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Stubblefield, Tony
Tony Stubblefield
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- mbb@depaul.edu
- Phone:
- (773) 325-7521
Relentless energy and enthusiasm have been evident since Tony Stubblefield was named head coach of the men’s basketball program in April 2021. He is the 15th head coach in DePaul history. Stubblefield's 25 combined wins in his first two seasons are the most by a DePaul coach since 2005-07.
Stubblefield made his DePaul debut with a 97-72 win over Coppin State on Nov. 10 at Wintrust Arena and the 97 points were just a preview into the style of play that Stubblefield is looking to establish in the South Loop. Overall, the Blue Demons scored at least 84 points in nine games that includes six contests of 90 or more points in a game.
The 15 wins during the 2021-22 campaign were the most by a first-year DePaul head coach since the 2002-03 season. The Blue Demons closed the regular season by winning three of their final four games that included victories over Georgetown, St. John’s and Marquette. Stubblefield and the Blue Demons opened the season with a 9-1 record that marked the best start for a first-year head coach at DePaul since Ray Meyer went 13-1 to begin the 1942-43 campaign.
Individually, Javon Freeman-Liberty was named second team All-BIG EAST and led the league in scoring throughout the season. The Chicago native was a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and picked up the conference’s Weekly Honor Roll recognition three other times. Yor Anei (49 blocked shots) and Nick Ongenda (52 blocked shots) became the first duo in program history to each record at least 40 blocked shots in a season.
Stubblefield's second season was capped off with a BIG EAST Tournament win against Seton Hall, winning his first conference tournament game. The Blue Demons set multiple BIG EAST Tournament records against the Pirates and in their second round matchup against No. 2 seed Xavier. DePaul's six blocks and 50 percent three-point percentage were both school tournament records before the Blue Demons followed that up with a tournament record 61.4 field goal percentage against the Musketeers. DePaul scored a school BIG EAST Tournament high 84 points.
Individually, the Blue Demons had several standouts including the guard performance of Umoja Gibson who lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.416). His 41.6 three-point shooting ranks 15th all-time at DePaul and the highest since 2015-16 while totaling 89 three-pointers across the year, the second most in program history from an individual player. As a team, DePaul had the fifth highest three-point field goal percentage (.368) and sixth highest free throw percentage (.739).
The Blue Demons defeated No. 8 Xavier at home for just the third top-10 win for DePaul in the last 15 years.
Stubblefield came to DePaul with over two decades of experience in college basketball, including 11 at Oregon where he earned the reptuation as one of the nation's top recruiters. In his time at Oregon, Stubblefield helped the Ducks to 10 postseason appearances that included eight NCAA Tournament berths. The eight NCAA berths saw Oregon reach the Final Four once and Elite Eight once along with three other Sweet 16 appearances.
The 2020-21 season saw Oregon reach the Sweet 16 and finish with a 21-7 record. Under Stubblefield’s tutelage, Chris Duarte was named the winner of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is the first Oregon player and the first Pac-12 player to receive the Jerry West Award. Duarte was also the 2021 Associated Press Pac-12 Player of the Year and named to the All-Pac-12 first team and the Pac-12 All-Defensive team by the league's coaches.
Oregon won back-to-back regular season Pac-12 Championships that followed the 2018-19 team claiming the Pac-12 Tournament title. Overall, the Ducks added four regular season conference championships and three conference tournament championships to the trophy case in Stubblefield’s 11 seasons.
In addition to the team success, Stubblefield assisted head coach Dana Altman in building the program through multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes. He helped Oregon assemble five recruiting classes that were ranked among the top 12 nationally (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021). Included in those classes were future NBA players Troy Brown Jr. and Louis King and NBA Draft choices Brown Jr., Bol Bol and Payton Pritchard.
Prior to Oregon, Stubblefield spent four years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in the BIG EAST Conference at the University of Cincinnati. He also was on the staffs at New Mexico State (2000-06), UT-Arlington (1996-00), UT-San Antonio (1995-96) and at his alma mater Nebraska-Omaha (1992-95).
