SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men’s basketball program and third-year head coach Austin Claunch have finalized the coaching staff heading into the 2026-27 season, announcing on Thursday the hiring of Marlon Stewart to join the Roadrunners’ bench.
“We are excited to welcome Marlon Stewart to the UTSA family,” Claunch said. “I have known Coach Stewart for a while and have always respected him as a coach and person. He has been instrumental in contributing to winning at every institution he’s worked at. His knowledge, passion and work ethic will be a great addition for the program. We are excited to welcome Marlon and his family to San Antonio.”
The newest UTSA staffer brings a history of proven success to the program, with seven trips to the NCAA Tournament, including two appearances in the Sweet 16 and one journey to the Elite Eight. He has been a part of three regular season championships and two conference tournament titles, while also receiving a Rising Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award for service to the profession.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside high-character people who have built championship-level programs and Coach Claunch is no different,” Stewart said. “What drew me to this opportunity was his proven track record of building winning cultures through strong relationships. At Nicholls State, they built a perennial contender that won multiple conference championships, and as a player at Emory, he helped lay the foundation for a program that has since become a national championship contender under Coach Jason Zimmerman. Those experiences speak to the leadership and vision required to build successful programs. Joining a staff with that kind of foundation made this an easy decision. Add in the opportunity to be part of a great basketball city like San Antonio that truly embraces the game, and my wife and I knew this was the right fit. I’m excited to get to work and help build something special at UTSA.”
Stewart arrived this summer in San Antonio following seven seasons as an assistant coach at Oregon State. After starting with the Beavers as the director of basketball operations, he served OSU as recruiting coordinator, with responsibilities in scheduling, opponent scouting, skill development, player mentoring and compliance. He also had a significant hand in admissions, academics, life skills and holistic development. He was part of the Beavers’ staff that produced two of the program’s three 20-win seasons since 1990, including the 2024-25 campaign, when OSU accumulated 20 regular-season victories for the first time since 1989-90 with a 20-13 finish that ended with an appearance in the College Basketball Crown.
Stewart was part of several OSU milestones dating back to his first season in 2018-19, when the Beavers defeated two top-25 teams for the first time since 1998-99 and generated the best start in 35 years after opening up 10-2. In year two, the squad made one of the greatest runs in program history, winning nine straight road and neutral-site games, including four over top-25 teams – finishing with a 20-13 record and a No. 20 ranking in the final Associated Press poll for the program’s first ranking since 1990. Year three saw the Beavers win the first Pac-12 Conference Tournament championship in program history, turning the NCAA automatic bid into three wins and an Elite Eight appearance for the first time since 1982. During his fourth season with the Beavers, Stewart helped guide one of the youngest teams in the nation, as over 50 percent of the team’s points came from 2022-23’s freshmen – as one of only three power conference teams in that situation. Oregon State was fourth among the stacked West Coast Conference standings last season, ending with a 17-16 record. While working with the Beavers, Stewart notably recruited and helped develop Josiah Lake (All-WCC First Team), Warith Alatishe (Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention, 2021 Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player and current G-League player), Jordan Pope (Pac-12 All-Freshman, All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention) and Michael Rataj (Karl Malone Award Top-10, All-WCC First Team and NABC All-Pacific District Second Team).
Before heading to Corvallis, Stewart was an assistant coach at the University of Hawai’i in 2017-18 and helped lead the Rainbow Warriors to a 17-13 record. He was the director of basketball operations at the University of Montana from 2014 to 2016 and was ultimately promoted to assistant coach in 2016-17. He was the defensive coordinator and handled international recruiting at both places. The Grizzlies reached the postseason in two of his three seasons, including a regular season Big Sky championship. He served as the technology and scouting assistant at Virginia from 2012 to 2014 and the Cavaliers reached the postseason each of his two seasons, including a regular season ACC championship, ACC Tournament championship and No. 1 seed in the 2013-14 NCAA Tournament.
Steward started his career as a men’s basketball student manager (2003-06) and then became student video coordinator (2006-08) at Washington State. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Wazzu, serving the Cougars during two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2007 and 2008, including a trip to the Sweet 16.
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