Former Canes basketball star part of husband-and-wife coaching duo at Miramar High

On their first date, in January of 2018, Krystal Saunders and Tramaine Stevens lifted weights and had a half-court shootout at Miramar High.

Saunders won the shootout.

Two years later, Saunders, a former Miami Hurricanes basketball standout, got the ring, too, as Stevens, an ex-Florida Memorial University standout, proposed to her in front of both of their families.

“He slid into my DMs,” Saunders said when asked how they met. “I didn’t respond for the first few messages.”

After finally getting that first date, the two became inseparable.

“We’re both basketball junkies,” explained Stevens, who married Saunders on Oct. 5, 2020. “We challenge each other, and she calms me down on the sideline. She’s more of a players’ coach, and I’m more a disciplinarian.”

Added Saunders: “When I first met him, he was so intense. I told him: ‘I’m going to need you to pipe it down.’”

However, just as basketball brought them together, the sport also split them apart for a while.

That’s because on August 11, 2021, Stevens, 36, was hired as recruiting coordinator and assistant basketball coach at Chicago State. Saunders, 32, stayed behind to continue her own coaching career, most recently as a Florida Memorial assistant.

In August of 2023, the job as Miramar head coach opened up after a 4-18 record the previous season. Stevens jumped at the chance to return to South Florida, joining his wife and their growing family, which now includes daughter Autumn, 3, and son Ace, six months. Stevens also has a son, Amir, 9, from a previous relationship.

Prior to leaving for Chicago State, Stevens had coached Miramar for a highly successful six-year run, going 111-44 and winning the Class 7A state title in 2020. That squad also won the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas.

Miramar’s other big season under Stevens came in 2017-2018, when the Patriots won the BCAA Big 8 title and advanced to the state tournament’s Final Four.

Naturally, when Stevens was re-hired at Miramar, he brought with him a highly accomplished assistant – Saunders.

“My eyes lit up when I found out I could coach with my husband,” Saunders said. “It meant not having to travel around so much to see each other. No more ripping and running.”

Back at Miramar, Stevens didn’t immediately tell his players who she was or anything about her background. All they knew on the first day of practice was that she was Stevens’ wife.

So, when Stevens had to step out of the gym to take a call, Saunders calmly took over.

“I started calling out moves for the next drill,” Saunders said. “The players got big-eyed.”

It wasn’t until after practice that Stevens told his players that Saunders had won Miss Florida Basketball at South Broward High and had led the Hurricanes to three NCAA Tournament berths and one ACC regular-season title in four years at the University of Miami.

Saunders, whose only previous experience coaching boys was at the AAU level, has already helped Miramar’s shooters. After all, in her senior season, her 77.5 free-throw percentage led the team. She still ranks fifth in Miami history with 70 made 3-pointers.

“She knows every position,” said Zayvian Bieger, a 6-3 junior wing for the Miramar Patriots, whose season started last week. “But the one thing she has helped the most with is shooting.

“Some kids may not have their feet set before they shoot or they may not flick their wrists all the way. She sees the details and helps us with our consistency. She works on our form, even when we’re tired.”

Bieger said the Miramar practices this season are the hardest ones he has ever faced.

“But the progress shows,” Bieger said.

Stevens said the hard practices are deliberate.

“We’ve had to break bad habits,” Stevens said. “Guys were missing practice. The work ethic wasn’t there.”

To remedy that, Stevens has instituted study hall from 3 to 4 p.m.; running from 4 to 4:15; weight-lifting from 4:30 to 5:30; and basketball practice from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

“If you’re injured, go see a doctor,” Stevens tells his players. “But if you’re hurt, you have to practice.”

Stevens, who is 6-foot-4, which is eight inches taller than his wife, played his high school ball at Northwestern before becoming Florida Memorial’s all-time leading scorer.

He then played pro ball in Brazil, Israel, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

Stevens said he was “disappointed” when the Miramar program he built up fell on hard times the two years he was away, posting a 7-28 record during that span.

“I had hoped the tradition would continue,” Stevens said. “But I’m excited for the opportunity to return. I’m up for the challenge.”

Miramar’s top players this season are 6-5 junior wing Nehemiah Jean Charles; 6-4 junior combo guard Joshua Skinner; 6-3 junior combo guard Mekhi Hudson and the aforementioned Bieger.

Charles, a transfer from McArthur, can guard all five positions and finishes well at the rim.

Skinner, a transfer from South Plantation, is perhaps the team’s top overall player.

Bieger, a transfer from South Broward, is a pure shooter who can bust games open.

Hudson, a holdover from Miramar’s 2022-2023 season, is a scrappy team leader.

All the Miramar players, Bieger said, are being coached hard and well.

In fact, Bieger said his perspective on Saunders has changed since that initial meeting.

“At first, we didn’t expect her to know anything about basketball,” Bieger said. “But we’ve seen the results in our shooting and our play.

“We always respected her as a person because she is an adult. But now we respect her as a basketball coach, too.”

This story was originally published December 4, 2023 at 12:40 PM.