First-year University of Tennessee at Martin head men’s basketball coach Anthony Stewart has announced a pair of promotions and three new additions to his assistant coaching staff.
Jermaine Johnson and DeAndre Walker, both members of the Skyhawk staff with Stewart since 2014, have been elevated. Johnson has moved from assistant coach to first assistant coach while Walker has been hired as a full-time assistant coach after his previous role of strength coach and player development. The duo has helped UT Martin to 41 wins, the program’s first-ever Ohio Valley Conference West division championship and four postseason victories over the last two seasons.
“Both Jermaine and DeAndre are tireless workers,” said Stewart, who was tabbed the school’s 10th head coach on April 21. “I am very fortunate to have been able to retain the both of them. They have been vital members of our success and they each bring unique skill sets to our program each and every day.”
Stewart also has announced a trio of newcomers to the Skyhawk support staff, as Alex Ireland (assistant coach), Andrew McClatchey (director of basketball technology) and Nick Buchanan (graduate assistant) have joined UT Martin.
“Alex, Andrew and Nick all understand the commitment it takes to be a part of our program,” Stewart said. “I look forward to working with each of these men as we look to build off the success we have had here over the last two seasons moving forward.”
Ireland comes to the Skyhawks from Alcorn State, where he was an assistant coach for Montez Robinson in 2015-16. He helped the Braves to the program’s best season since 2002, as Alcorn State went 15-15 overall. The Braves compiled a 13-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference mark, which was good enough for second place in the league standings.
Prior to Ireland’s stint at Alcorn State, he spent two years as a graduate assistant for Mike Helfer at Valdosta State. His duties included overseeing post players, scouting opponents, serving as academic liaison, recruiting and film exchange. He helped the Blazers post a 16-11 season in 2013-14.
Ireland began his collegiate coaching career at Kennesaw State, where he was a student assistant from 2007-11 before transitioning into a video coordinator in 2011-12. He followed that with a season at North Cobb Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga., as he helped the team post a 25-5 record while producing five Division-I signees.
McClatchey comes to UT Martin from IUPUI, where he was a graduate manager under head coach Jason Gardner. He assisted the Jaguar coaching staff with statistical analysis while also performing managerial tasks in 2015-16. He also previously supplied advanced statistical analytics at Anderson University (2014-15) and New Palestine High School (2013-14).
Buchanan joins the Skyhawks from Iowa State, where he specialized as a student manager for the last four seasons under current Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg and former Murray State head coach Steve Prohm. In Buchanan’s tenure, the Cyclones compiled a 99-41 overall record, won two Big 12 Conference tournament championships (2014, 2015) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on a pair of occasions (2014, 2016).
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