University of Toledo Athletics

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Jeff Massey enters his 11th season as an assistant coach at Toledo and his fifth as the program's associate head coach. He joined the Rockets prior to the 2014-15 campaign after spending seven years as an assistant at St. Bonaventure (2007-14).

During his time on the Rocket staff, Massey has helped the Rockets to a 159-71 (.691) record, appearances in the 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 National Invitation Tournaments, four straight outright MAC titles (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24) as well as two outright MAC West Division titles (2017-18, 2018-19).

The 2023-24 season saw Toledo post its fourth straight 20-win season and become only the second MAC program ever to win four consecutive outright league titles. The only previous MAC member was Cincinnati in the early 1950s. 

In the 2022-23 season, Massey helped Toledo make history as the Rockets became the first current MAC school to win three straight outright league titles. UT tied its school record with 27 victories and posted a 16-2 mark in MAC play and won the conference title by a game over Kent State. During its historical campaign, the Rockets set a school record with a 17-game winning streak that ranks fourth in MAC history. Junior RayJ Dennis became the second Rocket in the last three seasons to earn MAC Player of Year honors. Dennis and senior JT Shumate were each named First-Team All-MAC, marking the third time ever two Rockets were named in the same season. In addition, senior Setric Millner Jr. earned Second-Team All-MAC accolades.

Shumate also became the third Rocket student-athlete ever to be named CSC First-Team Academic All-American on two occasions. 

 In the 2021-22 season, Toledo registered a 26-8 record and became the first team in program history to capture back-to-back outright MAC titles. The Rockets’ senior-less squad also set a school record for conference victories (17) and won the league title by a game over Kent State. Sophomore Ryan Rollins, junior JT Shumate and junior Setric Millner Jr. earned first-, second-, and third-team all-league honors. Freshman Ra’Heim Moss was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team, the fifth straight year a Rocket has been part of the squad. Rollins was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with 44^th pick in the 2022 NBA draft and became just the fourth individual ever to score 1,000 points in his first two seasons in a Toledo uniform. Shumate was honored for his performance on and off the court by become just the second CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American in program history.

Toledo posted a 21-9 record in 2020-21, set a school record for conference victories (15) and captured the league title by two games over Buffalo. Massey also helped the Rockets become the second program in MAC history (joining EMU in 1988) to receive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year with senior Marreon Jackson, Ryan Rollins and Kowalczyk behind honored. Senior Spencer Littleson also enjoyed a remarkable season en route to earning Second-Team All-MAC honors and a spot on the MAC’s All-Defensive team.

The 2019-20 season saw the Rockets battle numerous injuries en route to posting a 17-15 win-loss mark. Toledo won five of its last six games and was building momentum for the MAC Tournament before the season was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Junior Marreon Jackson earned Second-Team All-MAC honors, while senior Luke Knapke received Third-Team All-MAC honors. Senior Willie Jackson ranked third in the nation with 12.0 rpg and was an All-MAC Honorable Mention selection.

An Elkhart, Ind. native, Massey and the Rockets posted a 25-8 record in the 2018-19 season, won their second straight outright MAC West Division title and earned a spot in the National Invitation Tournament. Senior Jaelan Sanford earned First-Team All-MAC honors, marking the sixth time in the last seven years a Rockets has been named to the first-team all-league squad. Senior Nate Navigato and sophomore Marreon Jackson were honorable-mention All-MAC honorees, while AJ Edu earned a spot on the MAC's All-Freshman Team.

In 2017-18, the Rockets advanced to the MAC Championship Game and saw guard Tre’Shaun Fletcher become the program’s MAC Player of the Year since 1981. Junior Jaelan Sanford also earned Second-Team All-MAC honors, while Marreon Jackson was named to the MAC’s All-Freshman Team and joined Sanford on the MAC’s All-Tournament Team.

In 2016-17, Toledo made its third postseason appearance in the last six years with a trip to the College Basketball Invitational. Other highlights included senior forward Steve Taylor Jr. earning second-team All-MAC honors after leading the nation with 9.9 defensive rebounds per game and ranking third nationally with 12.2 rpg. Senior guard Jonathan Williams also received third-team All-MAC accolades for a second-straight season after ranking third in the MAC with 19.6 ppg.
    
In 2015-16, the Rockets registered their fifth-straight winning season with a 17-15 ledger with Nathan Boothe (first-team) and Jonathan Williams (third-team) receiving all-conference accolades.

In his first season on the Toledo bench, Massey helped Toledo register its second-straight 20-win campaign. In addition, four Rockets — Julius Brown (first-team), Justin Drummond (third-team), J.D. Weatherspoon (third-team) and Nathan Boothe (honorable-mention) — were named to the MAC all-league squad for a second-straight season.

A 15-year coaching veteran, Massey helped Head Coach Mark Schmidt develop St. Bonaventure into a consistent winner in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Bonnies improved their conference win total in five straight seasons, starting in 2007-08 and culminating with an NCAA Tournament trip in the 2011-12 campaign.

During his time with the Bonnies, Massey played a key role in the development of 2012 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and AP Honorable Mention All-American Andrew Nicholson. The 6-foot-9 Nicholson, who ended his career ranked second in SBU history in scoring (2,103 points) and fourth in rebounds (887), was selected by the Orlando Magic in the first round (No. 19 overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft.

St. Bonaventure’s guards thrived under Massey’s tutelage. Over his two seasons with the Bonnies, Chris Matthews (2008-10) made 182 three-pointers, including a school-record 101 as a senior in 2009-10. Jonathan Hall helped Matthews get open looks and became the second player in SBU history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding and assists in the same season. In 2007-08, seniors Zarryon Fereti and Tyler Relph posted career-highs in every statistical category, while Relph finished as the NCAA leader in free-throw percentage. Fereti’s big season resulted in a professional contract in the top division in Germany.

A 1995 Xavier graduate, Massey spent two seasons (2005-07) working with Schmidt at Robert Morris and one year (2004-05) serving as the director of basketball operations at Owens Community College in Toledo. He is Owens’ all-time leading scorer with 1,894 points and had his No. 30 jersey retired in 1997.

During his time at Xavier, Massey was named the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Newcomer of the Year in 1993-94, when he averaged 12.7 ppg and 2.1 rpg and helped guide Xavier to the third round of the NIT. In his senior season, Massey served as team captain and led the Musketeers in scoring (18.9 ppg), steals, free throw percentage and blocked shots as Xavier advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

After his collegiate career, Massey spent four seasons playing professionally in France and Poland.

Massey holds a master’s degree in counseling from Xavier. He and his wife Jonelle have two daughters, Aubrey (16) and Kayla (13).