Todd Buchanan was named Associate Head Coach at UTEP on July 2, 2019. He brought more than 25 years of coaching and teaching experience to the Sun City.
He helped lead UTEP to a 7-1 start to the 2021-22 season that featured a pair of wins over rival NM State. Throughout the season the Miners faced a bevy of schedule changes due to COVID-19, having four total games rescheduled or canceled, including the first two Conference USA games at LA Tech and Southern Miss. Despite the adversity, the Miners would upend a duo of conference favorites in Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion towards the beginning of league action. UTEP finished the campaign 14-15 overall and had Katia Gallegos named to the All-Conference USA second team. Destiny Thurman was an honorable mention selection.
Buchanan helped guide the Miners through the Covid-affected 2020-21 season. They finished 17-8 and earned a berth into the semifinals of the 2021 Conference USA Championships. It marked UTEP's first appearance in the semifinals of the tournament in five years. Additionally, Buchanan has now been a part of consecutive winning campaigns for the first time at the school since a four-year stretch from 2010-11 through 2013-14.
UTEP was a stout 9-2 at at home, with the winning percentage of .818 ranking as the seventh highest at home in school annals. Even more impressive was a record of 7-5 on the road, ensuring the first winning road record in five years. That effort also tied for the fourth-most road wins in a year in program history. The Miners enjoyed a nine-game winning streak in the middle of C-USA action, tying for the sixth longest at the school. Individually Katia Gallegos was named to the All-Conference USA first team.
In his first season with the program he helped UTEP compile a record of 16-14, culminating with a 95-67 victory against Florida Atlantic in the opening round of the 2020 C-USA Championships. The Miners set school conference tournament records for margin of victory (28), points (95) and 3-pointers made (11), while tying the mark for field goals made (33), 3-point percentage (50.0 percent) and overall field-goal percentage (55.0 percent).
UTEP broke the school standard for most 90+ point games in a season (four). The Miners also cracked the school’s top-10 season list for assists per game (15.1-tied third), points (2129-fifth), scoring offense (71.0-fifth), turnovers forced (598-sixth), field goals made (771-seventh), field-goal percentage (.419-tied seventh), assists (452-eighth), free throws made (424-eighth), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.299-eighth), home wins (12-tied eighth), 3-pointers made (163-10th), games played (tied 10th). Individually Katarina Zec earned All C-USA second-team honors and Katia Gallegos was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team.
In his most-recent stop before UTEP, he was an assistant coach at Arkansas State. He was also the head coach at Houston from 2010-13.
Buchanan’s first season at Houston (2010-11) produced an NCAA Tournament at-large bid and an undefeated record (16-0) in Conference USA. He coached two-time C-USA Player of the Year Courtney Taylor, as well as first-team all-league honorees Porsche Landry and Brittney Scott during his stint with the Cougars. He was recognized as the C-USA Coach of the Year, WBCA Region 4 Coach of the Year, and was a National Coach of the Year finalist in 2011.
Buchanan was also Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Houston from 2000-05, when he coached top-10 WNBA Draft picks Chandi Jones (2004) and Sancho Lyttle (2005). He signed three top-50 recruiting classes and two top-25 recruiting classes during this period and was a part of four postseason tournament teams.
In-between his two separate tenures with the Cougars, he was the head coach at Houston Baptist (2005-10) where he transitioned the program to NCAA Division I status. His teams reached the Elite Eight and Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament while achieving national rankings of as high as sixth. He led the Huskies to two postseason tournaments while enjoying a 98-game conference homecourt win streak at one time. He also coached 13 All-Americans, honorable mention All-Americans and Academic All-Americans while at HBU, including first team All-American Jere Adams.
After leaving Houston a second time, Buchanan was the head coach at Allen Community College (2015-18) while doubling as an Assistant Athletic Director and Fundraising Specialist. He returned to the Division I ranks as an assistant coach at Arkansas State for the 2018-19 season.
Buchanan’s other coaching stops included Murray State (assistant coach, 1992-95), Oral Roberts (assistant coach, 1995-96), University of Montevallo (head coach, 1996-98) and East Carolina (assistant coach, 1998-00). He helped assemble a top-60 recruiting class at East Carolina, and a top-100 class at Oral Roberts.
He got his start in coaching at two different high schools in the state of Kentucky. He was the assistant varsity boys coach and head freshman coach at Lyon County High School in Eddyville from 1989-92. His teams won two district championships, three conference titles and garnered a runner-up regional finish. Buchanan was also a part of a district championship team at Murray High School in 1989. He graduated from Murray State with a bachelor of science in physical education and psychology in 1995.
