University of Massachusets Athletics
Steele Earns Spot on Top 100 Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches List
October 20, 2026 | Men's Basketball
AMHERST, Mass. – UMass assistant men's basketball coach Brian Steele has been named to the eighth annual top 100 Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media, as announced on Monday. Steele, along with fellow Minutemen assistant Matt Figger, were both named to the list.
Entering his fifth season at UMass, Steele joined the Minutemen after spending time on head coach Frank Martin's staff at South Carolina where he was hired in 2020 to serve as the program's video coordinator before being elevated to an assistant coach.
During the 2025-26 season, Steele helped lead the Minutemen to a 17-16 record with ACC wins over Florida State and Boston College, along with a win over Oregon State. Steele helped coached Marcus Banks Jr. and Danny Carbuccia to All-MAC third team and MAC-All Freshman team honors, respectively. Banks broke the program record for 3-pointers in a season (112) and in a game (10 vs. Central Michigan). During the Central Michigan game, Carbuccia also set the program record for assists in a game with 17. The most notable win of the season was in the MAC Tournament when Massachusetts defeated No. 20 and previously undefeated Miami (OH), gaining national spotlight. It was the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2013.
During the 2023-24, Steele helped lead the Minutemen to their best campaign since 2014, finishing with a 20-11 overall record and securing a top-four seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship. The campaign marked the program's first 20-win season since 2013-14 and first top-four seed since the 2007-08 season.
Steele spent two years as an assistant coach at Queens University in Charlotte, where he helped guide the Royals to a NCAA DII Elite Eight appearance during the 2018-19 season. Steele signed the highest ranked recruit in Queens history, three-star guard Justin Thomas, and helped coach the Royals to a top-25 finish in both major national polls for the fifth-straight season in 2019-20.
A native of Greenville, S.C., Steele was a three-year letterwinner at South Carolina (2012-2015) as a student-athlete and served as a student assistant during the 2015-16 season in addition to the 2016-17 Final Four campaign. Steele was a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and earned his degree in sport and entertainment management in 2016.
Prior to South Carolina, Steele spent his prep career at Wade Hampton High School, where he earned all-state, all-region, and all-county honors and helped his squad earn a state championship during his junior season.
The Minutemen return to the court on Friday for an exhibition matchup at Harvard, their final tune-up before the season opener at Troy on Monday, Nov. 2.
Entering his fifth season at UMass, Steele joined the Minutemen after spending time on head coach Frank Martin's staff at South Carolina where he was hired in 2020 to serve as the program's video coordinator before being elevated to an assistant coach.
During the 2025-26 season, Steele helped lead the Minutemen to a 17-16 record with ACC wins over Florida State and Boston College, along with a win over Oregon State. Steele helped coached Marcus Banks Jr. and Danny Carbuccia to All-MAC third team and MAC-All Freshman team honors, respectively. Banks broke the program record for 3-pointers in a season (112) and in a game (10 vs. Central Michigan). During the Central Michigan game, Carbuccia also set the program record for assists in a game with 17. The most notable win of the season was in the MAC Tournament when Massachusetts defeated No. 20 and previously undefeated Miami (OH), gaining national spotlight. It was the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2013.
During the 2023-24, Steele helped lead the Minutemen to their best campaign since 2014, finishing with a 20-11 overall record and securing a top-four seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship. The campaign marked the program's first 20-win season since 2013-14 and first top-four seed since the 2007-08 season.
Steele spent two years as an assistant coach at Queens University in Charlotte, where he helped guide the Royals to a NCAA DII Elite Eight appearance during the 2018-19 season. Steele signed the highest ranked recruit in Queens history, three-star guard Justin Thomas, and helped coach the Royals to a top-25 finish in both major national polls for the fifth-straight season in 2019-20.
A native of Greenville, S.C., Steele was a three-year letterwinner at South Carolina (2012-2015) as a student-athlete and served as a student assistant during the 2015-16 season in addition to the 2016-17 Final Four campaign. Steele was a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and earned his degree in sport and entertainment management in 2016.
Prior to South Carolina, Steele spent his prep career at Wade Hampton High School, where he earned all-state, all-region, and all-county honors and helped his squad earn a state championship during his junior season.
The Minutemen return to the court on Friday for an exhibition matchup at Harvard, their final tune-up before the season opener at Troy on Monday, Nov. 2.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballSunday, October 18
Sunday, October 18
Sunday, October 11
Sunday, October 11