Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- rstphns2@memphis.edu
- Phone:
- 901-678-4120
Amy Stephens is in the second year of her second stint at Memphis after coaching for her alma mater, Nebraska, from 2014-16.
“Amy returning to Memphis is a blessing,” added McFerrin. “She has proven over time that her experiences as an elite level player and coach will translate to our team. Her passion for the game will be infectious for our players. She will bring a familiarity with our system and her defensive expertise will show itself in our play.”
Returning to Memphis, Stevens oversaw the development of All-Rookie member Jamirah Shutes’ freshman season. Shutes put together one of the more memorable freshman seasons in recent memory, scoring the sixth-most points by a freshman in school history. Her 404 points led the team and were seventh in the AAC. Shutes also led the team with 42 steals.
Guard play was critical in the 19-point comeback win over Temple in the first round of the AAC Championship. Shutes and community college transfer Gazmyne Herndon combined for 27 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists as the Tigers made the largest comeback in AAC Championship history.
In her first season back at Nebraska in 2014-15, Stephens coordinated a Nebraska defense that led the Big Ten in scoring defense, surrendering just 60.9 points per game. The Huskers also ranked third in field goal percentage defense while also leading the conference in defensive rebounding percentage that season. She had previously been with Nebraska as an assistant coach during the 2002-03 season.
While at Memphis in 2013-14, Stephens helped McFerrin and the Tigers transition from Conference USA into the American Athletic Conference. In the Tigers first season as a member of The American, Ariel Hearn earned First-Team All-AAC honors while Mooriah Rowser and Breigha Wilder-Cochran were named to the All-Freshman team.
Prior to her stops at Memphis and Saint Louis (2012-13), Stephens was the head coach at Drake from 2003-12 and compiled a 151-130 overall record. In 2008, Stephens led the Bulldogs to the Missouri Valley Conference title and during the previous season, she guided Drake to the Missouri Valley Tournament title and an automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. She also led Drake to four WNIT appearances in her nine seasons at the helm.
Stephens has had two other coaching stops at the collegiate level including an eight-year head coaching stint at Nebraska-Kearney and a two-year stop at Iowa State as an assistant coach.
With Nebraska-Kearney, Stephens led the Lopers to a 197-43 overall record, averaging over 25 wins per season. The Lopers won five Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles while Stephens was in Kearney with seven consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. She was named the RMAC Coach of the Year four-times and was a WBCA national coach of the year finalist in 2000. Nebraska-Kearney also enjoyed an NCAA Division II record 87-game homecourt winning streak during her time there.
At Nebraska as a player, Stephens ranks among the top five in program history in points (1,976), assists (444), and steals (280). Stephens earned Kodak All-District V honors as a senior at Nebraska and was also a first-team All-Big Eight Conference selection that year. She helped lead Nebraska to its only Big Eight title in 1987-88 and the first NCAA appearance in program history.
Stephens was also a member of the 1989 U.S. National Team and played professionally in the Women’s Basketball League in Germany.
