After leaving LeMoyne-Owen, Gaines became a world traveler, playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. He was the Globetrotters’ “dribbling whiz” before “Curly” Neal. He traveled the world from 1963-1967 as a standout guard with the Harlem Globetrotters and was the 24th person in team history to be honored with the prestigious “Legends” Ring.

After almost four years with the Globetrotters, Gaines played in the old American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Kentucky Colonels for a season. He returned to Memphis when his playing days ended and spent a year as an assistant coach at LeMoyne-Owen. Gaines earned his Bachelor of Science degree at LeMoyne-Owen and in 1970, a Master of Arts degree at Eastern Michigan University. Later, he served as an elementary teacher, high school teacher and as an athletic director for a Job Corps program.

Gaines big break came in 1973 when he joined then University of Detroit head basketball coach and current ESPN basketball analyst, Dick Vitale. After serving four years as Vitale’s assistant, Gaines became head coach at Detroit in 1977. He had two successful seasons in Detroit and joined the ranks of John Thompson, Fred Snowden and George Raveling as one of the few African-American head coaches at Division 1 colleges.

In 1979, Gaines left Detroit to become head basketball coach at San Diego State University. He broke the hearts of many Memphis Tiger fans when he successfully recruited West Memphis high school basketball star, Michael Cage. At the time, most observers thought Cage would take the short trip across the river to play for the Tigers. But Gaines knew that he had a commitment when his top recruit saw the beautiful San Diego State campus, the ocean and students sun bathing. Cage became a star at San Diego State followed by a long and successful career in the NBA.

In 1987, Gaines left coaching to become an assistant athletic director at San Diego State. Two years later, he joined the NBA’s Denver Nuggets as a professional scout. He left the Nuggets in 1994 and until moving to Memphis in 2005, headed a number of business ventures in San Diego and Las Vegas. The all-time scoring leader at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tenn., Gaines was named head men’s basketball coach and athletic director at his alma mater in April 2005.  He was the first person to have his number (#32) retired at LeMoyne-Owen.