Former Middle Tennessee basketball standout and graduate assistant Kerry Hammonds II has returned to the Blue Raider basketball program, joining Head Coach Kermit Davis' staff as the new Director of Basketball Operations.

Hammonds, a Murfreesboro native and Siegel High School alumnus, played four years under Davis from 2010 to 2014 and amassed 869 career points. He still stands in the Top 10 in Blue Raider history in 3-pointers made (135) and games played (121).

"I was ecstatic when I got the call from Coach Davis and got the opportunity to interview for this position," Hammonds said. "Middle Tennessee is like my second home so I'm very glad to be back, especially to be able to work under a great coach like Coach Davis."

The former small forward was involved in two of Davis' three trips to the NCAA Tournament at Middle Tennessee and helped win three conference titles as a player and another as a graduate assistant. Hammonds was a junior when the Blue Raiders made the big dance in 2013 and as a sophomore he also contributed to the Raiders' run to the 2012 NIT quarterfinals.

Following his playing career, Hammonds spent the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons as a graduate assistant as the Blue Raiders tallied a 44-27 record and made two postseason trips, one to the 2015 CIT and one to the 2016 NCAA Tournament where the MT knocked off Michigan State.

"Kerry knows our culture of work as well as anyone who has been associated with the success of MT basketball," Davis said. "He not only was an excellent player that played on three championship teams and NCAA and NIT teams, but was also a very bright student that received his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He will be an outstanding mentor to our players and will be a big part of our growth going forward."

In his one season away from the Murphy Center, Hammonds stayed nearby as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Siegel High School, where he was formerly a AAA Mr. Basketball finalist. He also taught business classes during his one year at Siegel.

Hammonds earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Education in 2014 and his Master's in Sports Management in 2016, both from Middle Tennessee.

"I would have to say Coach Davis had a bigger impact on my basketball knowledge than anyone else has," Hammonds added. "Coming in as a freshman, I was really talented but didn't spend time on the details. After four years on his team I saw the game in a whole new way, and I'm extremely happy to be back as a member of this staff and be able to continue to learn from such a great basketball mind."