Dwayne Stephens is in his ninth season as an assistant coach at Michigan State.
Among Stephens' many responsibilities, he coaches the Spartan post players, while also handling scouting and recruiting duties. In July 2010, he was among the top five coaches on a list of the "Top 25 High-Major Assistants," according to FoxSports.com. Under his tutelage, Spartan center Paul Davis was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, including first-team all-conference and Associated Press honorable mention All-America honors in 2003-04, while finishing among the top 10 scorers and rebounders in MSU history. In 2009, second-team All-Big Ten performer Goran Suton led the Big Ten in rebounding, one season after ranking second in the conference. Draymond Green has finished third in the league in rebounding in each of the last two seasons, being named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2010 and earning third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2011.
The Spartans led the nation in rebounding in 2009 and 2010, and have paced the Big Ten in five of his eight seasons.
Stephens has coached in 10 straight NCAA Tournaments, including the 2003 Final Four with Marquette and the 2005, 2009 and 2010 Final Fours with MSU. He has been a part of back-to-back Big Ten Championship teams in 2009 and 2010. Last year, the Spartan big men led a defensive attack that set a school record in blocks. In fact, four of the top five seasons in Michigan State history for blocks have occurred since Stephens joined the coaching staff.
Stephens has emerged as one of the top recruiters in the nation. He was named a Rivals.com Class of 2006 Top 25 Recruiter in September, and played a key role in putting together a top-five recruiting class in the fall of 2006. In May 2008, he was listed among the top 20 High-Major Assistants in the nation by Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com.
A Ferndale, Mich., native, Stephens was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State University from 1989-93. In his four seasons, the Spartans posted an 84-38 overall record and made four postseason appearances, as Stephens never missed a game in his career. As a freshman in 1989-90, Stephens was a third-team selection on Basketball Weekly's Freshman All-America Team and scored the game-winning basket in a 72-70 victory over Purdue that clinched the Big Ten Championship. In 1990-91, he was the recipient of MSU's Best Defensive Player Award on a squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
As a junior, Stephens was voted Most Valuable Player by his teammates as he averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He was also named honorable mention All-Big Ten and was named the recipient of MSU's Most Improved Player Award. In two NCAA Tournament games, Stephens averaged 16.0 points. In 1992-93, Stephens served as a senior co-captain for the Spartans, averaging 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was named MSU's Best Defensive Player and earned a spot on the Basketball Weekly Honorable Mention All-Midwest Team.
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Stephens spent four years (1999-2003) as an assistant at Marquette under former MSU assistant Tom Crean. In 2001, Brian Wardle became the school's first-ever first-team All-Conference USA honoree. Marquette made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003, advancing to the Final Four in 2003. Dwyane Wade was a two-time all-league performer and earned First-Team All-America honors from The Associated Press in 2003. The Golden Eagles posted a 27-6 record in 2003, winning a Conference USA regular-season title.
Prior to his coaching stint at Marquette, Stephens spent the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons as an assistant coach at Oakland University, where the Golden Grizzlies compiled a 27-27 two-year record. During the `98-99 campaign, Oakland's first season as a Division I member, the Golden Grizzlies posted a 12-15 mark. Following the conclusion of his collegiate career, Stephens played three professional seasons in Europe.
Stephens earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Michigan State in 1993. His family includes his daughter, Taylor Olivia.
