnny Orr over several marquee programs in his home state. He was, in essence, following fellow Flint native (and his eventual brother-in-law) Barry Stevens' path to ISU.
But, Grayer left his own legacy. After an honors-filled career, his jersey #44 was retired in 1991, he was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 1999 and he was named to the school's all-century team in 2008.
Although his listed height of 6-foot-5 was overstated by a couple of inches, Grayer used great athleticism and uncanny instincts to dazzle both opponents and Cyclone fans. He scored 2,502 career points (bettering the school record set by Stevens) and secured 910 rebounds, while starting 124 games. Grayer established 13 school records, including best career field goal percentage (.526).
Three times, he was named First-team All-Big Eight and his tenacity earned him a spot on the league's All-Defensive teams four straight seasons. He left ISU as the fourth-leading scorer in conference history and the Big Eight eventually named Grayer to its All-Decade team for the 1980s along with Danny Manning (Kansas), Wayman Tisdale (Oklahoma), Steve Stipanovich (Missouri) and Rolando Blackman (Kansas State).
Grayer was a member of three NCAA Tournament squads at Iowa State and he played on key role on each of them:
? He broke the school freshman scoring record (1984-85) and helped the Cyclones receive their first NCAA Tournament bid in more than four decades.
? As a sophomore (1985-86), Grayer and Jeff Hornacek led ISU to the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Tournament (by beating his home-state school and fifth-ranked Michigan in the second round) and a then school-record 22 victories.
? In his senior season, Grayer averaged a Big Eight-best 25.4 points per game and tied for the league rebounding title (9.4 avg.). He earned second-team All-America honors from A.P. and third-team accolades by U.P.I.
“He's simply the best and most complete player I ever coached,” gushed Orr at the time. Pete Taylor, the long-time radio voice of the Cyclones, summed up Grayer's reputation by calling him “a gamer. His best games always came against the best teams.”
Everyone has their favorite Grayer memory and there are many to choose from. He scored a career-high 39 points at Michigan State, tallied 37 in a game vs. Nebraska, hauled down 24 rebounds against U.S. International and hit a game-winning 17-foot bucket at the buzzer to defeat Drake as a freshman.
The Milwaukee Bucks drafted Grayer with the 13th pick of the 1988 NBA Draft and his nine-year career included stints with five clubs. Grayer represented the United States in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, and won a bronze medal.
In his post-NBA career, Grayer helped start the Continental Basketball Association's Flint Fuze / Great Lakes Storm franchise (2000-05). He served as the Fuze's inaugural head coach.
Grayer has been an extremely active participant in community initiatives in his home city of Flint since his playing career. Since 2004, he has served as Director of Business Development for W.T. Stevens Construction, Inc. and Director of the Flint Affiliations, a 20-team youth basketball league. He also formed and then served as President of FABE (Flint Athletes for Better Education), a mentoring and educational program for youth. Grayer also managed the district mentorship program for the Flint Community School District for four years.
Grayer, who earned his B.L.S. degree from Iowa State in 2005, starts his position May 17.
To watch an exclusive interview and video tribute of Grayer, click on the video links tab on the photo above. Click on the links tab on the photo above to view a photo gallery of Grayer's career.
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