Jay Smith
Jay Smith (born June 21, 1961)
Teams coached: Grand Valley State Lakers, Central Michigan Chippewas, Kalamazoo Hornets
Grand Valley State record: 23-6 (.793)
Central Michigan record: 95-160 (.373)
Kalamazoo record: 22-52 (.297)
Overall record^: 140-218 (.391)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (2003)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 0
- MAC Regular Season Champion: 2 (2001, 2003)
- MAC Tournament Champion: 1 (2003)
Awards:
- MAC Coach of the Year: 2 (2001, 2003)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2019-2024 | Michigan (DPP) |
| 2016-2019 | Kalamazoo |
| 2008-2016 | Detroit (asst) |
| 1997-2006 | Central Michigan |
| 1996-1997 | Grand Valley State |
| 1989-1996 | Michigan (asst) |
| 1984-1989 | Kent State (asst) |
Jay Smith Facts
- Jay Steven Smith
- Born June 21, 1961
- Hometown: Mio, Michigan
- Alma Mater: Saginaw Valley State University (BA, 1984) / Kent State University (MA, 1986)
- Attended Mio-Au Sable HS (MI), graduating in 1979 as the all-time leading scorer in Michigan HS basketball history
- Retroactively named Michigan’s 1979 Mr. Basketball by the BCAM, as the award didn’t officially start until 1981
- Played one year at Bowling Green for John Weinert before finishing his degree and career at Sagninaw Valley State (MI)
- Started his coaching career in 1984 at Kent State, where he was an assistant under Jim McDonald for five seasons
- Joined Steve Fisher‘s staff at Michigan in 1989, working with the Wolverines for the next seven seasons
- Was a part of the (later vacated) back-to-back NCAA Runner-up seasons headlined by the “Fab Five”
- Left UM in 1996 to be the head coach at D-II Grand Valley State in Allendale, MI; went 23-6 in his lone season there
- Hired in 1997 to be the head coach at Central Michigan, leading the Chippewas for nine seasons
- Started slow, winning just 21 games in his first three seasons combined, before going 20-8 (14-4) in year four and winning a share of the 2001 MAC regular season title
- Two years later, CMU won the MAC again, then claimed the 2003 MAC Tournament crown for an NCAA Tournament bid
- The team was led from 2000-03 by 2003 MAC Player of the Year and future NBA Lottery Pick Chris Kaman
- However, the team again struggled and won just 20 games total over his final three seasons; Smith was fired in 2006
- After a year off, Smith joined new Detroit head coach Ray McCallum‘s staff; assisted there for McCallum’s full eight-year tenure
- Was a part of the Titans 2012 NCAA Tournament berth and 2013 NIT berth the following season
- When McCallum was let go in 2016, Smith ended up getting hired to be the head coach at D-III Kalamazoo College (MI)
- Went 22-52 over three seasons before resigning in 2019 to take a position at Michigan
- Worked under Wolverines’ head coach Juwan Howard, whom Smith helped recruit to UM, as director of player personnel from 2019-24
Jay Smith Coaching Tree
- Tim Kisner (Oklahoma City)
- Cornell Mann (Grand Valley State)
- Mark Montgomery (Detroit Mercy, Northern Illinois)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III levels
