Saudia Roundtree Takes Coaching Position With North Texas

June 18, 2009

CLEMSON, SC – Saudia Roundtree, as assistant women’s basketball coach for the past two years, has been hired as an assistant coach at North Texas. She will join the staff of former Clemson assistant coach Shanice Stephens. Roundtree and Stephens coached together in the Lady Tiger program during the 2007-08 season.

Roundtree was instrumental with the Lady Tigers in signing a Top-40 class in 2008. She began her coaching career at Morris Brown College in 2001 and then spent three seasons as the head coach at North Carolina A&T. After a season at Alabama and Central Florida, Roundtree was hired at Clemson.

A former point guard, Roundtree proved to be a valuable asset on the sidelines during 2007-08 when both Tasha Taylor and Bryelle Smith suffered season-ending injuries. Her expertise aided the development of wing players Lele Hardy and Kirstyn Wright into dependable back-ups guiding the Clemson offense. Hardy finished with just five fewer assists than tarter Christy Brown, while Wright, typically a three-point specialist, tallied 52 assists as a rookie.

Roundtree was also able to help sophomore guard Morganne Campbell maximize her abilities on the court. Campbell started 28 games in 2007-08 and increased her statistical numbers in every area by nearly two-fold. The then-sophomore was one of the team’s most consistent players and defenders whom the coaching staff could rely on for at least seven points and a couple rebounds per game.

In 2008-09, Roundtree helped coach Hardy to third-team All-ACC status and an ACC All-Defensive Team selection. The junior player averaged 16.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and recorded 106 steals.

Roundtree joined the coaching ranks after a stellar playing career at Kilgore (Texas) Junior College, the University of Georgia and in the American Basketball League (ABL). One of the most decorated players in the decade of the 90’s, Roundtree was named the 1996 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year and an All-American at the University of Georgia. Roundtree led the Lady Bulldogs to the SEC title and the NCAA National Championship game.

That year Roundtree was also named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year and SEC Player of the Year. In 1997 Roundtree received the ESPY Award for the Best Female College Basketball Player. She finished her career at Georgia with over 1,000 points and holds single season records for assists and assists per game over a single season.

The native of Anderson, SC was named the 1994 National Junior College Player-of-the-Year after averaging 26.2 points per game at Kilgore JC. Following her collegiate career, she was then the first overall pick by the Atlanta Glory in the 1996 ABL draft and played three seasons as a member of the Glory and the Nashville Noise. Roundtree averaged 12.2 points and 3.3 assists per game with Nashville in the league’s final season.