Steve Green joined the UTEP men's basketball staff as an assistant coach in May 2025. Green is a NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Famer and was a three-time national champion as head coach of South Plains College while turning the program into a perennial power.
Green boasts a record of 705-192 as a head coach, including forging a mark of 552-152 during an outstanding 22-year run with South Plains. He guided the program to the NJCAA Men’s Basketball National Tournament 12 times, taking home the title in 2008, 2012 and 2018. The 2012 squad finished 36-0 to become only the sixth team in NJCAA history to put together a perfect national championship season.
During the 2018 season, the Texans ran the table as they knocked off conference foe Odessa College in the Region V title game to earn an automatic berth to the 2018 NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament. The Texans stayed hot in Hutch by winning five in a row, including toppling Southern Idaho, 98-95, to capture the program's third national championship.
One of four coaches to claim three championships in NJCAA history, Green also directed the school runner- up honors in 2015. Overall, the Texans secured eight conference titles and seven regional crowns during his tenure. He was the NJCAA Coach of the Year three times and the WJCAC Coach of the Year on seven occasions.
Green’s first head coaching stop was at Howard College (1988-91) where he finished 81-19 and earned a pair of WJCAC titles and a regional championship. He then was hired at Midland College, compiling a record of 73-24 from 1991-94. The school won one regional championship and had one national tournament bid during his tenure.
Prior to starting at SPC, he was an assistant coach at both San Diego State (1994-99) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christ (1999-2000). After the incredible run with the Texans, he was tabbed an assistant coach at Texas Tech prior to the 2022-23 campaign.
The native of Miami, Okla., won a state title with Miami HS (Okla.) in 1972. He went on to star at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College from 1972-74. To this day, he holds the NEO record for most steals in a game (11) and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2023.
He served as a graduate assistant under the legendary Eddie Sutton in 1979-80 before spending six years at Lamar and a pair at Houston. LU won 20+ games in his first five years with the program while also advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Green is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University. He and his wife, Teresa, have two sons, Justin and Blake. They also have five grandchildren, all boys.
