Texas Rio Grande Valley Athletics

Jai Steadman was named interim head coach on Feb. 11, 2021 following the tragic passing of head coach Lew Hill. Steadman had previously been an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team since Sept. 24, 2014.

Steadman is a member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, making him one of just two Native American head coaches in NCAA Division I men’s basketball, along with Houston’s Kelvin Sampson (Lumbee Native Americans in North Carolina).

UTRGV broke four program recording during the 2020-21 season, for fewest field goals allowed (436), fewest three-pointers allowed (105), lowest opponent three-point shooting percentage (29.9%), and fewest rebound allowed (757). UTRGV opponents hit just 63.7% of free throw attempts, the second lowest mark in program history.
 
In Steadman’s first game as interim head coach, the Vaqueros broke the program record for steals (27) while scoring 48 points off of 47 turnovers in a 116-51 victory over Dallas Christian. UTRGV scored 64 points in the second half, the fifth-highest single-game total in program history.

Steadman was ranked tied for the No. 1 spot among assistant coaches in the WAC by Stadium's Jeff Goodman entering the 2020-21 season. In that article, Hill remarked that “Jai is a great recruiter and tireless worker. He is also great with the players and a team-first coach.”
 
During his time at UTRGV, Steadman has been heavily involved in scouting, on-court coaching, scheduling and recruiting.
 
Prior to joining UTRGV, Steadman already had significant ties to the region, having spent three seasons with the Houston Rockets’ NBA G-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, from 2009-12, not only helping the Vipers to their first championship in 2010, but a runner-up finish in 2011 as well. He was also an assistant coach for the 2010 NBA D-League All-Star Game, and the NBA D-League Select team during the 2010 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. His coaching responsibilities included on-floor coaching, individual player development, scouting all upcoming opponents and personnel, and serving as a liaison to the Rockets regarding player development. Additionally, Steadman ran most of the Vipers’ youth camps and clinics and was an integral part of the Vipers’ community engagement efforts.
 
Steadman has previous head coaching experience with Rander Cimbria in Denmark, where he led the team to their first playoff appearance in 2003-04. He also spent the 2013-14 season as the head coach at Westwind Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, Ariz. before returning to the Rio Grande Valley.

The Lincoln, Neb.-native graduated from the University of Nebraska, where he began his coaching career as an administrative assistant from 1992-through-1997. While he was there, Nebraska won the 1995 National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and the 1994 Big 8 Tournament while going to the NCAA Tournament in 1992, 1993 and 1994, and making an additional NIT appearance in 1996.
 
After working for three seasons as an assistant coach at Tyler Junior College, Steadman returned to the NCAA Division I level as an assistant coach at TCU in 2002-03, where he helped to produce the No. 32 ranked recruiting class in the nation.
 
Steadman spent the next two seasons in professional basketball, first as the head coach of Rander Cimbria in Denmark, and then as an assistant coach with the Michigan Mayhem of the Continental Basketball Association.
 
Steadman returned to college basketball in 2004-05 as an assistant coach at McNeese State before joining the staff at North Texas the following season. At each stop, Steadman was the recruiting coordinator, helping to produce the No. 64 and No. 29 ranked recruiting classes in the nation, respectively.
 
Following a stint as an assistant coach with the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA D-League in 2006-07, Steadman became an assistant coach at Louisiana from 2007-09. While there, he helped to bring in the No. 1 recruiting class in the Sun Belt Conference.
 
Then, after working with the Vipers, Steadman departed to become an assistant coach at Bellevue University in 2012-13, where he helped to lead the team to a conference championship and a berth in the NAIA Sweet 16.