blank

Eric Stephan

Position: Associate Head Coach Experience: 25th Year at Oakland Alma Mater: Carthage '86

Associate head coach Eric Stephan begins his seventh season with the OU women's basketball team. It marks a quarter century of working at Oakland for Stephan who has been a member of the Oakland University athletic staff since 1987. After spending two years as Oakland's Assistant AD for Operations, Eric Stephan moved back into the coaching ranks when he joined the women's staff at OU mid-way through the 2005-06 season. His return to the bench has been a successful one as he helped guide the Golden Grizzlies to a Mid-Con Tournament championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament in his first season and a regular season title and trip to the WNIT in the 2006-07 season. The Golden Grizzlies have seen their share of individual successes during Stephan's tenure on the bench, as nine players have earned all-league recognition, 18 times since Stephan joined coach Beckie Francis' staff.

Now in his 25th year with Oakland University athletics, Stephan is no stranger to Oakland basketball fans. Prior to moving to the administrative side of the department, Stephan spent 17 years as an assistant coach for Greg Kampe and the men's basketball team.

Stephan's climb was a long and progressive one as he started out as a graduate assistant, moved up to part-time assistant and is now the number one assistant. Prior to the 2003-04 season Stephan was moved up to Associate Head Coach by Kampe.

His long climb mirrored the program's, culminating in a Mid-Continent Conference title in OU's first eligible year as a NCAA Division I program (1999-00). With Stephan in the coaching ranks, the Golden Grizzlies recorded two victories over Big 10 schools, Northwestern 60-41 in 1999-00, and Michigan 97-90 in 2000-01.

Stephan was a four-year letterwinner and team captain as a senior at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Carthage in 1986, where he was also Chairman of the President's Advisory Committee and President of the Student Activities Board.

Stephan is also a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. He resides in Clawson, Mich., is married to Lynn Stephan and has two sons, Nathan and Trenton.