Former Modesto Christian star Chuck Hayes to return to California in role with Warriors

Former Modesto Christian basketball star Chuck Hayes is returning to California to work in the Bay Area with one of the best NBA franchises of the past decade, the Golden State Warriors.

Hayes spent the past seven seasons in Houston, working as the Rockets assistant director of player personnel . He will join the Warriors as the organization’s director of basketball operations.

The news was reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype Friday, July 28, and confirmed by the Houston Chronicle the following day.

Hayes said in a text message to The Chronicle that his new role with the Warriors will encompass some scouting at the professional and college levels but will also “enhance my responsibilities with free agency and some trade strategy.”

“It’s always nice to have Chuck home,” said Hayes’ youth and high school coach at Modesto Christian, Gary Porter. “He’s such a big influence in the community.

“Coming back home is the icing on the cake. He’s a quiet, hardworking, motivated guy who just has that special ‘thing.’ Not everybody has it. I’m glad that he’s moving through the ranks. That just means he’s working hard just as he did as a fifth-grader all the way through high school. He hasn’t changed.”

Hayes was a longtime player and staffer for the Rockets and in 2017 joined the team’s front office as a pro player personnel scout. During his 11-year playing career, he had stints in Houston, Sacramento and Toronto.

As a high school player at Modesto Christian, Hayes produced one of the most decorated prep careers the Stanislaus District has seen. As a senior in 2001, he helped lead the Crusaders to the state championship game. He was named The Bee’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2000 and 2001 and was inducted into the Modesto Christian Inaugural Hall of Fame in 2019.

He went on to play college basketball at Kentucky, where he scored over 1,000 career points and earned 2004 SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Despite being a traditionally undersized big man at 6-foot-6, Hayes’s physicality and effort allowed him to carve out a starting spot in the frontcourt during his time in Houston. He started in all 82 games during his fifth season and had a career year in his sixth, averaging 7.9 points and 8.1 rebounds in 73 games at center.

“We had not had many Division I athletes before Chuck,” Porter said. “When he went to Kentucky, I went and watched him play and he said, ‘If I can just rebound, I can find a spot.’ And he did.”

Hayes was ahead of his time and served as inspiration to many undersized big men in today’s game, including Warriors forward Draymond Green.