Steve Clifford
|
Clifford as Orlando Magic assistant coach in 2010. | |
| Charlotte Hornets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
September 17, 1961 Island Falls, Maine |
| Nationality | American |
| Career information | |
| High school | North Country Union (Newport, Vermont) |
| College | Maine–Farmington (1979–1983) |
| Coaching career | 1983–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1983–1985 | Woodland HS |
| 1985–1989 | Saint Anselm (asst.) |
| 1989–1990 | Fairfield (asst.) |
| 1990–1994 | Boston University (asst.) |
| 1994–1995 | Siena (asst.) |
| 1995–1999 | Adelphi |
| 1999–2000 | East Carolina (asst.) |
| 2000–2001 | New York Knicks (advance scout) |
| 2001–2003 | New York Knicks (asst.) |
| 2003–2007 | Houston Rockets (asst.) |
| 2007–2012 | Orlando Magic (asst.) |
| 2012–2013 | Los Angeles Lakers (asst.) |
| 2013–present | Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets |
Steven Gerald Clifford (born September 17, 1961) is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Early life
Born in Island Falls, Maine, Clifford grew up in Mattawamkeag, Maine, until the third grade, when he moved to Vermont.[1] He played varsity basketball under Gerald Clifford, his father and head coach at North Country Union High School in Newport, Vermont.[2][3]
Clifford matriculated the University of Maine at Farmington, where he played college basketball for four years. In his final two seasons, he was team captain and was named Best Defensive Player. He graduated with a degree in special education.[4]
Coaching career
After graduating from college, Clifford became a teacher at Woodland High School in Maine. He also gained his first coaching experience at the school, serving as their head coach for two seasons while leading them to two tournaments.[2][5] He then served as an assistant coach at St. Anselm’s College, Fairfield University, Boston University and Siena College. In 1995, he assumed the head coaching duties at Adelphi University and coached for four seasons under Keith Dickson, leading their team to four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, an 86–36 (.705) record and four consecutive 20-win seasons; he was the first coach in the school's history with back-to-back 20-plus win seasons.[5]
Clifford became an NBA assistant coach with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy and quickly developed a reputation as a defensive expert. He then was an assistant for Stan Van Gundy with the Orlando Magic.[2] He considers both the Van Gundy brothers as mentors.[6] He reached the NBA Playoffs in each of his five seasons with Orlando, appearing in the NBA Finals in 2009.
Clifford then joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012–13 as an assistant.
Charlotte Bobcats/ Hornets
On May 29, 2013, Clifford was hired by the Charlotte Bobcats to be their head coach.[7]
Clifford implemented a defensive mentality in Charlotte during his first year as head coach turning the Charlotte Bobcats into a top five defensive team when in the years prior to his tenure they ranked near the bottom of the NBA in that category. He led the Bobcats to the 2014 NBA Playoffs in his first year as head coach, during which he coached the Bobcats to a 43-39 record. The two years prior to him joining the Charlotte Bobcats only had a combined total of 28 wins. He was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for April 2014 after he led the Bobcats to a 7-1 record leading to the playoffs. He finished fourth in Coach of the Year voting in his first year.
Head coaching record
College
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelphi Panthers (New York Collegiate Athletic Conference) (1995–1999) | |||||||||
| 1995–96 | Adelphi | 23–7 | 17–5 | 2nd | NCAA D-II First Round | ||||
| 1996–97 | Adelphi | 21–9 | 17–5 | 3rd | NCAA D-II First Round | ||||
| 1997–98 | Adelphi | 22–8 | 18–4 | 3rd | NCAA D-II First Round | ||||
| 1998–99 | Adelphi | 20–12 | 14–8 | 3rd | NCAA D-II Sweet 16 | ||||
| Adelphi University: | 86–36 (.705) | 66–22 | |||||||
| Total: | 86–36 (.705) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
NBA
| Legend | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win-loss % | |
| Post season | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win-loss % | |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 2013–14 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 3rd in Southeast | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | Lost in First Round |
| Charlotte | 2014–15 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 4th in Southeast | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Charlotte | 2015–16 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 3rd in Southeast | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in First Round |
| Career | 246 | 124 | 122 | .504 | 11 | 3 | 8 | .273 |
See also
National Basketball Association portal
References
- ↑ Clark, Ernie (June 12, 2013). "Maine native Clifford works way into NBA's head coaching fraternity at Charlotte". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Maine native Steve Clifford named Bobcats head coach". Bangor Daily News. May 27, 2013. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
- ↑ Reed, Steve (May 28, 2013). "Charlotte Bobcats reportedly hire coach with Vermont ties". Burlington Free Press. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
- ↑ "Steve Clifford". NBA.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
- 1 2 DiFillipo, Matt (November 25, 2011). "BASKETBALL: Clifford still learning". Kennebec Journal. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
- ↑ Media, Mark (August 15, 2012). "Lakers assistant coach candidate profile: Steve Clifford". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013.
- ↑ "Charlotte Bobcats Name Steve Clifford Head Coach". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 29, 2013. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
External links
- Profile at NBA.com