SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men’s basketball team and third-year head coach Austin Claunch announced on Friday the hiring of Adam Short as an assistant coach for the Roadrunners heading into the 2026-27 season.
“We are excited to welcome Adam Short to the Roadrunners family,” Claunch said. “Coach Short has worked with some of the brightest minds in basketball and has played a major role at many successful programs. His knowledge of the game, infectious energy and passion will undoubtedly be an asset for our program. We are excited to welcome Adam and his family to San Antonio."
Short comes to San Antonio following two seasons at 2025-26 NCAA Tournament Cinderella story Queens University of Charlotte, helping the Royals to a 41-19 record over his time on staff. In its first year of eligibility to reach the Division I postseason, Queens not only won the Atlantic Sun tournament, but earned a No. 15 seed and squared off with No. 2 seed Purdue in last season’s NCAA tournament, thanks in part to a 17th-ranked scoring offense (84.5 ppg).
Short was the Royals’ special teams coordinator and rebounding coordinator, taking a leading role in player development, team culture and academics. He worked closely in the development of All-ASUN performer Yoav Berman, Nolan Richardson Award Finalist Chris Ashby and Carson Schwieger. Fueling the high-scoring offense, the Royals ranked 30th last season in three-pointers (10.1), paced by a combined 203 triples from Ashby and Schwieger with the pair recording 38.9 percent shooting beyond the arc. In Short’s first season at Queens, Malcolm Wilson was a Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award finalist and earned ASUN Defensive Player of the Year after pacing NCAA Division I in blocks (115) and blocks per game (3.3)
“Throughout my entire coaching career, I feel like I have always done a great job of not only surrounding myself with good coaches but good coaches who are great people” Short said. “This trend will continue here at UTSA, working for Coach Claunch. There is no secret that over the past two years we built something very special at Queens. Whether it was Malcolm Wilson leading the nation in blocks, Chris Ashby becoming 40th all-time in NCAA history for career three-pointers made, or beating Central Arkansas in the ASUN Championship to make it to March Madness, we were able to accomplish so much. There is only one place that I would leave Queens for and that is UTSA. As I got to know Coach Claunch more, one thing that stuck out to me was his elite-level character. Coach Claunch’s passion and fire to build a championship program here at UTSA is an energy I want to be around. Coach Claunch is a winner. He has won everywhere he has been. Our goal here at UTSA is to win the American. I can’t wait to start working with the coaching staff and players to achieve this goal. I am very grateful and humbled for this opportunity.”
Short joined Queens ahead of the 2024-25 season following the previous two seasons under head coach Chris Beard at Texas and then Ole Miss. With the Longhorns and Rebels, Short supported the Director of Player Development in his role and worked specifically on the defensive side of the ball. Short was heavily involved in practice plans, scouting reports and in-game adjustments for both power programs. Off the court, Short was a key contributor to recruiting and served as the head academic coordinator for both programs.
In his time at Ole Miss, Short helped the Rebels to rank sixth in the SEC in defensive scoring as opponents averaged 73.9 points per game. The Rebels forced the sixth-most turnovers in the league at 12.4 per game, including the third-most steals in the SEC at 7.8 per game. In the prior year, Short was part of the staff that led Texas to the Big 12 Tournament Championship and a run to the Elite 8, helping UT’s defense rank fourth in Big 12 scoring defense as opponents averaged 67.8 points per game. The Longhorns’ defense also ranked top five in the league in blocked shots and steals.
Before getting his start in high-major basketball, Short worked his way through the ranks of NAIA, JUCO and Division II. Short got his first coaching gig in familiar territory as a graduate assistant for Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri, departing for an assistant coaching role at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kansas. Following a season with the CC Tigers, Short accepted an assistant role at Missouri State – West Plains, developing four NJCAAA All-Region standouts with the Grizzlies – sending four players to the Division I ranks.
The success led Short to an assistant role at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri, where he spent five seasons on staff. With the Roadrunners, Short coached a pair of NJCAA All-Americans and 15 All-Region players. Under his direction, Short sent 18 players to the Division I ranks and coached the school's only three academic All-Americans. As Short continued navigating the basketball ranks, he landed an assistant position at Central Missouri and an operations position at SIUE (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville). At UCM, Short led the program's recruiting efforts while also preparing scouting reports and serving in a player development role. Once he transitioned to SIUE, Short took over basketball operations and oversaw the team budget while also organizing team logistics and travel.
Finishing his collegiate playing career where he started his coaching career, Short scored over 1,000 points as a two-time all-conference guard at Avila, earning his bachelor's degree in English from Avila before attaining his master's degree in Organizational Development. He and his wife Erika Orozco-Short have a two-year-old son named AP.
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