Steve McClain details what he can bring to Tennessee staff

On May 13, Tennessee announced the hire of Steve McClain as a new assistant coach for the men’s basketball team. On Wednesday, McClain revealed what he hopes to bring to the Volunteers.

“You come into a new environment and you hope what you bring is just an energy, a familiarity to a degree of what coach expects,” McClain said. “In coaching, you always try to be a part of somewhere that the beliefs are a lot what you’ve grown up with. And knowing Coach (Gregg) Polinsky, knowing Coach (Justin) Gainey, knowing the people that are involved in this program. We’ve got one of the best strength coaches (Garrett Medenwald) in the country. I’d already heard about him before I ever walked in here.

“You try to find a match that you know you can walk in and hopefully just continue to build on what the energy and the enthusiasm in the program, and yet understand, it’s not about you. I think that’s the motto of this program. It’s not about one individual and those are the best teams that I’ve ever been a part of, is when everybody just does their job and the end result is what happens on the court. I feel fortunate to be here and be a part of that.”

McClain has a wealth of knowledge to offer the program. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at Texas from 2022-25. However, he has head coaching experience at Wyoming (1998-2007) and UIC (2015-20).

McClain’s most successful years were with at Wyoming, where he amassed a 157-115 overall record and two regular-season conference championships. McClain’s best season at Wyoming was the 2001-02 campaign when the Cowboys posted an 11-3 conference record and reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

McClain has also served on staff at TCU, Colorado, Indiana and Georgia. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is excited for Steve McClain to join the program.

“Steve is a veteran coach who has accomplished so much over four-plus decades. It was an easy decision to seize the chance to hire him here at Tennessee and we’re happy to have him,” Barnes said. “His experience, coaching acumen and care for his players will be invaluable. I am confident Steve will give his all for Tennessee on a daily basis and that our program will benefit from his passion.”

Tennessee will be hungry for success next season. The Volunteers reached the Elite Eight this past season before falling to Houston. In the 2025-26 campaign, Tennessee will hunt for its first Final Four appearance in program history.