Newberry head basketball coach Jason Taylor announced the hiring of South Carolina native Stephen Rodgers as an assistant basketball coach.
“Stephen is going to do a great job for our program and Newberry College,” Taylor said. “His familiarity with the state growing up nearby and having played for one of the best coaches at any level in Coach Whipple, the quality of programs he’s already been a part of in various roles as a college coach, as well as his extensive recruiting contacts makes him a homerun hire for us. I was very sad to see Coach Quinn leave, as he has been an integral part of our program in every way and impossible to replace. Having said that, I am thankful we can add a coach with Stephen’s abilities to fill the position. We are excited to welcome Coach Rodgers back home to South Carolina.”
Rodgers comes to Newberry College after one season as a Graduate Assistant at Florida State University. During the 2020-2021 season, Rodgers played an essential role in helping the Seminoles be the top 3-point shooting team in the ACC (37.6%) which was good for 21st in the country. Rodgers also worked alongside one of the nation’s top post-player developers in the country, coach Stan Jones. Defensively, the Seminoles ranked 12th in both block percentage and opponent 2-point field goal percentage. They were also 24th in opponent effective field goal percentage and 33rd in defensive efficiency. The Seminoles finished with an 18-7 overall record, which included an appearance in the Sweet 16 and a final ranking of No. 14 in the AP Poll.
Prior to Florida State, Rodgers spent one season on staff at Missouri Baptist University (2019-2020) alongside head coach Preston Ingram helping lead them to a 15-14 overall record clinching an AMC conference tournament berth. During his season with Missouri Baptist, the Spartans ranked 21st in the country in defensive 3-point field goal percentage and 28th in scoring defense per game. Rodgers spent one season in the high school ranks as an assistant at the Hammond School (2018-2019) in Columbia, SC helping lead them to a 3A SCISA state runner-up. He spent three years as the Director of Scouting at Big Shots.
A native of Columbia, S.C., he played for the legendary coach Tim Whipple at Irmo High School. He is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University with a degree in psychology and a minor in sociology. He will finish with his Master’s in Sports Management from Florida State in July of 2021.
https://newberrywolves.com/news/2021/5/21/stephen-rodgers-named-mens-basketball-assistant-coach.aspx
