Arkansas State University

Hayden McClain is in his second season as director of operations. He joined the program after six seasons with the Austin Peay program. 

McClain most recently served as special assistant to head coach Matt Figger at Austin Peay. Under Figger, he helped with opponent scouts, assisted in operations and was assistant to the head coach in all other duties. He also helped lead the program's community service outreach with close to 40 hours per athlete. 

Previously, he spent five seasons as a manager for the Governors.  He helped the squad to a 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance under Hall of Fame coach Dave Loos. 

After five seasons as a manager for the men's basketball program, McClain remained with the Governors for the 2016-17 season as a graduate assistant. He assisted the Governors in a variety of ways that season, including locker room and equipment responsibilities, help with on-campus recruiting, operations, study hall and film breakdown.

The hard-working and highly energetic Trezevant, Tenn., native became a valuable asset to both the players and the coaching staff in his role as the program’s head manager, largely because of his loyalty and reliability. During practice he often could be found helping coaches run halfcourt drills on one end of the floor or challenging players and the other managers to shooting contests.

McClain’s love of basketball was natural in that his grandfather once played for APSU before a knee injury sidetracked his promising career. McClain was a three-time all-district selection and all-region as a senior at West Carroll High School after averaging 15 points per game, including a career-best 29-point effort.

McClain graduated in 2016 with a degree in history. His goal is to coach college basketball.