Kyle Smith left Washington State on Monday to become the head coach at Stanford.
Smith, 54, led the Cougars to a 25-10 record this season and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2008.
He replaces Jerod Haase, who was fired earlier this month after eight seasons and zero NCAA Tournament bids.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome Kyle and his family to Stanford,” athletic director Bernard Muir said in a news release. “Kyle has an impressive track record of improving results in the programs he has led, and we heard consistently throughout our search process that he leads with great character and integrity. I look forward to working alongside Kyle and I am excited for Cardinal student-athletes to experience his passionate leadership.”
The Cardinal were 14-18 this season, which ended on March 14 with a 79-62 loss to Washington State in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals.
The seventh-seeded Cougars’ season ended Saturday with a 67-56 loss to No. 2 seed Iowa State in the second round in the East Region.
“The opportunity to serve as the head men’s basketball coach at Stanford is a dream come true, and I want to thank Bernard Muir for entrusting me with this opportunity,” Smith said. “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.
“Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building. I am thrilled to try to provide that type of culture for an institution that prides itself on excellence in all areas.”
Smith, named the 2023-24 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, went 94-71 in five seasons at Washington State.
He previously served as the head coach at Columbia (2010-16) and San Francisco (2016-19) and owns an overall record of 258-193.
Smith joins Stanford as it makes the transition from the Pac-12 to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024-25.
Smith will be formally introduced at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. Terms of his agreement were not disclosed.
–Field Level Media
