Steve Curran joined the George Mason men's basketball staff as associate head coach in April 2023. He came to Fairfax after 13 seasons alongside Mark Schmidt at St. Bonaventure.
In his first season working under Mason head coach Tony Skinn ('06), Curran helped the Patriots reach 20 regular season (pre-conference tournament) wins for the first time since 2011-12 and a top-100 ranking for the first time since 2010-11.
George Mason's 13-2 start matched the 1983-84 team for the best in program history, while the Patriots tallied 11 non-conference wins this season for just the second time in the past 40 campaigns.
The Patriots earned four top-100 NET victories and defeated two teams which qualified for the NCAA Tournament (Dayton, South Dakota State). George Mason's win over #16 Dayton was its first ever over a ranked foe at home and also marked the highest-ranked win by a Patriot program in regular season history.
Curran has been honored three times by Silver Waves Media for his program-building work. He was named one of the nation's "most impactful mid-major assistant coaches" in 2020 and again in 2022. This past season, the organization selected him to the Top 100 Mid Major Assistants Rising Stars list.
A principal architect of St. Bonaventure's development into one of the Atlantic 10's preeminent powers, Curran previously worked alongside Mark Schmidt for 13 seasons. He had served as associate head coach since 2018.
During that sustained stretch of excellence, the Bonnies posted five 20-win campaigns, captured three NCAA Tournament berths (2021, 2018, 2012) and made a pair of NIT appearances (2022, 2016).
St. Bonaventure recorded an 103-55 (.652) Atlantic 10 record since 2014-15 and captured five total league titles.
From 2014-15 to 2021-22, St. Bonaventure was the only Atlantic 10 program to win at least 10 conference games in each of those campaigns. The program's NCAA Tournament victory over UCLA in 2019 was the program's first since 1970.
During his time in Olean, Curran worked as a tireless recruiter who brought in a host of all-conference players who would go on to professional success.
Curran recruited and developed All-A-10 talents Jaylen Adams, who was named the conference's Co-Player of the Year as a senior and played in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks in 2019, as well as First Team selections Matt Mobley and Courtney Stockard who each now play professionally overseas.
He also recruited both Kyle Lofton and Dominick Welch as part of St. Bonaventure's tremendous 2018-19 freshman class. An Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection, Lofton became one of the league's top point guards and helped the Bonnies reach the A-10 Championship Game, picking up a spot on the A-10 All-Tournament Team in the process.
Curran also aided in the development of Osun Osunniyi who set the program record for freshman blocks and picked up A-10 All-Rookie and All-Defensive honors. As sophomores, Lofton was named First Team All-Conference while Osunniyi was named to the Third Team and became the fourth player in program history to be picked to the A-10's All-Defensive Team multiple years. Lofton captured First Team All-A-10 honors again as a junior while Osunniyi became the program's first A-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. In 2022, Osunniyi repeated as A-10 Defensive Player of the Year and set the program's career blocks record.
Lofton would finish his Bonnies career as a four-time All-Atlantic 10 selection while ranking 13th in school history for scoring and third in assists. Welch, meanwhile, became a 1,000-point scorer while ranking third in Bonaventure history for career 3-pointers.
He helped develop other top Bonnies players including 2014 graduates Matthew Wright, Charlon Kloof and Marquise Simmons, as well as 2015 graduate Youssou Ndoye, all of whom are now playing professional basketball. Ndoye spent the 2015-16 season with the Austin Spurs of the NBA Developmental League and now plays in Europe while Wright, Kloof and Simmons have also found success playing overseas.
In 2017-18, Curran helped St. Bonaventure to a 26-8 record, an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament and a second-place finish in the Atlantic 10. The Bonnies' 26 wins set the school record, capped by the NCAA victory over the Bruins. In addition, the season included a 13-game win streak, which was the longest for the program since 1970.
In the 2011-12 season, Curran guided the Bonnies to 20 wins, the program's first A-10 championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. In 2015-16, the Bonnies finished 22-9 and went 14-4 in the A-10, a program record for conference wins.
Prior to coming to St. Bonaventure, Curran served as an assistant coach at Central Connecticut State for five seasons. Curran had previously worked as an assistant under Schmidt at Robert Morris from 2001-04.
During Curran's five seasons at CCSU, the Blue Devils posted a Northeast Conference record of 56-34 and went 46-22 at home, including 33-12 in home regular season NEC action. In 2006-07, Curran helped the Blue Devils post a memorable run, winning 16 of 18 NEC games and three straight games in the NEC Tournament to advance to their third NCAA Tournament since 2000.
During his time at CCSU, the Blue Devils produced five first team All-Conference selections, 2011 NEC Player of the Year and CCSU all-time leading scorer Ken Horton, and two NEC Defensive Players of the Year. Curran also recruited the program's first NEC Rookie of the Year in 2007-08, guard Shemik Thompson.
Prior to spending one season at Siena College in 2004-05, Curran was Schmidt's assistant coach at Robert Morris for three seasons. Over that span, the Colonials won 28 conference games and qualified for the NEC Tournament twice. Curran helped recruit a trio of conference award winners in All-NEC selection Maurice Carter, 2003 All-Rookie Team member Derek Coleman, and 2008 Player of the Year Tony Lee.
Before he joined the staff at Robert Morris, Curran was an assistant with the University of New Hampshire from 1999-2001. He also served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, Merrimack College, from 1994-99.
Curran earned a bachelor's degree from Merrimack in business administration in 1992. As a player, he was Merrimack's captain as a senior, leading the Warriors to a Northeast-10 Conference championship and the second of two straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Curran was named First Team All-Conference as well as being named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America Second Team.
He is the father of three children: Casey, Tyler, and Katie.
