Poppie completes Clemson’s coaching staff as Means joins the program
CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Women’s Basketball Head Coach Shawn Poppie completed his coaching staff by announcing the hiring of assistant coach Sydni Means on Saturday.
“I can’t express just how ecstatic I am to officially be a part of the Clemson family,” Means said of her move to Clemson to join Popppie’s staff. “I’m excited to take on this new challenge and learn and grow with Coach Poppie and the rest of this incredible staff. His family-first mindset, passion for the game, and his history of success made this move to Clemson an easy decision. I’m excited to get to work with this crew and build genuine connections with each and every person in this program!”
Means joins Clemson following three seasons at Tulsa she worked as an assistant coach. She was an important piece of Tulsa’s rebuild that won 17 games in consecutive seasons and culminated in the Golden Hurricane’s 25-win season in 2023-24. Last season, after winning the American Athletic Conference regular season championship, Tulsa ultimately advanced to the elite eight of the WBIT.
In the 2021-22 season, Means’ first in Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane qualified for the postseason for the first time in seven seasons, making it to the second round of the WNIT.
While with the Golden Hurricane, Means played a crucial role in the development of Temira Poindexter – a three-year letter winner who recorded 36 games of 20 or more points, and has career averages of 16.8 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and received All-America Honorable Mention, All-Conference, and AAC Freshman of the Year honors.
Delanie Crawford was another player that Means coached and developed during her tenure at Tulsa. Crawford, who averaged 19 points per game last season, was an all-conference selection, named an All-American Honorable Mention, and received the AAC Most Improved Player award.
Prior to making the move to Tulsa, Means was on staff at her alma mater, Mercer, from 2018-21. The Bears won 52 games in those three seasons, highlighted by a 25-win campaign in 2018-19 that resulted in a Southern Conference tournament championship for the Bears. Mercer went on to nearly pull off a monumental upset of no. 2 seed Iowa in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
As a player, Means’ Bears teams won 99 games and won a lot of hardware for Mercer. Her squads won three SoCon regular season titles, one SoCon tournament championship, and advanced to four postseasons. At the end of her playing career, Means ranked second in assists (686) and steals (246) in school history, and she ranked fifth in free throw percentage (.779).
Means earned her bachelor’s degree in 2018 in communication, she went on to get her master’s degree in 2020 in higher education leadership from Mercer.
POPPIE’S THOUGHTS
“Sydni is the perfect addition to complete my first coaching staff at Clemson. As I went through the process, I kept coming back to Syd time after time. She stands for all the right things as a person and in turn how she attacks coaching in this business. Sydni pours her heart into building relationships with her players as she turns that relationship into developing them on and off the court. The results speak for themselves as she has been a proven winner on every team she has played a part in as a player or as a coach. Her energy is contagious and will fit perfectly with the rest of our staff. Sydni will play a big part in our recruiting efforts, guard development, and scouting of opponents.”
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–Via Clemson Athletic Communications
