Florida SouthWestern names ex-UCLA assistant David Grace as head coach

Florida SouthWestern State College made a clear statement on July 7, naming David Grace as the next head coach of its men’s basketball program. The Buccaneers turned outside the usual junior-college lane for a coach whose résumé reaches UCLA, Oregon State, San Francisco, Sacramento State and Cal, a move that underlines how aggressively FSW wants to recruit and develop at the NJCAA level.

Grace arrives with a profile built for immediate credibility. UCLA credits his five seasons in Westwood with a 117-57 record, four NCAA Tournament appearances and three Sweet 16 berths. One report also said he helped assemble five top-five recruiting classes at UCLA, including the nation’s No. 2 class in 2018, while helping recruit and develop Lonzo Ball, who became the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. For a program that lives on relationships and player movement, that kind of high-major network can change how the Buccaneers build a roster.

The hire also follows a coaching change in Fort Myers. Darrin Wallace left FSW for an assistant-coach position at Florida Gulf Coast, and his two seasons with the Buccaneers produced a 41-18 record. Wallace’s departure opened the door for a replacement with a deeper national profile, and FSW chose a coach whose background stretches far beyond junior college.

Grace’s path includes 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, including service during Operation Desert Storm, and the founding of Amazing Grace Warriors, a nonprofit focused on youth development, mentorship, sports camps and fundraising. He was most recently the head coach at Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles, adding another layer to a career that has moved from military service to Division I to the high school level. That mix of discipline, player development and recruiting reach gives FSW a different type of lead recruiter and program builder.

The timing matters because the Buccaneers are not starting from scratch. FSW finished the 2025-26 season 23-8 overall and 13-3 in conference play, climbed to No. 21 in the NJCAA rankings during the year, and reached the FCSAA quarterfinals before falling to Chipola, 68-53. Spring movement already showed the program’s ability to send players up the ladder, with Lamont Hartfield signing with Lamar University and Kenyon Giles heading to UMass Lowell. With Grace in charge, FSW is betting that the next step is not just staying competitive, but expanding the pipeline and chasing championship expectations with a coach who has already operated at the sport’s highest levels.