Charlotte Bobcats: Who Is Steve Clifford?

Quick! Who’s the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats? Most NBA junkies couldn’t answer that question. Plus, who cares? Charlotte gets a new coach every year anyways. Well, that trend might stop with rookie head coach Steve Clifford. Clifford is probably the least known head coach in the NBA at the moment, so let’s take some time and get to know his resume.

Clifford, the Maine native, has coaching experience at all levels. His first head coaching job was at age 21–when he coached his former high school team for two years. After a two-year stint at the high school level, Clifford decided to make a jump. From 1985-95 Clifford was an assistant at four different colleges: St. Anselm, Fairfield, Boston University and Siena. Obviously, none of these schools are basketball powerhouses by any means.

In 1995, Clifford accepted the head coaching job at Adelphi, where he led their team to four NCAA Division II tournament appearances in four years. He posted a 86-36 (.705) record at Adelphi.

Clifford decided to join the NBA ranks after four successful years head coaching in college. His NBA coaching gigs were for the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy. While working for Van Gundy, Clifford started developing a reputation as a defensive mastermind. He later became an assistant coach for Stan Van Gundy in Orlando. In his five years in Orlando, the Magic made the playoffs every year–including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2009.  Clifford spent this past year as an assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers before accepting the Bobcat’s head coaching job.

Clifford doesn’t have the best resume in the world and I don’t mean to knock on him for it. I find it interesting how he has been able to move up the coaching ranks throughout his career. To me that says something about the guy–there is more to him that meets the eye. Somehow he is able to land better jobs without being the best “qualified.” I put qualified in quotations to mean that on there seem to be better candidates. He seems to have a “X” factor to him. He started his coaching career in Maine and ending up an assistant on the Lakers and then a head coach in Charlotte. He is doing something right. I root for guys like him. I don’t see him being a one-and-done in Charlotte. Clifford is someone I want to keep an eye on as the season goes on to see how to handles his first head coaching job.

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