University of Tennessee at Martin head men’s basketball coach Anthony Stewart has finalized his staff for the 2020-21 season, as he announced the hiring of Jeremiah Welch, Ross Fleming, Deonte Johnson and Dillion Sneed.
A Sacramento, Calif. native, Welch will be the Skyhawks’ strength and conditioning coach. He comes to UT Martin from Clemson University, where he was a strength and conditioning intern for the men’s basketball program during the summer of 2020. Previously, he was the head strength and conditioning coach as well as the top assistant for the men’s basketball program at the University of Valley Forge in Phoenixville, Pa. Welch also served as strength and conditioning coach at Clarke University and was a volunteer assistant for the men’s basketball program at Loras College (both located in Dubuque, Iowa) for the 2017-18 season. Additionally, he was a strength and conditioning intern for the men’s basketball program at the University of Providence in 2015-16, where he played men’s basketball as well as track and field. A certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA), Personal Trainer (ACSM) and Level One Coach for USA Weightlifting, Welch graduated from Providence with a degree in human health and performance in 2017.
Fleming joins the Skyhawk staff as video coordinator. Hailing from Nashville, Tenn., Fleming is a 2020 graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC – where he was a head manager for the Bison men’s basketball program. At Howard, he was a part of the 2018-19 squad who made its first postseason appearance since 1992 when it competed in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) event. He assisted in the player development for several All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference selections, including an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and a pair of MEAC Players of the Year. He worked on film breakdown and accurately maintained statistical analysis for individual players and the team during his Howard tenure. He earned his collegiate degree in human performance – sports medicine.
Johnson, who will serve as a player development coach for the Skyhawk backcourt, is familiar with the UT Martin men’s basketball program as he served as manager from January 2015 through December 2018. That includes the role of head manager for parts of four seasons under Stewart as Johnson was part of Skyhawk teams who made three postseason appearances and won a pair of Ohio Valley Conference divisional championships. Johnson orchestrated individual skill workouts and created highlight videos for players and coaches from those sessions. The Kansas City, Mo. native was instrumental in the player development of UT Martin’s three All-OVC first teamers, five All-OVC second team honorees and four All-OVC Newcomers since 2015. He graduated from UT Martin with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2018.
Serving as a player development coach for the UT Martin frontcourt is Sneed, who played 11 seasons of professional basketball overseas following a standout collegiate career. The Chicago, Ill. native spent his first two seasons at Colby Community College, where the team set a school record for single-season victories as well as the highest national ranking (No. 2) in school history. He wrapped up his playing career at ETSU, where he led the Southern Conference in rebounding as a junior in 2004-05. He still ranks in the top-10 in Bucs history in field goal percentage (.598) and rebounds per game (8.3). He parlayed that into a professional career that included three All-Star appearances and multiple championship stints all over the world, playing in France, Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Italy, South Korea, Uruguay, Argentina, Qatar, Japan, Israel, Taiwan and Portugal. He began his coaching career at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., where he spent two seasons (2017-19) as an assistant under head coach Clark Sheehy. Sneed spent the 2019-20 season working with the Houston Rockets in marketing and basketball operations, assisting former player development coach Irv Rowland with individual skill workouts. Sneed graduated with a degree in communications from ETSU in 2006 and obtained his Master’s degree in athletic activity administration from Southwest Baptist in 2019.
