Kyle Smith hired as next Stanford head men’s basketball coach
Stanford announced on Monday the hiring of Kyle Smith as its next head men’s basketball coach. Smith has spent the last five seasons at Washington State, building up the program and getting back to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 for the first time since 2008.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome Kyle and his family to Stanford,” Muir said. “Kyle has an impressive track record of improving results in the programs he has led, and we heard consistently throughout our search process that he leads with great character and integrity. I look forward to working alongside Kyle and I am excited for Cardinal student-athletes to experience his passionate leadership.”
In addition to his successful rebuild in Pullman, Smith was winner at San Francisco and Columbia, both considered difficult jobs from a men’s basketball standpoint. He has an overall head coaching record of 258-193, with 94 of those wins coming with the Cougars.
This marks a return to California for Smith, who was previously an assistant at both Saint Mary’s (2001-10) and San Diego (1992-2000).
“The opportunity to serve as the head men’s basketball coach at Stanford is a dream come true, and I want to thank Bernard Muir for entrusting me with this opportunity,” Smith said. “From my perspective, Stanford has the resources and reputation to attract the ideal student-athlete who is seeking the character development aspects of what our basketball program will offer. Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building. I am thrilled to try to provide that type of culture for an institution that prides itself on excellence in all areas.”
While the two programs have long been conference rivals, the dissolution of the Pac-12 has them moving in opposite directions, with Stanford headed to the ACC and Wazzu becoming an associate member of the WCC.
Stanford parted ways with former head coach Jerod Haase earlier this month after eight seasons and no NCAA Tournaments. The Cardinal have consistently landed premier high school recruits over the past several years but have not seen that translate to on-court success.
credit to Stanford Athletics for the image
