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Shanice Stephens enters her third season with the Clemson program and her first with an Associate Head Coach title. She is also in her third year as the recruiting coordinator after overseeing a top-25 rated signing class in 2006 for the Lady Tigers. Stephens came to Clemson after serving as an assistant under Cristy McKinney at Rice University from 1996-2005, where she helped the school to nine consecutive winning seasons.
"Shanice brings a lot of experience," McKinney said. "She's worked with me in the past and knows what sort of things worked at Rice. She has a great personality and brings a lot of enthusiasm to the Clemson program."
"She is a passionate basketball coach, who has developed in all areas over the years. Shanice has a special gift of talking with and relating to people which is invaluable in the coaching business."
In just her second year at Clemson, Stephens helped the Lady Tigers sign five players for a recruiting class that was ranked #22 in the nation by The All Star Girls Report. McKinney and her staff expect immediate contributions from Whitney Hood, Bryelle Smith, Jasmine Tate, Sthefany Thomas and Kirstyn Wright.
Sophomore Lele Hardy, the first recruit to sign under McKinney, completed one of the most prolific rookie campaigns in program history last year. The former South Carolina State Player-of-the-Year was named to the 2007 ACC All-Freshman team and set numerous school freshman records in 2006-07.
Stephens, who McKinney claims has a true passion for the defensive aspect of the game, guided Hardy to an ACC-best 3.27 steals per game average last year. Hardy collected 98 for the season to rank second all-time in program history. Overall, Clemson was listed fourth in the conference in 2006-07 with 10.97 steals per game.
Stephens' coaching achievements have not gone unnoticed by others in the field. In December of 2006, the NCAA selected her for the Judith Sweet Spirit Award. Stephens was then chosen to participate in the Achieving Coaching Excellence Program, sponsored by the Black Coaches and Administrators Association.
In 2005-06, Stephens helped guards Julie Talley and Tasha Taylor to post significantly higher steal totals from their previous seasons. Taylor more than doubled her freshman total with 53 on the year, while almost 40-percent of Talley's career steals were collected as a senior that year.
While at Rice, Stephens helped the Lady Owls to 179 wins during her nine years in Houston. That equates to an average of 19.9 wins per year. She also helped Rice to a 65.6 winning percentage (179-94) during that time. Included in the total was Rice's 24-9 record in 2004-05, when Stephens helped coach the Lady Owls to their second WAC Tournament Championship and second NCAA Tournament appearance.
Stephens coached the Lady Owls to 20+ wins in six of her nine seasons with the Rice program. She helped lead Rice to the 2000 WAC Tournament title and subsequent first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. That season, Stephens helped Rice to top 30 rankings in both three-point shooting (36.7 percent) and scoring defense (59.8 points per game).
Stephens was responsible primarily for defense and perimeter players at Rice. In the 2004-05 season, she coached Krystal Frazier to WAC All-Defensive Team honors after she posted 1.76 steals per game. In 2002-03, she coached Kim Lawson to WAC All-Defensive honors. She also helped Lawson to WAC All-Newcomer honors in 2000.
Steohens had a significant impact in the development of four-time All-WAC selection, All-Time Top 50 WAC player and former WNBA player Marla Brumfield. Under Stephens' guidance, Brumfield finished first in Rice history with 311 steals, and third in Lady Owl history with 1,703 career points scored. Stephens also coached Charonda Wilson, a two-time WAC All-Defensive Team selection.
Stephens spent three years as an Athletic Amateur Union (AAU) coach in Oklahoma, guiding her 1996 team to the state championship.
Stephens earned her undergraduate degree in 1993 from Oklahoma State, where she earned two letters and was a member of two NCAA Tournament teams. The Cowgirls advanced to the Sweet 16 of the national tournament during her senior season. Stephens started at point guard for Austin Peay during the 1989-90 season, her first year of eligibility. She earned a masters degree in 1996 from the University of Central Oklahoma.
The former Shanice Bottoms is married to Garrett Stephens. She has two daughters, Sydney Alexandria (7) and Lauryn A'lyce (1), and two stepsons Garrett (13) and Grant (8). The couple is expecting a son, whom they plan to name Grayson David, in November.