Prior to joining the staff at Cincinnati, Stubblefield served as assistant coach at New Mexico State for six seasons, one of which he served as interim head coach where he was responsible for all aspects of the basketball program. Prior to the start of the 2004-05 season, he was elevated to interim head coach when Lou Henson’s health forced him to miss the season.
As recruiting coordinator for the Aggies, Stubblefield attracted three national Top-100 rated players, including one McDonald’s All-American, a junior college all-American, and first-team all-state high school players from six different states.
Prior to his tenure at New Mexico State, Stubblefield was the lead assistant and recruiting coordinator at the UT-Arlington for four seasons. He successfully recruited two Top-10 prospects from the state of Texas along with first-team all-region junior college players from Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Stubblefield began his coaching career as a student assistant for two seasons at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, his alma mater, where he completed his undergraduate degree in 1995.
Stubblefield, who transferred to UNO following two years at Clinton (Iowa) Community College, earned two letters playing guard at Nebraska-Omaha where he was the team captain his senior season.
Upon graduation from UNO, he became an assistant coach at the UT-San Antonio for the 1995-96 season, where he was responsible for coaching the guards and was the program’s top recruiter.
After growing up in Clinton, Iowa, Stubblefield was one of the top players in the state of Colorado. He was the runner-up for state Player of the Year honors at Bloomfield (Colo.) High School his senior season, while picking up first-team all-state and Boulder County Player of the Year accolades.
Stubblefield Career Timeline
2021-Pres.: DePaul Head Coach
2020-21: Oregon Associate Head Coach
2010-20: Oregon Assistant Coach
2006-10: Cincinnati Assistant Coach
2005-06: New Mexico State Interim Head Coach
2000-05: New Mexico State Assistant Coach
1996-00: UT Arlington Assistant Coach
1995-96: UTSA Assistant Coach
1993-95: Nebraska-Omaha Assistant Coach
Stubblefield Head Coaching Career
Stubblefield made his DePaul debut with a 97-72 win over Coppin State on Nov. 10 at Wintrust Arena and the 97 points were just a preview into the style of play that Stubblefield is looking to establish in the South Loop. Overall, the Blue Demons scored at least 84 points in nine games that includes six contests of 90 or more points in a game.
The 15 wins during the 2021-22 campaign were the most by a first-year DePaul head coach since the 2002-03 season. The Blue Demons closed the regular season by winning three of their final four games that included victories over Georgetown, St. John’s and Marquette. Stubblefield and the Blue Demons opened the season with a 9-1 record that marked the best start for a first-year head coach at DePaul since Ray Meyer went 13-1 to begin the 1942-43 campaign.
Individually, Javon Freeman-Liberty was named second team All-BIG EAST and led the league in scoring throughout the season. The Chicago native was a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and picked up the conference’s Weekly Honor Roll recognition three other times. Yor Anei (49 blocked shots) and Nick Ongenda (52 blocked shots) became the first duo in program history to each record at least 40 blocked shots in a season.
Stubblefield's second season was capped off with a BIG EAST Tournament win against Seton Hall, winning his first conference tournament game. The Blue Demons set multiple BIG EAST Tournament records against the Pirates and in their second round matchup against No. 2 seed Xavier. DePaul's six blocks and 50 percent three-point percentage were both school tournament records before the Blue Demons followed that up with a tournament record 61.4 field goal percentage against the Musketeers. DePaul scored a school BIG EAST Tournament high 84 points.
Individually, the Blue Demons had several standouts including the guard performance of Umoja Gibson who lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.416). His 41.6 three-point shooting ranks 15th all-time at DePaul and the highest since 2015-16 while totaling 89 three-pointers across the year, the second most in program history from an individual player. As a team, DePaul had the fifth highest three-point field goal percentage (.368) and sixth highest free throw percentage (.739).
