Lafayette has found their successor to John Sherman and it is someone who is very familiar with the Commodores. The Lafayette County School Board approved the hiring of Brad Gray on Monday night, making him the new head coach of the boys’ basketball team.

Lafayette athletic director Greg Lewis sifted threw over 30 applicants who applied for the job vacancy over the spring break holiday and narrowed it down to short list that he chose Gray out of last week.

“Brad ended up being the best guy that would fit what we’re trying to do right now,” Lewis said. “To go along with what coach Sherman has done over the last three seasons which is build the program. I know it didn’t end the way he wanted it to but he has put it in the right direction.”

Gray is coming from Senatobia where he spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the boys’ basketball team. During his tenure Gray racked up a record of 46-38 with the Warriors. Before he wound up in Senatobia Gray was the head coach at New Albany for seven seasons.

“Lafayette has been successful in pretty much all their sports and that coupled with the fact they’re an excellent academic school. …They’re a lot of positives,” Gray said of wanting to make the move to Lafayette. “I just thought it’d be a great place to work.

When Gray saw the job open up at Lafayette he could not pass up the opportunity. He sought advice from former colleagues who are will once again colleagues in football coach Michael Fair and baseball coach John Walker. Fair coached at Senatobia one season with Gray and Walker spent seven seasons as New Albany’s baseball coach.

Lafayette spent time as division rivals with Senatobia and New Albany while in Class 4A and Gray coached against them at both schools. He knows the roster he is inheriting and the program that has been handed to him after Sherman announced his retirement last month.

“I know the players are going to have a really good grasp on fundamentals,” Gray said “Coach Sherman is a phenomenal coach. …I have the upmost respect for him and what he’s done with (Lafayette). Hopefully I can build on that, put my own little twist on things and add a few things and hopefully we can start moving forward in a direction we think the program should go.”