Men's Basketball
Grace, David
David Grace
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- dgrace@athletics.ucla.edu
David Grace has served as an assistant coach at UCLA for the past five seasons.
Since joining the Bruins’ coaching staff in the spring of 2013, Grace has helped the Bruins compiled a 117-57 overall record. UCLA earned NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018 and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
In addition, Grace has played a major role in helping the Bruins’ program land four recruiting classes ranked among the top five, nationally, during the previous five years. The Bruins’ incoming group for the 2014-15 school year was ranked as high as No. 3, nationally, while the recruiting classes for 2016-17 and 2017-18 were rated as high as No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
As an assistant coach in 2017-18, Grace helped UCLA post a 21-12 overall record and an 11-7 mark in Pac-12 play. UCLA finished the year advancing to the Pac-12 Tournament’s semifinal round before playing in the NCAA Tournament’s “First Four.” Aaron Holiday earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors after becoming the first Bruin to lead the league in scoring since Reggie Miller in 1985-86.
In 2016-17, the Bruins posted a 31-5 overall record. UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 in March 2017 after having tied the school record for most regular-season victories (28, also accomplished in 2007-08). The Bruins led the nation in assists per game (21.4), field goal percentage (52.5%) and assist-turnover ratio (1.91) and finished the year second, nationally, in points per game (89.8). Led by a trio of first-team All-Pac-12 performers in Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf and Bryce Alford, the Bruins set Pac-12 single-season team records for total assists (771) and made three-pointers (354).
In addition, the Bruins’ 2016-17 squad produced one of the nation’s most high-octane offenses in recent years. The Bruins ranked No. 2 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency (per KenPom.com). Ball, who was one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, secured National Freshman of the Year honors from nearly every national publication.
In 2014-15, Grace helped the Bruins post a 22-14 overall record as UCLA defeated SMU and UAB en route to playing in the Sweet 16. In the summer of 2015, Kevon Looney and Norman Powell were selected in the NBA Draft.
In 2013-14, Grace coached the Bruins to a 28-9 overall mark, including the Pac-12 Tournament Championship and the program’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2008. UCLA ranked No. 11 in the country in scoring (81.2 points per game), No. 3 in assist turnover ratio (1.7), No. 4 in steals (9.2 spg) and No. 5 in assists (17.2 apg).
Through Grace’s first four seasons in Westwood, UCLA sent 10 players to the NBA – Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson, Ike Anigbogu, Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, TJ Leaf, Kevon Looney, Norman Powell, David Wear and Travis Wear.
Grace has served as an assistant coach in the Pac-12 Conference the last 10 seasons, including a five-year stint at Oregon State (2009-13). In five years in Corvallis, Ore., he helped OSU to its highest five-year win total (78) since 1988-92. In addition, Oregon State made three trips to the postseason College Basketball Invitational (CBI), including a 5-1 run in the 2008-09 tournament, giving the Beavers the tournament title.
Grace’s work at Oregon State helped the Beavers both on the recruiting trail and with player development. In his first season at Oregon State, he recruited Roberto Nelson and Joe Burton from southern California. Nelson and Burton were the first two nationally-ranked recruits at Oregon State under head coach Craig Robinson. Nelson led the Pac-12 in scoring as a senior (2013-14), securing honorable mention All-Pac-12 acclaim during his junior and senior campaigns. Burton produced career totals over 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in four seasons.
Grace also was instrumental in the recruitment and development of talented big men Eric Moreland and Angus Brandt. Moreland, a 6-foot-10 center from Houston, emerged as one of the conference’s top defensive players, leading the Pac-12 in blocked shots in 2011-12. He shattered the school’s single-season record for blocks and broke the school’s record for rebounds by a freshman. Brandt, a 6-foot-10 center from Sydney, Australia, played in 125 games at Oregon State, twice securing Pac-12 All-Academic Team honors.
During Grace’s second season in Corvallis, he helped recruit Jared Cunningham to Oregon State. A first-round NBA Draft selection in 2012 by the Dallas Mavericks, Cunningham established himself as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2011-12 and was twice named a Pac-12 All-Tournament Team selection.
Led by Cunningham, Nelson, Burton and Moreland in 2011-12, the Beavers won 21 games, reaching the 20-win plateau for the first time in more than two decades. The Beavers averaged a school record 78.9 points per game, leading the Pac-12 in scoring for the first time in school history.
Grace was selected to attend the prestigious Villa 7 Center for Sports Leadership Conference at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Va., in the summer of 2011 with an elite group of Division I assistant basketball coaches, 54 athletic directors and 12 conference commissioners. He has also worked for several years with the Nike N7 program to honor Native Americans.
