Craig Smith
Craig Smith (born December 14, 1972)
Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: Utah Utes
Current conference: Big 12 Conference
Mayville State record: 72–29 (.713)
South Dakota record: 79-55 (.590)
Utah State record: 74-24 (.755)
Utah record: 50-50 (.500)
Overall record^: 275-158 (.635)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 (2019, 2021)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 2 (2017, 2024)
- CBI Appearances: 1 (2018)
- Big 12 Regular Season Champion: 0
- Mountain West Regular Season Champion: 1 (2019)
- Summit League Regular Season Champion: 1 (2017)
- DAC (NAIA) Regular Season Champion: 2 (2006, 2007)
- Big 12 Tournament Champion: 0
- Mountain West Tournament Champion: 2 (2019, 2020)
- DAC (NAIA) Tournament Champion: 2 (2006, 2007)
- NAIA Division II National Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 2007)
- NAIA Division II Tournament Appearances: 3 (2005, 2006, 2007)
Awards:
- Mountain West Coach of the Year: 1 (2019)
- Summit League Coach of the Year: 1 (2017)
- NAIA Division II Coach of the Year: 1 (2007)
- DAC (NAIA) Coach of the Year: 2 (2006, 2007)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2021-present | Utah |
| 2018-2021 | Utah State |
| 2014-2018 | South Dakota |
| 2012-2014 | Nebraska (asst) |
| 2008-2012 | Colorado State (asst) |
| 2007-2008 | Colorado State (DBO) |
| 2004-2007 | Mayville State |
| 2001-2004 | North Dakota State (asst) |
| 1998-2001 | Minot State (asst) |
| 1997-1998 | Northern State (grad. asst) |
| 1996-1997 | Mayville State (asst) |
Craig Smith Facts
- Craig Francis Smith
- Born December 14, 1972
- Hometown: Stephen, Minnesota
- Alma Mater: University of North Dakota (BA, 1996) / Northern State University (M.Ed, 1998)
- Started his coaching career in 1996 as an assistant at NAIA Mayville State (ND) under Tim Miles
- Becoming a grad assistant at Division II Northern State (SD) a year later
- Spent three years as an assistant at North Dakota State under Miles before a three-year stint as the head coach Mayville State
- Went 72-29 overall, going to the NAIA D-II Tournament three times – finished runner-up in 2007
- Rejoined Miles at Colorado State as DBO in 2007, becoming an assistant a year later
- Followed Miles to Nebraska in 2012, spending two years as a Huskers assistant
- In four years as the head coach at South Dakota, Smith’s teams went 79-55 and won the Summit League title in 2017
- Hired in March 2018 to become the head coach at Utah State; went 74-24 over three years at the helm
- Claimed a share of the Mountain West regular season title and earned conference COY honors in his first season
- Won back-to-back Mountain West Tournament titles in 2019 and 2020, though the NCAA Tournament was cancelled in 2020
- Smith lead the Aggies to another NCAA bid in 2021, his second (would have been third) in three years at the helm
- In March 2021, Smith was hired to be the head coach of the Utah Utes
- By year three, Smith and the Utes won 22 games and reached the 2024 NIT Semifinals
Craig Smith Coaching Tree
- Eric Peterson (South Dakota)
- David Ragland (Evansville)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA Division II levels