TicketsJuly 30, 2012
By Katie Baran
Stephanie Stevens' dreams of becoming a head basketball coach started at a young age. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 2010 following a four-year career on the women's basketball team, she always hoped she could turn her childhood dream into a reality.
"When I was in fifth or sixth grade, one of my teammates would come over," Stevens said. "We would be on the white board in my house and we'd pretend we were coaches and make up plays. I felt like I always had it in me. I always wanted to be a mentor and a female role model."
Stevens first had the opportunity to do that when she was hired in 2010 as a graduate assistant at Gallaudet University - a university for deaf and hard of hearing students. During that season, the Bison went on to post a 24-4 record, were ranked for more than a month and made the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 1999.
Following her success at Gallaudet, Stevens spent one season as an assistant coach at University of Maryland. There, she helped the Terrapins win an ACC championship and advance to the NCAA Division I tournament Elite 8. Maryland finished with a 31-5 record and was ranked fifth in the nation.
But, returning to where it all began was no coincidence for the 25-year-old, whose coaching career has seemingly gone according to plan.
"I knew I wanted to be a head coach but it wasn't until I was fully immersed in the deaf community that I knew I wanted to be a part of it," Stevens said. "I was fortunate enough to become the grad assistant at Gallaudet in 2010. From then, I knew I wanted to be a part of the deaf culture for the rest of my life. It's a truly amazing culture."
Stevens, the oldest of four children, was in her pre-teens when her younger brother Mark was born with Down syndrome. After learning sign language to communicate with her only male sibling, she developed a passion for the language.
"I started learning basic sign language back in 1998 and 1999," Stevens said. "During my senior year in 2006, I had my first American Sign Language class in my high school. I went to UC and continued to take classes and from there, I knew that I had the ability to learn it and I was always excited to continue to learn more. From then, I wasn't fluent until I was at Gallaudet."
The Washington, D.C., institution opened her eyes to a world of opportunity. All it took was one year as a graduate assistant for her to begin pinpointing ways she could make an impact.
"From an athletic standpoint, there were a lot of things that the deaf may have missed out on because the interpreter didn't know how to relay the message," Stevens said. "I noticed that right away. I wanted to share what I know and use the language that they use and be able to delegate and teach them the fundamentals of basketball."
The Pickerington, Ohio, native is a product of the student-athlete experience. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Bearcats, a four-time BIG EAST Conference All-Academic Team selection, and was named to the Dean's List every semester. She was a member of SAAC all four years and graduated with a degree in special education with a focus on sign language interpreting and deaf studies. Just two years removed from college, Stevens knows the opportunity she has been given is once in a lifetime.
"I feel like I have been blessed," Stevens said. "I've always been the youngest person on a team growing up. From there, it's helped me grow up and mature faster. I was also the oldest of four children, which in turn forces you into responsibility growing up and making sure you're a good role model for your siblings. Being a head coach at 25, you get that, but I don't feel like I act like I'm 25. I'm lucky that I've experienced a lot that other 25 years old haven't."
Much of what the first-year head coach has learned has come from UC head women's basketball coach Jamelle Elliott. Despite only spending her senior season with Elliott, Stevens witnessed a drastic turnaround in a short time period.
"As a coach, she had to take on the challenge of dealing with student-athletes who were so tired of getting new coaching staffs," Stevens said. "Since then, she has not only helped our student-athletes on the court, but off the court - especially with community service, being more active in the community, and getting our female student-athletes' names out there."
Since Stevens' senior campaign, Elliott's squad has advanced to postseason play for the first time in six years and went from finishing third to last in the BIG EAST Conference to tied for 10th. Last season, the Bearcats finished with a .500 record for the first time since 2006-07 and recorded four conference road wins - its most since becoming a BIG EAST member.
"She's done so much for that program," Stevens said. "I'm so happy that I was able to be coached under her my last year. She and I have kept in contact not only about how we're doing, but just in terms of each other's programs. She's definitely someone that if I ever needed anything, I know she'd be there for me and vice versa. I hope the best for her and that program because I bleed red and black and I want to be able to support her in any way possible."