A decorated military veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm, Grace quickly rose through the high school and college coaching ranks prior to his arrival at Oregon State. Known for his tireless work ethic and inspirational leadership, he developed an intimate knowledge of the game forged over 30 years of working in all aspects of the sport. He has played, coached and refereed basketball games across America and on three continents.
Prior to his time at Oregon State, Grace served as the top assistant coach at the University of San Francisco with responsibilities as head recruiting coordinator. He also served as head of scouting, worked as an academic coordinator and assisted with fundraising efforts.
Grace broke into the NCAA Division I college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Sacramento State University, where he assisted in all aspects of the program. While at Sacramento State, he recruited 2006-07 Big Sky Freshman of the Year selection Vinnie McGhee from Oakland’s McClymonds High School.
Prior to moving to the Division I college coaching level, Grace became a high school head coach after taking an early retirement from the military. He had served 20 years of active duty service in the U.S. Air Force and chose to dedicate his career to coaching basketball and teaching.
During the 2004-05 season, Grace was hired as a business teacher and head coach at South Mountain High School in Phoenix, Ariz., where he guided the Jaguars to a 5A Division II state championship in his second year, compiling a 29-4 overall record.
Grace was honored as the 2005-06 ArizonaVarsity.com and Arizona Informant 5A Coach of theYear after turning around a struggling program that had won four games the season before he arrived. Several players from his program moved on to play college basketball. Several coaches he mentored during that time became high school head basketball coaches, including two who advanced their teams to high school state titles.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Grace volunteered for several years as a high school and club coach while stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix. He began working in the high school ranks at Phoenix Trevor Browne as an assistant coach. That team advanced to the state semifinals in 2003 and was ranked among the top 40 schools, nationally, by The Sporting News before the 2003-04 season.
Grace began coaching basketball with Boo Williams’ AAU program in Hampton, Virginia. He also co-founded the Compton Magic AAU program. His top team finished eighth out of 337 programs in the Reebok Big Time Classic in Las Vegas, Nev., which was the best finish in the history of any AAU team from Arizona.
Grace grew up in Aberdeen, Md., and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in management and human resources from Park University and degrees in logistics and social services from the Air Force. He and his wife, Crystal, have six children –Troy, Terrell, Tierra, David II, Aubrey and Andre. His father, Gerald, was a high school basketball referee in Maryland for 35 years.
Since joining the Bruins’ coaching staff in the spring of 2013, Grace has helped the Bruins compiled a 117-57 overall record. UCLA earned NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018 and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
In addition, Grace has played a major role in helping the Bruins’ program land four recruiting classes ranked among the top five, nationally, during the previous five years. The Bruins’ incoming group for the 2014-15 school year was ranked as high as No. 3, nationally, while the recruiting classes for 2016-17 and 2017-18 were rated as high as No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
As an assistant coach in 2017-18, Grace helped UCLA post a 21-12 overall record and an 11-7 mark in Pac-12 play. UCLA finished the year advancing to the Pac-12 Tournament’s semifinal round before playing in the NCAA Tournament’s “First Four.” Aaron Holiday earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors after becoming the first Bruin to lead the league in scoring since Reggie Miller in 1985-86.
In 2016-17, the Bruins posted a 31-5 overall record. UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 in March 2017 after having tied the school record for most regular-season victories (28, also accomplished in 2007-08). The Bruins led the nation in assists per game (21.4), field goal percentage (52.5%) and assist-turnover ratio (1.91) and finished the year second, nationally, in points per game (89.8). Led by a trio of first-team All-Pac-12 performers in Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf and Bryce Alford, the Bruins set Pac-12 single-season team records for total assists (771) and made three-pointers (354).
In addition, the Bruins’ 2016-17 squad produced one of the nation’s most high-octane offenses in recent years. The Bruins ranked No. 2 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency (per KenPom.com). Ball, who was one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, secured National Freshman of the Year honors from nearly every national publication.
In 2014-15, Grace helped the Bruins post a 22-14 overall record as UCLA defeated SMU and UAB en route to playing in the Sweet 16. In the summer of 2015, Kevon Looney and Norman Powell were selected in the NBA Draft.
In 2013-14, Grace coached the Bruins to a 28-9 overall mark, including the Pac-12 Tournament Championship and the program’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2008. UCLA ranked No. 11 in the country in scoring (81.2 points per game), No. 3 in assist turnover ratio (1.7), No. 4 in steals (9.2 spg) and No. 5 in assists (17.2 apg).
