<p>The athletic program at Greenwood Christian has been on a pretty consistent upward trajectory for the past several years, so when the school began the search for an athletic director, it wasn’t looking for somebody who wanted to come in and make sweeping changes — especially with the community still reeling from the sudden death of AD Sue Tameling in the spring.</p><p>In Devin Gray, GCA believes it has found its man.</p><p>Gray, who had served one year as the athletic director at Horizon Christian in Indianapolis, officially took over the Cougars’ athletic department on June 15 — and he hit the ground running, making it a point to set up in-person meetings with all of the GCA coaches during his first week.</p><p>Though he had never met Tameling, Gray believes his mindset is very similar to what hers was in terms of building and valuing interpersonal relationships.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>"Just given all the testimonies I’ve heard about how well she connected with the students and families here," Gray said, "that’s something that’s really important to me is the relationship aspect of it, and so I’m just wanting to really focus on the opportunity that we have as an athletic department, be it through our coaches and families and players, to just build relationships."</p><p>One relationship that Gray had already built before arriving at Greenwood Christian was the one he has with boys basketball coach Jonny Marlin. The two were friends and roommates at Indiana Wesleyan, where Gray was the basketball team’s head manager when Marlin transferred in as a player from Indiana University.</p><p>Marlin is confident that Gray will be a good fit at GCA.</p><p>"It’s not necessarily Devin’s nature to come in and throw things off," Marlin said. "He’s a very observant guy, so I think he’s going to come in and he’s going to try to learn as much as he can from the coaches and kind of go off what they need and what they want. Devin’s not a guy that’s going to come in and make it about himself. He’s very team-oriented, and so I think that’s one of the reasons he’s going to be successful at this role."</p><p>What Gray lacks in experience — he’s just five years out of college and has never worked at an IHSAA school before — he’s eager to make up for through hard work, as well as by listening to the people that have been a part of the GCA community. Former athletic director and coach Jamie Satre has been a resource for Gray, as has girls golf coach and assistant AD Shannon Witte, who had run the athletic department on an interim basis since Tameling’s death.</p><p>Witte says that the passing of the torch has gone smoothly thus far, and she’s hopeful that Gray will be able to build on the momentum that his predecessor had generated.</p><p>"It’s harder for us that knew (Tameling) to make that transition, but I think that he has made it as easy as it could possibly be," Witte said. "Those of us that worked closely with her knew her vision for GCA, and we are the ones that can carry it forward — and I think that he’s definitely open to all of that and is willing to step right in and fill those big shoes."</p><p>Gray will miss the fulfillment that came with coaching, but while he says he’s enticed by the possibility of serving as an assistant to Marlin at some point, he’s got enough on his plate right now. In addition to adjusting to a new job in the middle of a pandemic, he and his wife have a 10-week-old baby at home — so there isn’t a lot of spare time available right now.</p><p>Instead, he’s focused on growing into a role that he believes is "right in my wheelhouse." Gray said that he and his family felt their hearts being pulled toward GCA during the interview process, and he’s hoping that he’ll be a part of the Cougar family for a long time.</p><p>"It’s definitely a place, just with where they stand in terms of what their mission is, it lines up really parallel to who I am. So I could see myself, if they’ll have me, being here for a number of years."</p>
