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Todd Steelman is in his third season as an assistant women's basketball coach with the Clemson Lady Tiger program. He made the move following two successful seasons alongside Cristy McKinney at Rice University.
"I'm really happy to have Todd come with me from Rice," McKinney said. "He is an enthusiastic, energetic coach who is good on the court with the players. His personality and communication skills allow him to be a good recruiter. Plus, his high school experience provides us with a lot of contacts in the state of North Carolina."
While at Rice, Steelman helped guide the Lady Owls to a 46-19 record from 2003-05. During that time, Rice received bids to the WNIT and NCAA Tournament. In 2005-06, he helped Rice to a school-record 24 wins and its second WAC Tournament Championship.
Known as an excellent motivator, Steelman is responsible for the development of the Lady Tiger post players. In addition, he is in charge of game scheduling and coordinating high school evaluation dates during the academic year. Opponent scouting, individual player development and recruiting are also on the list of duties for the Hickory, NC native.
Senior forward D'Lesha Lloyd experienced a breakout season in 2006-07 after switching from the wing position to the four spot. She exploded with 24 double-figure scoring games and led the team with 14.2 points per game, which more than doubled her career average. Under Steelman's tutelage, Lloyd also bettered her prior career rebounding average by 3.0 per game to rank second on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game.
Moreemi Davis also improved in her redshirt sophomore season thanks to Steelman's teaching. The Lady Tiger starting center doubled her scoring average from her freshman season and increased her rebounding figures by 2.6 boards per game. Davis also shot a significantly higher percentage from the field as she converted 45-percent of her attempts, up from her .356 mark as a freshman. Davis also totaled 36 blocked shots, an astonishing 30 more shots than she blocked in 2004-05.
Clemson's front court players also showed improvement in their first season working with Steelman. Starting center Amanda Frist averaged double figures in scoring for the first time in her career while playing less minutes than in any of her previous three seasons. Frist also improved on the defensive end of the court, blocking 47 shots in 2005-06, 18 more than her highest prior total.
Steelman also helped back-up center Adrianne Bradshaw to better her scoring average from her freshman season and played a significant role in power forward Lauren Allen's scoring and rebounding improvements. Nearly half of Allen's career rebounds and points were recorded during her senior year.
Off the court, Steelman serves as the director for the Lady Tiger Basketball Camps, held during the summer months. He is responsible for all administrative aspects of the camps, such as securing facilities for the day and overnight camps and hiring camp staff.
Steelman began his coaching career in high school basketball in the state of North Carolina. He spent seven seasons (1994-99 and 2001-03) as the head girls' basketball coach at Cresset Christian Academy in Durham, NC. He also served as the school's athletic director four of the years he spent at Cresset. During his tenure at the school, he guided the Lady Eagles to 156 wins, including a 51-game conference winning streak. Steelman led Cresset to back-to-back Final Four appearances in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament (2002 and 2003), reaching the championship game in 2002. Steelman, two-time Triad Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, also spent time as the boys' basketball and cross country head coach.
Steelman served as the head girls' basketball coach at Kerr-Vance Academy in Henderson, NC from 1999-2001. He led the Lady Spartans to their first ever Coastal Plains Conference Championship in 2000, and was named Coach of the Year by the Henderson Daily Dispatch.
He earned his undergraduate degree from John Brown University in 1989. He attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina and spent time as a volunteer with the women's basketball program during its 1993-94 NCAA Championship season.
Steelman is married to the former Tracy Millsap. The couple resides in Clemson and has three children: Matthew (17), Hannah (8), and Jonathan (6).
