Steve Clifford

Steve Clifford

Clifford as Orlando Magic assistant coach in 2010.
Charlotte Hornets
Position	Head coach
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1961-09-17) September 17, 1961 (age 55) Island Falls, 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 (asst.)
1989–1990	Fairfield (asst.)
1990–1994	Boston University (asst.)
1994–1995	Siena (asst.)
1995–1999	Adelphi
1999–2000	East Carolina (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 September 17, 1961) is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Born in Island Falls, Maine, Clifford grew up in Mattawamkeag, Maine, until the third grade, when he moved to Vermont. He played varsity basketball under Gerald Clifford, his father and head coach at North Country Union High School in Newport, Vermont.

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.

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. 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.

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. He considers both the Van Gundy brothers as mentors. He reached the NBA Playoffs in each of his five seasons with Orlando, appearing in the NBA Finals in 2009.