Clevan Thompson enters his second full season as head men’s basketball coach at Savannah State University in 2026-27 after guiding the Tigers to an SIAC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance during a remarkable first season at the helm.
Thompson was officially named the 12th head coach in Savannah State men’s basketball history on June 6, 2025, after serving as interim head coach during the second half of the 2024-25 season. He assumed leadership of the program on January 6, 2025, following the midseason retirement of longtime head coach Horace Broadnax.
Taking over in the middle of the season, Thompson quickly put his stamp on the program. Savannah State posted a 13-6 record under his direction to close the 2024-25 campaign, including a perfect 7-0 mark at home.
The Tigers saved their best basketball for the postseason.
Entering the 2025 SIAC Men's Basketball Championship as the No. 5 seed from the East Division, Savannah State put together a memorable tournament run. The Tigers defeated Spring Hill before knocking off West Division regular-season champion Miles and Central State to advance to the championship game.
In the title contest, Thompson guided Savannah State to a thrilling 67-66 victory over Tuskegee, capturing the program's sixth SIAC championship. The title was Savannah State's second in four seasons after the Tigers also claimed the conference crown in 2022.
The championship earned Savannah State the SIAC's automatic berth in the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, capping an impressive turnaround under Thompson and returning the Tigers to the national postseason.
Thompson's elevation to head coach continued a relationship with Savannah State that began decades earlier. He returned to his alma mater prior to the 2023-24 season when he joined Broadnax's staff as the program's lead assistant coach.
Before returning to "The Marsh," Thompson established himself as one of the Savannah area's most successful high school basketball coaches during a nearly two-decade coaching career.
From 2009-22, Thompson served as the head boys' basketball coach at nearby Bethesda Academy, where he led the Blazers through the most successful period in program history. Under his leadership, Bethesda amassed 265 victories, made 12 Final Four appearances and advanced to six state championship games.
Thompson guided the Blazers to two state championships, capturing the 2012 Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) state title before winning the 2015 South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Class AAA championship. His sustained success at Bethesda established Thompson as a respected coach and program builder throughout the region.
A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Thompson also spent part of his upbringing in South Florida before eventually making Savannah home.
Thompson is no stranger to Savannah State or the tradition of Tiger Athletics. A 2003 graduate of Savannah State, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and was a football student-athlete for the Tigers.
More than two decades after representing Savannah State as a student-athlete, Thompson now leads the University's men's basketball program, bringing with him championship experience, deep ties to the Savannah community and a proven record of developing winning programs.
