Men's Basketball
John Smith
- Title:
- Special Assistant to the Head Coach
- Email:
- jsmith04@uw.edu
A mainstay in college basketball with more than two decades of success at the Division I and junior college levels, John Smith serves as special assistant to Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle.
Before joining Sprinkle's staff on Montlake, Smith spent five seasons as head coach at Cal Poly. During his time in San Luis Obispo, Smith guided the Mustangs to the second round of the Big West Tournament twice and developed two All-Big West honorees in Alimamy Koroma and Kobe Sanders
During the 2021-22 season, Cal Poly held opponents to the second lowest field goal mark among Big West programs while playing in front of the second highest average attendance in the conference.
Smith arrived at Cal Poly after serving as associate head coach at Cal State Fullerton from 2013-19 – a period of historic success for the Titans program. During Smith’s final three seasons, Cal State Fullerton qualified for the 2018 NCAA Tournament and earned berths in the College Insider.com Postseason Tournament in 2017 and 2019. The Titans averaged 18 wins per year during Smith’s final three seasons, finished among the top four programs in the Big West Conference standings each year and reached the semifinals of the Big West Tournament three times.
With Smith playing a pivotal role in Cal State Fullerton’s recruiting efforts, eight Titans earned All-Big West honors during his final three seasons.
Prior to his successful tenure at Cal State Fullerton, Smith served as head coach at Riverside City College (2004-13), compiling a 196-87 (.693) overall record – the second-highest win total in school history – while leading the Tigers to four conference championships (2005, 2007, 2010-11), nine postseason berths, five 20-win seasons and the 2009 California Community College Athletic Association state championship (the school’s first in 43 years).
In Smith’s final season at Riverside City College, the 2012-13 Tigers finished 19-9 and posted a 9-3 mark in the Orange Empire Conference. Smith, meanwhile, earned his fifth and final Orange Empire Coach of the Year award.
As head coach and assistant athletics director at San Bernardino Valley College (2000-04), Smith posted an 88-40 overall record while directing the program to the 2003 CCCAA state tournament semifinals. He was named the 2003 Foothill Conference Coach of the Year while leading the program to a league championship.
His junior college coaching record stands at 265-118 (.692). In 2016, the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Association inducted Smith into its Hall of Fame for his outstanding work in building two programs and leading each to the state tournament.
Smith’s coaching resume also includes positions as an assistant coach at two-year programs College of Southern Idaho and Chaffey College and J.W. North High School (Riverside) and Valley View High School (Moreno Valley, Calif.). He also spent one season as the West Coast scout for the WNBA’s Detroit Shock.
As a player, Smith was a two-time all-league and all-county selection at J.W. North HS before playing at UNLV (1987-89). From there, he transferred to Dominican University (San Rafael, Calif.), where he was an NAIA All-California honorable mention selection and all-conference honoree under his brother, Steve.
He graduated from Dominican in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in psychology before earning a master’s degree in kinesiology from Azusa Pacific in 2004.
Smith and his wife, Kelly, have three children. Son, Jamal, was an assistant coach with Cal Poly after competing as a graduate guard with the Mustangs (2019-20) and playing for his father at Cal State Fullerton (2015-19). He spent the 2021-22 season as Montana State’s director of operations and 2022-23 in the same position with Cal Poly. Eldest daughter, Kianna, was a 2017 McDonald’s All-America selection and helped Louisville to the 2022 Final Four. She was selected 16th overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Daughter, Kylee, played at J.W. North HS in Riverside.
Before joining Sprinkle's staff on Montlake, Smith spent five seasons as head coach at Cal Poly. During his time in San Luis Obispo, Smith guided the Mustangs to the second round of the Big West Tournament twice and developed two All-Big West honorees in Alimamy Koroma and Kobe Sanders
During the 2021-22 season, Cal Poly held opponents to the second lowest field goal mark among Big West programs while playing in front of the second highest average attendance in the conference.
Smith arrived at Cal Poly after serving as associate head coach at Cal State Fullerton from 2013-19 – a period of historic success for the Titans program. During Smith’s final three seasons, Cal State Fullerton qualified for the 2018 NCAA Tournament and earned berths in the College Insider.com Postseason Tournament in 2017 and 2019. The Titans averaged 18 wins per year during Smith’s final three seasons, finished among the top four programs in the Big West Conference standings each year and reached the semifinals of the Big West Tournament three times.
With Smith playing a pivotal role in Cal State Fullerton’s recruiting efforts, eight Titans earned All-Big West honors during his final three seasons.
Prior to his successful tenure at Cal State Fullerton, Smith served as head coach at Riverside City College (2004-13), compiling a 196-87 (.693) overall record – the second-highest win total in school history – while leading the Tigers to four conference championships (2005, 2007, 2010-11), nine postseason berths, five 20-win seasons and the 2009 California Community College Athletic Association state championship (the school’s first in 43 years).
In Smith’s final season at Riverside City College, the 2012-13 Tigers finished 19-9 and posted a 9-3 mark in the Orange Empire Conference. Smith, meanwhile, earned his fifth and final Orange Empire Coach of the Year award.
As head coach and assistant athletics director at San Bernardino Valley College (2000-04), Smith posted an 88-40 overall record while directing the program to the 2003 CCCAA state tournament semifinals. He was named the 2003 Foothill Conference Coach of the Year while leading the program to a league championship.
His junior college coaching record stands at 265-118 (.692). In 2016, the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Association inducted Smith into its Hall of Fame for his outstanding work in building two programs and leading each to the state tournament.
Smith’s coaching resume also includes positions as an assistant coach at two-year programs College of Southern Idaho and Chaffey College and J.W. North High School (Riverside) and Valley View High School (Moreno Valley, Calif.). He also spent one season as the West Coast scout for the WNBA’s Detroit Shock.
As a player, Smith was a two-time all-league and all-county selection at J.W. North HS before playing at UNLV (1987-89). From there, he transferred to Dominican University (San Rafael, Calif.), where he was an NAIA All-California honorable mention selection and all-conference honoree under his brother, Steve.
He graduated from Dominican in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in psychology before earning a master’s degree in kinesiology from Azusa Pacific in 2004.
Smith and his wife, Kelly, have three children. Son, Jamal, was an assistant coach with Cal Poly after competing as a graduate guard with the Mustangs (2019-20) and playing for his father at Cal State Fullerton (2015-19). He spent the 2021-22 season as Montana State’s director of operations and 2022-23 in the same position with Cal Poly. Eldest daughter, Kianna, was a 2017 McDonald’s All-America selection and helped Louisville to the 2022 Final Four. She was selected 16th overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Daughter, Kylee, played at J.W. North HS in Riverside.
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Thursday, March 12
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Thursday, March 12
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Thursday, March 12
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Thursday, March 12
