Experienced and successful coach Tory Wooley has been named the inaugural Head Coach of the Georgia Gwinnett College women’s basketball program, which is set to tipoff during the 2025-26 athletic season.
The team will play its home games in GGC’s new Convocation Center, opening later this fall, and adds to an Office of Athletics whose programs have won national and conference championships and perennially are ranked nationally within their sports.
Wooley won more than 200 games in 11 seasons as Head Coach at Point University (Georgia), his alma mater. He was the winningest coach in program history, and his teams had 10 consecutive winning seasons and posted 20 or more wins in five seasons.
“Tory’s experience in building a program into a proven conference winner and national tournament participant was a strong quality that we sought to establish our women’s basketball program,” said Executive Athletic Director Dr. Ian Potter. “Another key asset was his strong ties in recruiting high character student-athletes within our region.”
Georgia Gwinnett College President Dr. Jann L. Joseph added, “We are delighted to welcome Tory as the head coach of our new women’s basketball program. His dedication to recruiting and developing well-rounded student-athletes aligns perfectly with our college’s mission. I eagerly anticipate watching him build our team into a formidable force, both regionally and nationally.”
Wooley’s 2023-24 Point team had a 14-13 record as the program transitioned to compete in NAIA’s challenging Southern States Athletic Conference. The previous winter, he earned Appalachian Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors after the Skyhawks had a 23-9 record, including an 18-6 mark in conference games, and captured the league championship to play in the NAIA national tournament.
In 2022, Wooley was recognized as one of the 50 most impactful head coaches in women’s NAIA sports. He guided the 2017-18 Point team to a NAIA Top 25 ranking, a 21-9 record and a victory against NCAA Division II University of West Georgia. His 2021-22 team opened the campaign with 11 straight victories.
“I’m beyond excited to be part of a wonderful institution, with wonderful people across campus, that’s within a thriving city. My family and I are thankful for the opportunity to come home and I’m eager to meet and connect with everyone,” said Wooley, a native of Atlanta. “We will build a program that will bring excitement to GGC and fans throughout the region. This will accentuate the college’s tradition of developing lifelong leaders of character through academic and athletic excellence.”
Wooley’s teams have consistently been ranked among the best defensive units in their conference, allowing 56.3 points per game during AAC games in the 2022-23 season. That team had an 8.6 rebounding edge over the opposition that winter, grabbing an average of 39.5 rebounds per contest.
“None of my coaching success would have been possible without my former players and assistant coaches at Point University. I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication throughout the years. Most importantly, thank you to my beautiful wife, Nicci, for your love and support of myself and our three boys,” said Wooley. “Now, I will continue to build on my local ties to bring players to the Georgia Gwinnett College women’s basketball program that will make everyone proud.”
His teams also were successful in academics, with 35 players earning NAIA Daktronics Scholar Athlete honors and posting the highest grade point average twice among Point’s 19 intercollegiate teams. The 2022 team had a 3.60 accumulated GPA (out of 4.0).
Wooley was a four-year varsity letterman and three-year captain of the Skyhawks’ men’s basketball program. He earned National Christian College Athletic Association All-America honors and remains as one of men’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorers. Wooley was recently inducted into Point’s inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame.
Georgia Gwinnett College currently provides opportunities for student-athletes to participate in six sports: baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis. These teams have won 20 national championships and 29 conference titles.
Tagged with: NAIA