Through Grace’s first four seasons in Westwood, UCLA sent 10 players to the NBA – Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson, Ike Anigbogu, Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, TJ Leaf, Kevon Looney, Norman Powell, David Wear and Travis Wear.
Grace has served as an assistant coach in the Pac-12 Conference the last 10 seasons, including a five-year stint at Oregon State (2009-13). In five years in Corvallis, Ore., he helped OSU to its highest five-year win total (78) since 1988-92. In addition, Oregon State made three trips to the postseason College Basketball Invitational (CBI), including a 5-1 run in the 2008-09 tournament, giving the Beavers the tournament title.
Grace’s work at Oregon State helped the Beavers both on the recruiting trail and with player development. In his first season at Oregon State, he recruited Roberto Nelson and Joe Burton from southern California. Nelson and Burton were the first two nationally-ranked recruits at Oregon State under head coach Craig Robinson. Nelson led the Pac-12 in scoring as a senior (2013-14), securing honorable mention All-Pac-12 acclaim during his junior and senior campaigns. Burton produced career totals over 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in four seasons.
Grace also was instrumental in the recruitment and development of talented big men Eric Moreland and Angus Brandt. Moreland, a 6-foot-10 center from Houston, emerged as one of the conference’s top defensive players, leading the Pac-12 in blocked shots in 2011-12. He shattered the school’s single-season record for blocks and broke the school’s record for rebounds by a freshman. Brandt, a 6-foot-10 center from Sydney, Australia, played in 125 games at Oregon State, twice securing Pac-12 All-Academic Team honors.
During Grace’s second season in Corvallis, he helped recruit Jared Cunningham to Oregon State. A first-round NBA Draft selection in 2012 by the Dallas Mavericks, Cunningham established himself as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2011-12 and was twice named a Pac-12 All-Tournament Team selection.
Led by Cunningham, Nelson, Burton and Moreland in 2011-12, the Beavers won 21 games, reaching the 20-win plateau for the first time in more than two decades. The Beavers averaged a school record 78.9 points per game, leading the Pac-12 in scoring for the first time in school history.
Grace was selected to attend the prestigious Villa 7 Center for Sports Leadership Conference at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Va., in the summer of 2011 with an elite group of Division I assistant basketball coaches, 54 athletic directors and 12 conference commissioners. He has also worked for several years with the Nike N7 program to honor Native Americans.
A decorated military veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm, Grace quickly rose through the high school and college coaching ranks prior to his arrival at Oregon State. Known for his tireless work ethic and inspirational leadership, he developed an intimate knowledge of the game forged over 30 years of working in all aspects of the sport. He has played, coached and refereed basketball games across America and on three continents.
Prior to his time at Oregon State, Grace served as the top assistant coach at the University of San Francisco with responsibilities as head recruiting coordinator. He also served as head of scouting, worked as an academic coordinator and assisted with fundraising efforts.
Grace broke into the NCAA Division I college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Sacramento State University, where he assisted in all aspects of the program. While at Sacramento State, he recruited 2006-07 Big Sky Freshman of the Year selection Vinnie McGhee from Oakland’s McClymonds High School.
Prior to moving to the Division I college coaching level, Grace became a high school head coach after taking an early retirement from the military. He had served 20 years of active duty service in the U.S. Air Force and chose to dedicate his career to coaching basketball and teaching.
During the 2004-05 season, Grace was hired as a business teacher and head coach at South Mountain High School in Phoenix, Ariz., where he guided the Jaguars to a 5A Division II state championship in his second year, compiling a 29-4 overall record.
Grace was honored as the 2005-06 ArizonaVarsity.com and Arizona Informant 5A Coach of theYear after turning around a struggling program that had won four games the season before he arrived. Several players from his program moved on to play college basketball. Several coaches he mentored during that time became high school head basketball coaches, including two who advanced their teams to high school state titles.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Grace volunteered for several years as a high school and club coach while stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix. He began working in the high school ranks at Phoenix Trevor Browne as an assistant coach. That team advanced to the state semifinals in 2003 and was ranked among the top 40 schools, nationally, by The Sporting News before the 2003-04 season.
Grace began coaching basketball with Boo Williams’ AAU program in Hampton, Virginia. He also co-founded the Compton Magic AAU program. His top team finished eighth out of 337 programs in the Reebok Big Time Classic in Las Vegas, Nev., which was the best finish in the history of any AAU team from Arizona.
Grace grew up in Aberdeen, Md., and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in management and human resources from Park University and degrees in logistics and social services from the Air Force. He and his wife, Crystal, have six children –Troy, Terrell, Tierra, David II, Aubrey and Andre. His father, Gerald, was a high school basketball referee in Maryland for 35 years.
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