The Blue Demons defeated No. 8 Xavier at home for just the third top-10 win for DePaul in the last 15 years.
Stubblefield came to DePaul with over two decades of experience in college basketball, including 11 at Oregon where he earned the reptuation as one of the nation's top recruiters. In his time at Oregon, Stubblefield helped the Ducks to 10 postseason appearances that included eight NCAA Tournament berths. The eight NCAA berths saw Oregon reach the Final Four once and Elite Eight once along with three other Sweet 16 appearances.
The 2020-21 season saw Oregon reach the Sweet 16 and finish with a 21-7 record. Under Stubblefield’s tutelage, Chris Duarte was named the winner of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is the first Oregon player and the first Pac-12 player to receive the Jerry West Award. Duarte was also the 2021 Associated Press Pac-12 Player of the Year and named to the All-Pac-12 first team and the Pac-12 All-Defensive team by the league's coaches.
Oregon won back-to-back regular season Pac-12 Championships that followed the 2018-19 team claiming the Pac-12 Tournament title. Overall, the Ducks added four regular season conference championships and three conference tournament championships to the trophy case in Stubblefield’s 11 seasons.
In addition to the team success, Stubblefield assisted head coach Dana Altman in building the program through multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes. He helped Oregon assemble five recruiting classes that were ranked among the top 12 nationally (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021). Included in those classes were future NBA players Troy Brown Jr. and Louis King and NBA Draft choices Brown Jr., Bol Bol and Payton Pritchard.
Prior to Oregon, Stubblefield spent four years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in the BIG EAST Conference at the University of Cincinnati. He also was on the staffs at New Mexico State (2000-06), UT-Arlington (1996-00), UT-San Antonio (1995-96) and at his alma mater Nebraska-Omaha (1992-95).
Prior to joining the staff at Cincinnati, Stubblefield served as assistant coach at New Mexico State for six seasons, one of which he served as interim head coach where he was responsible for all aspects of the basketball program. Prior to the start of the 2004-05 season, he was elevated to interim head coach when Lou Henson’s health forced him to miss the season.
As recruiting coordinator for the Aggies, Stubblefield attracted three national Top-100 rated players, including one McDonald’s All-American, a junior college all-American, and first-team all-state high school players from six different states.
Prior to his tenure at New Mexico State, Stubblefield was the lead assistant and recruiting coordinator at the UT-Arlington for four seasons. He successfully recruited two Top-10 prospects from the state of Texas along with first-team all-region junior college players from Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Stubblefield began his coaching career as a student assistant for two seasons at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, his alma mater, where he completed his undergraduate degree in 1995.
Stubblefield, who transferred to UNO following two years at Clinton (Iowa) Community College, earned two letters playing guard at Nebraska-Omaha where he was the team captain his senior season.
Upon graduation from UNO, he became an assistant coach at the UT-San Antonio for the 1995-96 season, where he was responsible for coaching the guards and was the program’s top recruiter.
After growing up in Clinton, Iowa, Stubblefield was one of the top players in the state of Colorado. He was the runner-up for state Player of the Year honors at Bloomfield (Colo.) High School his senior season, while picking up first-team all-state and Boulder County Player of the Year accolades.
Stubblefield Career Timeline
2021-Pres.: DePaul Head Coach
2020-21: Oregon Associate Head Coach
2010-20: Oregon Assistant Coach
2006-10: Cincinnati Assistant Coach
2005-06: New Mexico State Interim Head Coach
2000-05: New Mexico State Assistant Coach
1996-00: UT Arlington Assistant Coach
1995-96: UTSA Assistant Coach
1993-95: Nebraska-Omaha Assistant Coach
Stubblefield Head Coaching Career
| Season | School | Overall | Conference | BIG EAST Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | DePaul | 10-23 | 3-17 | 10th |
| 2021-22 | DePaul | 15-16 | 6-14 | 10th |
| Overall | 25-39 (.391) | 9-31 (.225) |
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