What’s next for Quincy Acy and why he left Wichita State basketball coaching
After spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach on Paul Mills’ staff, Quincy Acy recently announced he is departing the Wichita State men’s basketball team.
In an exclusive interview with The Eagle, the 34-year-old explained why he is leaving the Shockers, what comes next for him in his coaching career and what he will take from his time in Wichita.
Acy confirmed the decision to leave was indeed to spend more time with his family, which includes his wife, Jessica, and their three children: Austin, Gianna and Amir. They have already moved back to Dallas, where Acy was raised.
“After playing professionally for 10 years, you sacrifice a lot of time away from your family and your family sacrifices a lot for you,” Acy said. “I told myself when my (oldest) son was going to high school that I would do everything in my power to be more available and accessible to him. So we moved back to Dallas for me and my family to pursue a better opportunity for me and my family.”
It’s a special bond between Acy and his oldest son, Austin, who was born when Acy was 20 and still playing for Baylor in college. When Acy was in the midst of a 7-year career in the NBA, he brought Austin along as much as he could to experience being around NBA players.
He did the same when he was coaching at WSU, as his oldest son was frequently in attendance and formed friendships with players on the team.
“That’s what it’s all about, being around a locker room and allowing him to be able to see and immerse himself in these opportunities,” Acy said. “It’s special to see guys take him under their wing like a little brother. That stuff is irreplaceable. You can’t put a price on that. I had him when I was in college, so he’s been with me the whole way and now I think it’s time for me to pour into him a little bit more.”
As for his coaching career, Acy said there’s nothing concrete yet but he does hope to continue coaching somewhere in the Dallas area. He did say he is planning on exiting the college level, although did not rule out a return someday.
Before his two years with WSU, Acy’s only coaching experience came as a player development coach for the Texas Legends, the NBA G League affiliate for the Dallas Mavericks.
He certainly helped with player development in his two years at WSU, primarily with 7-foot center Quincy Ballard, who looked like a project in his first year with the Shockers but blossomed into a double-double, record-breaking machine by the time he left. Ballard often gave credit to Acy, a 6-foot-7 former big man himself.
“It wasn’t just about Q, but Ronnie (DeGray) and Harlond (Beverly) and all of those guys,” Acy said. “I can show you my call log right now and I just got done talking to all of those guys and Colby Rogers just this morning. I’ve built life-long relationships with those guys and that’s what it’s all about. I get the most fulfillment with relating to these guys and helping them develop each day. My motto has always been, ‘Give me somebody who wants to get better and I’ll help you get better.’ What I learned in Wichita is a lot of coaching is about teaching. How can you teach somebody and get the point across to 15 different guys. Everybody learns different, everybody digests things different and everybody is going through different things on any given day.”
In his two years at WSU, Acy grew as a coach under the leadership of Mills, who not only gave him his first Division I coaching job but also has been a mentor to him since he helped recruit him to Baylor more than a decade ago.
“The biggest thing is just his attention to detail is just through the roof,” Acy said. “He has his standard and he doesn’t waiver with anybody, his family included. That accountability really helped mold me to know what is required of me. He showed me how a man manages emotions, manages a team and he did it all the right way. Even in our lowest moments, he stayed firm in who he was and in this climate, I think that’s pretty rare. I learned so much about just being a man from Paul Mills. And I knew I would coming here because of our time at Baylor.”
As Acy pursues new opportunities in the coaching world, he said he will always be thankful for the opportunity that Mills and Wichita State provided him early in his career.
He called his time in Wichita “the best thing that ever happened to me” in his coaching career.
“The transition from professional basketball player to real life is not an easy transition for a lot of players,” Acy said. “All I’ve ever known is playing basketball and that life has its perks, but there are definitely things you have to adjust to when you get in the real world. Coming to Wichita really helped me. The city took me under its wings and they accepted me and my family. I’ll forever have a special place in my heart for Wichita.”
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