University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: John Kelley
Jarvis Hayes Named Assistant Coach For Bulldogs
April 08, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Circle of Honor Inductee returns to his alma mater
ATHENS, Ga. — Jarvis Hayes, a two-time consensus first-team All-SEC performer for Georgia and the No. 10 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, is returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach, head coach Mike White announced on Wednesday.
Hayes has spent the previous seven seasons serving as an assistant coach at Georgia State and also was on the staff at Morehouse College for a year.
"In many ways, Jarvis' experience at UGA and as a Bulldog is what we want for all our players," White said. "He's lived it, on and off the court. He was incredibly successful at Georgia as a player and earned his degree from UGA. I am confident he will make a significant impact as a member of our staff and am happy to welcome him home."
In 2020, Hayes was inducted into the UGA Athletic Association's Circle of Honor, the highest award for Bulldog athletes and coaches, honoring those who excelled in their sport and brought honor to the university.
"It's hard for me to put into words what this opportunity means to me," Hayes said. "The University of Georgia has given so much to me and my family and has helped shaped who I am personally and professionally in so many ways. I can't wait to get back to Athens and help play a role in continuing the amazing growth the program has shown under Mike White."
Hayes was a key component for a Georgia State program that won the 2022 Sun Belt Conference title to earn the Panthers an NCAA Tournament bid. He helped the Panthers to back-to-back appearances in the Sun Belt title game and 2021 and 2022. Additional highlights of his tenure at GSU included the Panthers' 2020-21 opening night, quadruple-overtime victory at Georgia Tech for the first win over an ACC opponent in school history and winning the championship of the 2019 2K Empire Classic Riverside Regional.
In just two short seasons playing for the Bulldogs, Hayes left quite a legacy. Not only was he an electrifying player extraordinary leader on the court, his personable demeanor made him a favorite among the Bulldog Nation.
A native of Atlanta, Hayes and his twin brother Jonas transferred to Georgia in 1999, having played their freshman season at Western Carolina. After sitting out the 2001 season, Jarvis took the SEC by storm as a sophomore. He averaged a league-best 18.6 points per game in 2002, earning SEC Player of the Year honors by The Sporting News, Basketball America and CNNSI. He also was selected as the SEC Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press. Hayes again led the Bulldogs offensively in 2002-03 while averaging 18.3 points per game and reached 1,000 career points in just 55 games, six games quicker than UGA's career scoring leader, Litterial Green.
Hayes helped Georgia to a combined 41-18 record in his two seasons, with an NCAA Tournament berth in 2002. He joined Dominique Wilkins to become just the second Bulldog to earn consensus first-team All-SEC honors two times. He also owns the unique distinction of having won scoring titles in two separate leagues: the SEC in 2002 and the Southern Conference in 2000.
Hayes was selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft. He matched what was then the second-highest pick ever by a Bulldog in the NBA Draft, equaling Willie Anderson in 1988 and trailing Dominique Wilkins at No. 3 in 1983. Hayes played seven seasons with Washington, Detroit and New Jersey, scoring 3,553 points, grabbing 1,330 rebounds, dishing out 459 assists and collecting 312 steals in 427 career games played. He was named to the All-NBA Rookie second team in 2004 and helped the Wizards and the Pistons reach the NBA Playoffs in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
From 2010-15, Hayes continued to play professionally overseas in Italy, Qatar, Israel, Russia, Romania and Turkey. During that same time, he returned to UGA and completed his degree in Housing in 2014.
From 2015-18, Hayes led the Atlanta Celtics AAU team while also serving as a color commentator for NBA TV and the ESPN/SEC Network.
Hayes began his college coaching career serving as an assistant coach at Atlanta's Morehouse College from 2018-19, helping guide the squad to a 20-5 record and the SIAC regular season title while assisting in the recruitment and development of the conference Player (Omar Alston) and Newcomer (Robert Andrews) of the Year.
