One of the youngest and most exciting coaches in NCAA Division I basketball, Austin Claunch was introduced by UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos on Sunday, March 17, 2024, as the seventh head coach of the Roadrunners’ men’s basketball program. In 2025-26, Claunch enters his second season leading UTSA following one season as an assistant coach at then-nationally ranked Alabama and a highly successful head coaching run at Nicholls State that delivered back-to-back conference titles.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Austin Claunch as our next head men’s basketball coach,” Campos said during his introductory announcement. “He had great success as the head coach at Nicholls and has gained valuable experience at some of the top programs in the country. He has high energy, a relentless work ethic and a strong basketball IQ. What really stood out to me is that when we talked to people about Austin, what kept coming up time and again was his unique ability to connect with people from all backgrounds and build great relationships. He is completely aligned with my vision and our values as a department and an institution. He will be a terrific leader of our student-athletes, and I am confident he will elevate our program to new heights.”
Concluding his debut season at the helm in San Antonio, the Roadrunners finished with a 12-19 overall record and a 6-12 mark in American Conference play. But the progress under Claunch was undeniable, as the Roadrunners recorded the most overall and conference wins for the program since the 2020-21 season. In addition, 11 of UTSA’s losses were decided by five points or less, including four contests by a single possession.
Claunch’s 2024-25 Roadrunners squad embodied several hallmarks of Claunch’s fiery coaching style. One of the most up-tempo teams in the nation, the Roadrunners ranked ninth nationally and third in the American with an average of 15.13 fast break points per game, listing at 56th in tempo and 61st in average possession length in the final KenPom rankings. UTSA was also lethal at the line, ranking seventh in NCAA Division I with a conference-leading 79.2 percent from the line and six players shooting over 83.5 percent individually. UTSA’s third offensive weapon was its perimeter attack, where the Roadrunners led the American with an NCAA-25th-best 9.9 threes per game, notching the nation’s 23rd-highest percentage of total points from three (39.1) – driven by three players who ranked among the American’s top 10 three-point shooters.
In addition to the offense, Claunch’s Roadrunners wreaked havoc on defense, locking up an NCAA-ninth-most 9.5 steals per game, 14th-most 15.16 turnovers created per game and 10th-best 4.2 turnover margin – all American Conference stat-leading numbers.
Claunch’s first UTSA victory came in his opening game with the Roadrunners, downing Trinity, 103-77, on Nov. 4, 2024. On February 1, 2025, the Roadrunners defeated rival North Texas in Denton at the Super Pit, securing Claunch’s 100th career win with a 54-50 road triumph.
Senior guard Primo Spears was a cornerstone of the Roadrunners’ squad in Claunch’s first season, earning American All-Conference Third Team honors – the first basketball honor for UTSA since joining the league in 2023-24. Spears spent multiple weeks in the national top 10 scorers and led the American across that stretch, ending the season at 25th in the NCAA with a team-high 19.8 ppg.
In the summer following his inaugural season at UTSA, Claunch was named to the Roots 66 list celebrating the most elite and impactful up-and-coming members of the basketball industry.
"This is genuinely a dream come true, being from Texas and growing up in this state,” Claunch said at the time of his hire. “I take a lot of pride in being a Texan and knowing the passion of the community as a whole. The potential of the UTSA program really excites me. I think we can be really good for a long time, but I don't think it will take a long time to be really good. I want to thank Dr. Eighmy, Dr. Campos and the whole administration for this opportunity. I am ready to get to work."
Prior to touching down in the Alamo City, Claunch completed a single season as an assistant coach on Nate Oats’ staff at Alabama. Orchestrating a historic run, the Crimson Tide battled all the way to the program’s first-ever Final Four before falling to eventual champion UConn. Alabama finished with a 21-11 record and a No. 3 national ranking in the final Associated Press poll. Alabama ended the season at No. 9 in the final NCAA NET rankings. Despite a delayed start, Claunch hit the ground running at UTSA and leaned heavily on the transfer portal to refill the ranks of a team that had just one returning player (1 percent of minutes continuity).
In five seasons as the head coach at Nicholls, Claunch won 90 games, recorded a pair of 20-win seasons and directed the Colonels to Southland Conference regular-season championships in 2021 and 2022. He was the 2020-21 Southland Conference Coach of the Year. Claunch served as the youngest head coach at the NCAA Division I level for three seasons (2018-21) and was named to ESPN’s 40 under 40 list for collegiate men’s basketball coaches in 2020.
In Claunch’s second year as the Nicholls head coach, he took a team that was projected to finish 11th in the Southland Conference and secured 21 wins, marking just the fourth 20-win season in program history at the time. That season included a win against Atlantic Coast Conference foe Pittsburgh.
In 2020-21, Claunch led his team to the outright Southland Conference crown with a 14-2 league tally. He coached three All-Southland honorees that season, including first-team selection and Newcomer of the Year Ty Gordon. A year later, he directed his squad to its second consecutive Southland Conference regular-season title and the program’s first-ever appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. Despite losing nearly 70 percent of the team’s scoring from the year prior, Claunch’s Colonels notched a 21-win season. In 2022, Gordon became just the second player in school history to be named Southland Conference Player of the Year.
