Smith was hired Wednesday to take over at Siena, less than two weeks after the 16th-seeded Saints gave Duke a serious scare in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He will replace Gerry McNamara, who was at Siena for two seasons and left to become a coach at his alma mater of Syracuse.
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“My family and I couldn’t be more excited to come to the Capital Region and become part of the Siena community,” Smith said. “I am humbled and humbled to be able to lead this program and build on the momentum created by Gerry McNamara, his staff and the great players who have proudly worn the Siena jersey over the years.”
Smith joins the Saints after five seasons on Shaka Smart’s staff at Marquette, which was preceded by a stint with Texas and as head coach of two G League teams: the Sioux Falls Skyforce, an affiliate of the Miami Heat, and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, an affiliate of the Houston Rockets.
“We were really supportive of this opportunity,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Wednesday. “He probably could have been a head coach at a different school, at a different level, over the last few years. He has a great, innovative coaching mind and I think his experience with Shaka Smart over the last few years has really taken his insight and understanding of everything at that great level to even a different level than he had before.”
Smith was also with the Heat in various capacities other than as a G League coach, and has stayed in touch with many in the organization.
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“I think it’s a perfect fit,” Spoelstra said. “I think it’s going to be an exciting brand of basketball. The Siena fans will love the style of basketball he coaches and the players will love it too. I’m really excited for him.”
Smith has also been a head coach at the Division III level and inherits a program that is coming off its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2010.
“Nevada is a proven winner with a sophisticated basketball mind,” said Siena president Chuck Seifert.
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