Scott Duncan Position: Assistant Coach Birthdate: 09/18/1955

Scott Duncan is in his 22nd season as an assistant coach in the college ranks, his 18th as a full-time Division I assistant. He came to Clemson in April 1998 with Head Coach Larry Shyatt when the Tiger Head Coach made the move from the University of Wyoming.

Duncan was a major reason Clemson won 20 games in 1998-99, just the seventh 20-win campaign in Clemson history. He worked with the Clemson backcourt in practice and enhance the play of ACC scoring champion Terrell McIntyre.

Duncan is also significantly involved in the recruiting process. He has been a major factor in Clemson’s recruiting success the last two signing periods including November (1999) when Clemson signed four top-25 players.

Duncan was a big reason the Wyoming Cowboys had a landmark season in 1997-98, an NIT appearance and a 19-9 overall record, the first postseason bid for Wyoming since 1990-91 and its most wins in 10 seasons.

Duncan and Shyatt have been intertwined in the coaching profession for many years. In fact, Clemson is the fourth different Division I program that has had the coaching duo on the same staff. They also worked together for two seasons at Cleveland State, five seasons at New Mexico and 1997-98 at Wyoming.

Duncan applied for a part-time coaching position at Cleveland State in 1978. It just so happened that one of the assistant coaches on that staff was Larry Shyatt. Duncan stayed at Cleveland State for two seasons and the team reached new heights, winning 36 and losing just 18, Cleveland State’s best back to back seasons in many years. Duncan learned the fundamentals of recruiting from Shyatt during this time. One of the top players on that team was a 6-11 center, Darren Tillis, also an assistant coach on this year’s Tiger team.

Prior to the 1980-81 season, Duncan moved to the University of New Mexico, where he served under Gary Colson and Dave Bliss. Duncan spent the longest tenure of his career in Albuquerque, as he was with the program for 11 seasons. He was a part-time assistant for his first two years, then moved to full-time status for the 1982-83 season.

New Mexico was a consistently successful team, as the club advanced to seven NIT tournaments. The 1989-90 Lobo team advanced to the NIT Final Four, defeating Oregon, Oklahoma State and Hawaii in the process. They had also been to the Final Four of the preseason NIT earlier in the year.

The program had a string of four consecutive 20-win seasons in his final four years with the program, including a 25-10 season in 1986-87. Over his last six seasons, all postseason campaigns, the Lobos averaged 21 victories per year. The Lobos had 11 all-conference players in his time at New Mexico.

After the 1989-90 season, Duncan moved on to Fresno State where he was reunited with Gary Colson. He was with that program for six months and helped recruit the second best freshman class in the Big West.

In the spring of 1992, Duncan became an assistant under longtime friend Brian Hammil at Northern Illinois. In his four years at Northern Illinois, he helped recruit the conference freshman of the year and player of the year, including the group that became conference champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. His final year at the school Northern Illinois got off to a school record 9-0 start and ended the season with 19 wins.

In 1995-96, Washington State and head coach Kevin Eastman enlisted Duncan’s services and the Cougars went to the NIT in the first year. He also helped bring in a recruiting class that was ranked 22nd in the nation. A year later, Shyatt and Duncan were reunited in Wyoming.

Overall, Duncan has been an assistant coach for 21 seasons. He has coached at five different schools and they have advanced to postseason play 11 of the last 15 years.

Duncan, an avid runner who puts in upwards of 40 miles a week, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Economics from the College of Wooster in1978. He was a four-year letterman in basketball with the College of Wooster and played on a pair of NCAA College Division Tournament teams.

Scott Duncan Quick Facts

Date of Birth: 9-18-55 in Columbus, OH
Education: Graduated from West Lake High School in Westlake, OH in 1974; Earned undergraduate degree in Economics and Physical Education from the College of Wooster in 1978
Playing Experience: Lettered at College of Wooster four seasons, 1975-78.
Coaching Experience: Assistant coach under Ray Dieringer at Cleveland State 1978-79 through 1979-80; Assistant Coach, University of New Mexico, 1980-81 through 1990-91 (under Gary Colson 1980-81 to 1987-88, under Dave Bliss 1988-89 to 1989-90); Assistant Coach under Gary Colson at Fresno State University, 1990; Assistant Coach under Brian Hammil, Northern Illinois, 1991-92 through 1994-95; Assistant Coach under Kevin Eastman, Washington State University, 1995-96 through 1996-97; Assistant Coach under Larry Shyatt, University of Wyoming, 1997-98; Assistant Coach under Larry Shyatt, Clemson University 1998-Present.