Prior to taking over the head coaching position at Nicholls, Claunch spent two years as an assistant coach for the Colonels under current South Alabama head coach Richie Riley. He worked closely with Riley on offensive and defensive schemes and game plans and coordinated all basketball camps. Claunch was part of a historic 2017-18 campaign that included the most wins (21) since 1995 and the best Southland Conference record (15-3) since 1998. Among the players he worked with daily were guards Roddy Peters (SLC Newcomer of the Year, First Team SLC), Jahvaughn Powell (All-SLC Defensive Team), Lafayette Rutledge (Single-season three-point record holder) and Tevon Saddler (All-SLC Second Team).
Claunch spent three seasons at Clemson, two as a graduate manager and one as an assistant coach, where he primarily coordinated video services for the Tigers. Prior to joining Clemson, he spent the 2012-13 season as Director of Player Development at George Mason.
Claunch was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in Houston, Texas. He played high school basketball at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory as a three-year starter and a two-time team captain. Claunch was a two-time recipient of Strake’s Kenneth McGregor Award, based on his leadership and dedication on and off the court.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in religion from Emory in 2012. Claunch later added a master’s degree in human resource development from Clemson in August 2015.
Claunch was a four-year starter and two-time captain at NCAA Division III member Emory University from 2008-12. He remains the Emory program’s all-time leader in career assists (580), assists per game (5.8) and minutes played (3,132). He was a three-time All-Conference First Team honoree at Emory and a member of the University Athletic Association’s 25th Anniversary Team.
AUSTIN CLAUNCH FILE
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Education: Emory, 2012; Clemson, 2015
Coaching Experience
2024-Present: Head Coach, UTSA
2023-24: Assistant Coach, Alabama
2018-23: Head Coach, Nicholls
2016-18: Assistant Coach, Nicholls
2015-16: Assistant Coach, Clemson
2013-15: Graduate Manager, Clemson
2012-13: Director of Player Development, George Mason
Playing Experience
2008-12: Emory
Accolades
- 2020-21 Southland Conference Coach of the Year
- Back-to-back Southland Regular Season Champions (2020-21, 2021-22)
- Led Colonels to 21-win season in 2019-20 after being voted to finish 11th in Southland preseason poll
- Served as youngest head coach in Division I Men's Basketball for three seasons (2018-21)
- Named to ESPN 40 Under 40 in 2020
- Named to Roots 66 list in Summer 2025
Career Milestone Victories
- 1st win – Nov. 6, 2018 – Mississippi College (86-54)
- 1st Division I win – Nov. 13, 2018 – at Idaho (83-80)
- 1st Southland win – Jan. 2, 2019 – at Northwestern State (78-72)
- 1st 100-point game – Feb. 23, 2019 – Central Arkansas (100-57)
- 1st win vs. Power Conference – Nov. 9, 2019 – at Pitt (75-70)
- 1st Conference Tournament win – March 12, 2021 – vs. Northwestern State (88-76) (Southland)
- 50th career win – Feb. 27, 2021 – at New Orleans (105-101, OT)
- 1st postseason appearance – NIT – also 1st for the program, March 16, 2002 vs. SMU
- 50th Southland win – Jan. 14, 2023 – Northwestern State (77-63)
- 1st UTSA win – Nov. 4, 2024 – vs. Trinity (103-77)
- 1st UTSA American Conference win – Jan. 11, 2025 – vs. Wichita State (88-75)
- 100th career win – Feb. 1, 2025 – at North Texas (54-50)
HEAD COACHING RECORD
|
|
Overall |
Southland Conference |
|||
|
Year |
Record |
Win Pct. |
Record |
Win Pct. |
Place |
|
2018-19 |
14-17 |
.452 |
7-11 |
.389 |
T-9th |
|
2019-20 |
21-10 |
.677 |
15-5 |
.750 |
T2nd |
|
2020-21 |
18-7 |
.720 |
14-2 |
.875 |
1st |
|
2021-22 |
21-12 |
.636 |
11-3 |
.786 |
1st |
|
2022-23 |
16-15 |
.516 |
11-7 |
.611 |
4th |
|
2024-25 |
12-19 |
.387 |
6-12 |
.333 |
T-9th |
|
TOTAL |
102-80 |
.560 |
64-40 |
.615 |
|
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Austin is one of the hardest working guys in the business. His work as a head coach at Nicholls was unbelievable with one of the lowest budgets in the country. He won two championships in his last three years in the Southland, and that is a credit to his hard work and energy.”
Nate Oats, Alabama Head Coach
“People enjoy being around Austin. He’s a fun guy. He’s also very bright and knows how to get his message across if there’s work to be done. He can handle his business, but he’s also one of those guys that relates to people and enjoys people.”
Brad Brownell, Clemson Head Coach
“He’s a fantastic X’s and O’s coach on the court and very innovative with what he does. What makes him special to me is his ability to form relationships. He’s the guy all the guys gravitate towards all the time. It doesn’t matter where they come from or their backgrounds.”
Richie Riley, South Alabama Head Coach
“Austin has the confidence and courage to be successful at any level of coaching. He’s got great energy and he’s very knowledgeable of the game. The only word I can use – he’s kind of fearless. When he came to work for me at George Mason, he treated the players with respect, but they also respected him because he was a guy that didn’t back down.”
Paul Hewitt, Former George Mason/Georgia Tech Head Coach
“Austin had it in his mind to go into coaching before he came to Emory. He talked about coaching when he got out of school. Austin wanted to compete. He’s a competitor.”
Jason Zimmerman, Emory Head Coach