Stanford hires WSU’s Kyle Smith as men’s basketball coach

The Pac-12’s men’s basketball coach of the year will lead Stanford out of the conference.

Kyle Smith, the coach who took Washington State to the NCAA Tournament this year for the first time in 16 seasons, has been hired to take over the Stanford program. National reporter Jeff Goodman was first to report the news, which the school announced later Monday morning.

Smith’s Cougars eliminated Stanford from the men’s Pac-12 Tournament in the third round two weeks ago, ending Jerod Haase’s tenure in charge of the Cardinal. Washington State beat Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, then fell over the weekend to Iowa State in the second round.

Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir stuck with Jerod Haase for eight seasons as the Cardinal recruited well but never reached the NCAA Tournament during his time in charge. Haase, a former Cal guard, went 126-127 at Stanford.

Smith has ties to the Bay Area, where he was an assistant under Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett and later led San Francisco for three seasons before Washington State hired him away in 2019. His run at USF included three consecutive 20-win seasons In between those Northern California stints, Smith took over Columbia for his first coaching job.

In five seasons leading the Cougars, Smith went 94-71, and this season’s 25-10 result was his best yet despite losing several significant players from last year’s team in the transfer portal.

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With the Cougars facing an uncertain future as they attempt to rebuild the Pac-12, Smith is opting for a new challenge as Stanford enters the ACC.

“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,” Smith said in a Stanford release. “Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building.”

Smith will be introduced at a press conference later this week.