Dwayne Stephens Position: Assistant Coach Experience: Fifth Year

Dwayne Stephens is in his fifth season as an assistant coach at Michigan State, returning to coach at his alma mater after four seasons as an assistant coach at Marquette.

Among Stephens' many responsibilities, he coaches the Spartan post players, while also handling scouting and recruiting duties. Under his tutelage, Spartan center Paul Davis was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, including first-team all-conference and Associated Press honorable mention All-America honors in 2003-04, while finishing among the top 10 scorers and rebounders in MSU history. Stephens has coached in five straight NCAA Tournaments, including the 2003 Final Four with Marquette and the 2005 Final Four with MSU. He was named a Rivals.com Class of 2006 Top 25 Recruiter in September.

A Ferndale, Mich., native, Stephens was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State University from 1989-93. In his four seasons, the Spartans posted an 84-38 overall record and made four postseason appearances, as Stephens never missed a game in his career. As a freshman in 1989-90, Stephens was a third-team selection on Basketball Weekly's Freshman All-America Team, averaging 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds. He scored the game-winning basket in a 72-70 victory over Purdue that clinched the Big Ten Championship for the Spartans. In the 1990 NCAA Tournament, he averaged 10.0 points in three contests. In 1990-91, Stephens was the recipient of MSU's Best Defensive Player Award, while averaging 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds on a Spartan squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

As a junior, Stephens was voted Most Valuable Player by his teammates as he averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. For his efforts, he was also named honorable mention All-Big Ten by both the league's media and coaches, while being named the recipient of MSU's Most Improved Player Award. In two NCAA Tournament games, Stephens averaged 16.0 points. In 1992-93, Stephens served as a senior co-captain for the Spartans, averaging 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was named MSU's Best Defensive Player and earned a spot on the Basketball Weekly Honorable Mention All-Midwest Team.

"I'm thrilled to have Dwayne Stephens back at Michigan State," said head coach Tom Izzo at the time of Stephens' hiring. "After having recruited him and coached him as a player, it's great to have him back with the Spartan basketball program as an assistant coach. His addition to the staff helps me fulfill my objective of bringing former players back as assistants, which provides a unique perspective."

Stephens joined the Marquette coaching staff for the 1999-2000 season, when former Michigan State assistant Tom Crean took over the Golden Eagle program. In his initial season, Stephens helped guide Marquette to a 15-14 record and a berth in the NIT. One year later, the Golden Eagles posted an identical 15-14 overall record, but improved from 8-8 to 9-7 in Conference USA. In addition, Brian Wardle became Marquette's first-ever first-team All-Conference USA honoree in 2001.

In 2001-02, Stephens helped lead the Golden Eagle program to a 26-7 record and an appearance in the 2002 NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed. Dwyane Wade earned Conference USA First Team and NABC and USBWA All-District honors, while being named honorable mention All-America by The Associated Press and Newcomer of the Year by Basketball Times. In 2002-03, Stephens was on a Marquette coaching staff that helped guide the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Final Four along with a Conference USA regular-season title and a 27-6 record. Wade earned First-Team All-America honors from The Associated Press, averaging 21.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Prior to his coaching stint at Marquette, Stephens spent the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons as an assistant coach at Oakland University, where the Golden Grizzlies compiled a 27-27 two-year record. During the '98-99 campaign, Oakland's first season as a Division I member, the Golden Grizzlies posted a 12-15 mark.

Following the conclusion of his collegiate career, Stephens played three professional seasons in Europe.

Born July 19, 1971, Stephens earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Michigan State in 1993. His family includes his daughter, Taylor Olivia.