Hayes was a standout at Atlanta's Frederick Douglass High School where helped lead the Astros to the semifinals of the 1999 Class 4A State Tournament while averaging 28 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Hayes has spent the previous seven seasons serving as an assistant coach at Georgia State and also was on the staff at Morehouse College for a year.
"In many ways, Jarvis' experience at UGA and as a Bulldog is what we want for all our players," White said. "He's lived it, on and off the court. He was incredibly successful at Georgia as a player and earned his degree from UGA. I am confident he will make a significant impact as a member of our staff and am happy to welcome him home."
In 2020, Hayes was inducted into the UGA Athletic Association's Circle of Honor, the highest award for Bulldog athletes and coaches, honoring those who excelled in their sport and brought honor to the university.
"It's hard for me to put into words what this opportunity means to me," Hayes said. "The University of Georgia has given so much to me and my family and has helped shaped who I am personally and professionally in so many ways. I can't wait to get back to Athens and help play a role in continuing the amazing growth the program has shown under Mike White."
Hayes was a key component for a Georgia State program that won the 2022 Sun Belt Conference title to earn the Panthers an NCAA Tournament bid. He helped the Panthers to back-to-back appearances in the Sun Belt title game and 2021 and 2022. Additional highlights of his tenure at GSU included the Panthers' 2020-21 opening night, quadruple-overtime victory at Georgia Tech for the first win over an ACC opponent in school history and winning the championship of the 2019 2K Empire Classic Riverside Regional.
In just two short seasons playing for the Bulldogs, Hayes left quite a legacy. Not only was he an electrifying player extraordinary leader on the court, his personable demeanor made him a favorite among the Bulldog Nation.
A native of Atlanta, Hayes and his twin brother Jonas transferred to Georgia in 1999, having played their freshman season at Western Carolina. After sitting out the 2001 season, Jarvis took the SEC by storm as a sophomore. He averaged a league-best 18.6 points per game in 2002, earning SEC Player of the Year honors by The Sporting News, Basketball America and CNNSI. He also was selected as the SEC Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press. Hayes again led the Bulldogs offensively in 2002-03 while averaging 18.3 points per game and reached 1,000 career points in just 55 games, six games quicker than UGA's career scoring leader, Litterial Green.
Hayes helped Georgia to a combined 41-18 record in his two seasons, with an NCAA Tournament berth in 2002. He joined Dominique Wilkins to become just the second Bulldog to earn consensus first-team All-SEC honors two times. He also owns the unique distinction of having won scoring titles in two separate leagues: the SEC in 2002 and the Southern Conference in 2000.
Hayes was selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft. He matched what was then the second-highest pick ever by a Bulldog in the NBA Draft, equaling Willie Anderson in 1988 and trailing Dominique Wilkins at No. 3 in 1983. Hayes played seven seasons with Washington, Detroit and New Jersey, scoring 3,553 points, grabbing 1,330 rebounds, dishing out 459 assists and collecting 312 steals in 427 career games played. He was named to the All-NBA Rookie second team in 2004 and helped the Wizards and the Pistons reach the NBA Playoffs in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
From 2010-15, Hayes continued to play professionally overseas in Italy, Qatar, Israel, Russia, Romania and Turkey. During that same time, he returned to UGA and completed his degree in Housing in 2014.
From 2015-18, Hayes led the Atlanta Celtics AAU team while also serving as a color commentator for NBA TV and the ESPN/SEC Network.
Hayes began his college coaching career serving as an assistant coach at Atlanta's Morehouse College from 2018-19, helping guide the squad to a 20-5 record and the SIAC regular season title while assisting in the recruitment and development of the conference Player (Omar Alston) and Newcomer (Robert Andrews) of the Year.
Hayes was a standout at Atlanta's Frederick Douglass High School where helped lead the Astros to the semifinals of the 1999 Class 4A State Tournament while averaging 28 points and 11 rebounds per game.
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