When named the 19th head men’s basketball coach in Utah State history on March 26, 2018, Craig Smith led the Aggies to a wealth of success over his threeyears. The run included back-to-back Mountain West Tournament Championships, a share of the 2019 Mountain West regular season title and three straight NCAA Tournament berths. Under Smith, Utah State has compiled an overall mark of 74-24, including a 42-13 mark in the Mountain West.
In all, Smith has 24 years of collegiate coaching experience, including nine years as a head coach, and has been to postseason play 12 times during his career, while winning four regular season and four postseason conference championships. As a head coach, Smith has been named conference Coach of the Year four times (2006, 2007, 2017, 2019) in addition to receiving the NAIA II National Coach of the Year Award in 2007, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 12 Coach of the Year Award in 2017, and NABC District 17 Coach of the Year and USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year in 2019.
In his first year at the helm at Utah State, Smith led the Aggies to a 28-7 record, the most wins by a first-year head coach and the third-most wins overall in school history. USU advanced the NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 8 seed, the highest in program history, and logged school records of 2,753 points and 147 blocks.
Smith was equally as successful in his second year, guiding Utah State to an overall mark of 26-8, a second-straight Mountain West Tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. The Aggies were one of just 12 teams in the nation to secure a tournament spot before the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Individually, players have thrived under Smith as Sam Merrill was the 2019 MW Player of the Year, the first player in MW history to earn back-to-back MW Tournament MVP honors, a two-time first-team all-MW selection and a 2019 AP honorable mention All-American. Neemias Queta was the 2019 MW Freshman of the Year, 2019 MW Defensive Player of the Year, two-time all-MW selection and two-time MW all-defensive team honoree. Justin Bean was most recently named third-team all-MW in 2020, along with earning MW all-defensive team honors.
The Aggies have also excelled in the classroom under Smith, earning an NCAA Division I-best seven NABC Honors Court accolades in 2020, while eight student-athletes have earned a total of 13 academic all-MW awards and six more have earned a total of nine MW scholar-athlete accolades.
Smith came to Utah State after spending four years as the head coach at the University of South Dakota, where he led the Coyotes to a 79-55 (.590) record, including a 38-26 (.594) mark in the Summit League. In his last two seasons at USD, he led the program to back-to-back postseason appearances (NIT, CBI) and a conference championship (2017), as the Coyotes produced a 48-21 (.696) record, including a 23-7 (.767) mark in league play.
During the 2017-18 season at South Dakota, Smith led the Coyotes to a 26-9 record, which is the second-most wins in school history, and its best record in their 10 years at the Division I level. USD also finished second in its conference during the 2017-18 campaign with an 11-3 mark and advanced to the championship game of the Summit League Tournament, followed by an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational, which was its second-straight postseason appearance. In all, USD did not lose back-to-back games once during the 2017-18 regular season.
Statistically, South Dakota led the Summit League and ranked 12th in the nation in scoring margin (+12.2 points per game) during the 2017-18 season, while also ranking first in the conference and 32nd nationally in field goal percentage defense (.409), and first in the conference and 36th in the nation in field goal percentage offense (.476). USD also ranked third in the Summit League and 35th in the nation in scoring offense (80.9 points per game) during the 2017-18 campaign, second in the conference and 30th in the nation in turnovers (11.1 per game), and second in the league and 20th nationally in turnover margin (+3.2 per game). The Coyotes also led the league and ranked 65th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.329) last season and were first in the conference in scoring defense (68.7 points per game), while also ranking second in the conference in both free throws made (555) and attempted (740).
Following the 2016-17 season, Smith was named the Summit League and NABC District 12 Coach of the Year as he led South Dakota to a 22-12 record, including a 12-4 mark in league play, to win its second-ever Division I conference championship. The Coyotes concluded the season by playing in the National Invitation Tournament.
During his four years as the head coach at South Dakota, Smith coached nine players who earned a total of 11 Summit League honors, including Matt Mooney, who was a two-time first-team all-league honoree and a two-time NABC All-District 12 team member.
Prior to being the head coach at South Dakota, Smith spent two seasons as an assistant at Nebraska (2013-14) and five seasons as an assistant at Colorado State (2008-12), helping the Cornhuskers to the 2014 NCAA Tournament and the Rams to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. While at CSU, Smith also helped the Rams advance to the 2010 CBI Tournament and the 2011 NIT.
Smith’s other head coaching stint was at Mayville State University in North Dakota, where he compiled a 72-29 record in three seasons and three-straight NAIA II National Tournament appearances from 2005-07. The Comets were 1-25 the season before Smith’s arrival and competed in the NAIA National Championship game in their third season under Smith.
After winning 17 games in his first season at Mayville State, the Comets set a school record for victories with 28 during the 2005-06 campaign, while winning the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) regular season and tournament championships. Mayville State advanced to the national quarterfinals before falling to the eventual national champions.
In 2007, Smith was named the NAIA II National Coach of the Year when the Comets defended their regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the National Championship game. It marked the first time any men’s basketball team from North Dakota had ever played for a national title. Smith also earned DAC Coach of the Year honors in both 2006 and 2007.
Smith began his coaching career as an assistant at Mayville State during the 1996-97 season as he helped the Comets advance to the NAIA II Tournament. He then spent the 1997-98 season as a graduate assistant at Northern State in South Dakota, helping the Wolves to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Tournament. He then spent three seasons as an assistant at Minot State in North Dakota, followed by three more seasons as an assistant at North Dakota State, where he began his affiliation with current Nebraska head coach Tim Miles. Following his three years as head coach at Mayville State, Smith worked under Miles at both Colorado State and Nebraska before becoming the head coach at South Dakota.
Smith is a Stephen, Minn., native and a 1996 graduate of the University of North Dakota, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education. He then earned his master’s degree in teaching and learning from Northern State, where he served as a graduate assistant for the 1997-98 season. The Wolves reached their first-ever Elite Eight that season.
Smith and his wife, Darcy, have three sons: Landon, Brady and Carson, along with a daughter, Lauren.