ATLANTA – Washington State Men's Basketball Head Coach
Kyle Smith was named to the 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List presented by AXIA Time, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday morning. Smith has guided WSU to its best season in the Pac-12 era and a 20-win regular season for the first time since 2007-08.
Coach Smith is the first Cougar men's basketball coach to earn the recognition since Tony Bennett won the 2007 Naismith National Coach of the Year, following a second-place finish in the Pac-10 and an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 1993-94.
Since the turn of the year, Smith has guided the Cougs to a 12-2 record over January and February, including a pair of top-10 wins over Arizona, a road sweep at Oregon and Oregon State for the first time since 2008-09, and the best 11-game conference stretch since 1945 (13-1). Voted to finish 10th in the Pac-12 Conference by media members, Smith has exceeded expectations, leading Wazzu to the No. 1 spot in the Conference.
The Cougars return to the court tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 24, to face Arizona State at 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT from Desert Financial Arena and on ESPN2.
--www.wsucougars.com--
2024 WERNER LADDER NAISMITH MEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR LATE SEASON WATCH LIST
| Hubert Davis |
North Carolina |
| Bryce Drew |
Grand Canyon |
| Anthony Grant |
Dayton |
| Dan Hurley |
UConn |
| Nate Oats |
Alabama |
| T.J. Otzelberger |
Iowa State |
| Matt Painter |
Purdue |
| Lamont Paris |
South Carolina |
| Bruce Pearl |
Auburn |
| Richard Pitino |
New Mexico |
| Mark Pope |
BYU |
| Kelvin Sampson |
Houston |
| Josh Schertz |
Indiana State |
| Kyle Smith |
Washington State |
| Danny Sprinkle |
Utah State |
