Winston Gandy - Head Coach - Staff Directory - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Staff Directory

Winston Gandy

Title:
Head Coach

Winston Gandy was named the 10th head coach of the Grand Canyon women’s basketball program on March 24, 2025.

With a prolific resume highlighted by national championship experience, Gandy enters as one of the top young coaches in the nation.

Gandy joins the Lopes with 12 years of coaching across all levels of basketball, most recently as assistant coach under Hall of Fame head coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina. Gandy joined the Gamecocks staff in 2023, helping lead the squad to a 38-0 record and the 2024 national championship.

South Carolina’s perfect record joined an elite group of teams, becoming just the 10th team in the history of the sport to go undefeated in one campaign.

YEAR	SCHOOL (TITLE)	RECORD	Postseason
2017-18	Rice (Assistant Coach)	23-10 (10-6 C-USA)	WBI Champions
2018-19	Rice (Assistant Coach)	28-4 (16-0 C-USA)	NCAA 1st Round
2019-20	Rice (Associate Head Coach)	21-8 (16-2 C-USA)*	postponed due to COVID-19
2020-21	Duke (Assistant Coach)	3-1 (0-1 ACC)^	opted out due to COVID-19
2021-22	Duke (Assistant Coach)	17-13 (7-11 ACC)	--
2022-23	Duke (Associate Head Coach)	26-7 (14-4 ACC)	NCAA 2nd Round
2023-24	South Carolina (Assistant Coach)	38-0 (16-0 SEC)	National Champions
2024-25	South Carolina (Assistant Coach)	35-4 (15-1 SEC)	National Runner-Up

Specializing with the guard position, Gandy mentored All-American Te-Hina Paopao, who led the nation in 3-point percentage (46.8%) in 2023-24. South Carolina as a team ranked third in 3-point percentage (39.5%), first in scoring margin (plus-28.9) and third in scoring offense (85.4 points per game).

On the defensive level, the Gamecocks ranked first in field goal percentage defense (32.3%), second in defensive rebounds per contest (31.8) and first in blocks per game (7.8).

Known as a tremendous scout, Gandy received credit from Staley on ESPN following the Gamecocks’ national championship victory over Iowa, a team that included one of the best 3-point shooters in NCAA history, Caitlin Clark.

“I’m going to give a lot of credit to Winston Gandy, who works with our perimeter players every single day,” Staley said. “And then he had the Iowa scout, trust me, he was the difference maker. He watched them and watched. It was information overload, that I just let him talk. He did a hell of a job on this scout. He explained it in a way that our kids could lock in and execute, and they weren’t going to be denied.”

Prior to South Carolina, Gandy spent three seasons as an assistant coach on Olympic champion Kara Lawson’s Duke staff and was elevated to associate head coach for the 2022-23 season.

At Duke, the Blue Devils amassed a 46-21 record, which was abbreviated by the team choosing not to participate in the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19.

In his final year, Duke finished second in the ACC at 14-4 and helped close the season at No. 13 in the AP poll. The Blue Devils reached the second round of the NCAA tournament with ACC Defensive Player of the Year and current Phoenix Mercury guard Celeste Taylor.

Gandy’s first assistant role came on the sidelines at Rice, where he spent three seasons under seven-time postseason head coach Tina Langley. Gandy began as an assistant from 2017-19 before being promoted to associate head coach for the 2019-20 season. The Owls wont two Conference USA regular-season championships (2019, 2020) and claimed the 2019 C-USA Tournament title.

Rice won at least 20 games in all three years with Gandy on the sideline, including a 28-win season that saw the Owls reach the NCAA tournament. He coached Erica Ogwumike, a two-time C-USA Player of the Year and All-American honorable mention guard who got drafted by the Minnesota Lynx in 2020.
Gandy’s experience extends outside of college and into the pros, where he served as the Washington Wizards’ coordinator of player development for three seasons (2014-17). While in Washington D.C., he worked alongside NBA All-Star players John Wall and Bradley Beal under head coach Scott Brooks.

Gandy graduated with an economics degree from the University of Maryland in 2013 and began his college basketball career as the Terrapins’ director of recruiting operations. As a student, he was a Maryland practice player from 2009-13.

Gandy and his wife, Gabrielle, moved to the Valley after South Carolina’s run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

What they are saying:
“I’m thrilled for Winston Gandy on being named head coach at Grand Canyon University. Over the past two seasons with our program at South Carolina, I’ve seen firsthand his incredible work ethic, recruiting talent, and passion for the game. Winston is one of the hardest workers and best recruiters in the sport, and he’s a true student of the game. More importantly, he genuinely cares about our players and builds real relationships on and off the court. He’ll always be a part of our Gamecock family, and I know he’s ready for this opportunity. I have no doubt he’ll do a fantastic job GCU, and I can’t wait to watch him thrive as a head coach.” – Dawn Staley, Hall of Fame South Carolina head coach

"Congratulations, Coach Winston. I'm so fired up for you. Grand Canyon University, you guys got yourself a big-time winner. A man of integrity, he's going to lead your program to new heights. The way he's going to be able to empower your student-athletes on and off the floor. Congratulations once again. I was very fortunate to have Coach Winston on my staff with the Washington Wizards. What a bright basketball mind. Just knows the game, knows people. He's about all the right things. Congratulations on a great hire." – Scott Brooks, assistant coach, Los Angeles Lakers, and former Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards head coach

"What a tremendous hire for Grand Canyon University with Winston Gandy. I can personally tell you, all of the time I've spent with Winston, he was so impactful every single day on our staff all the way from a scout guy to support staff in our program. Every stop that Winston has been on, all he has done is win. He's hardworking, he's charismatic, he's a winner. He's going to connect with each and every one of you every single day. I can't think of a more perfect hire, and I'm excited for the future for Grand Canyon women's basketball." – Brenda Frese, Maryland women’s basketball head coach

"Grand Canyon University has made an outstanding hire in Winston Gandy. Winston is a person of high character, driven by purpose and integrity, and deeply committed to building lasting relationships with the young women he coaches. He is highly skilled in strategy and player development, having worked with top coaches, WNBA and NBA talent, and championship programs. Winston will make a profound and immediate impact at Grand Canyon, throughout the Phoenix community and in the lives of the student-athletes in his care. I wish him and Gabrielle all the best in this exciting new chapter." – Tina Langley, Washington women’s basketball head coach

"I was delighted to hear that Winston would be the next head coach at Grand Canyon University. He has worked tirelessly in preparation for this moment. We shared time when he was in his NBA tenure, but he also spent a number of years building his resume under some of women's basketball's best coaches ... As impressive as Winston's resume is, Winston's an even more impressive young man. He's built of the right stuff. I think he will have a very, very positive impact on the Grand Canyon University community. I wish both the university and Winston the very best of luck in the future." – Ed Tapscott, former Washington Wizards front office executive.