Steve Clifford

Steve Clifford
Charlotte Hornets
Position Head coach
League NBA
Personal information
Born May 28, 1961
Lincoln, 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 College (asst.)
1989–1990 Fairfield (asst.)
1990–1994 Boston University (asst.)
1994–1995 Siena (asst.)
1995–1999 Adelphi University
1999–2000 East Carolina University (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 May 28, 1961) is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Early life

Clifford was born in Lincoln, Maine,[1] the son of Gerald Clifford, who coached high school basketball. Clifford played for his father 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.

Coaching record

College

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Adelphi Panthers (New York Collegiate Athletic Conference) (1995–1999)
1995–96 Adelphi University 23–7
1996–97 Adelphi University 21–9
1997–98 Adelphi University 22–8
1998–99 Adelphi University 20–12
Adelphi University: 86–36 (.705)
Total: 86–36 (.705)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament 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 %
TeamYearGWLW–L%FinishPGPWPLPW–L%Result
CHA 2013–14 824339.5243rd in Southeast404.000 Lost in First Round
CHA 2014–15 823349.4024st in Southeast– Missed Playoffs
Career 1647688.463 404.000

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lazarczyk, Travis (May 29, 2013). "Maine roots taking hold in the NBA". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Maine native Steve Clifford named Bobcats head coach". Bangor Daily News. May 27, 2013. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
  3. ↑ Reed, Steve (May 28, 2013). "Charlotte Bobcats reportedly hire coach with Vermont ties". Burlington Free Press. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Steve Clifford". NBA.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 DiFillipo, Matt (November 25, 2011). "BASKETBALL: Clifford still learning". Kennebec Journal. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
  6. ↑ Media, Mark (August 15, 2012). "Lakers assistant coach candidate profile: Steve Clifford". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013.
  7. ↑ "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