coaching staff
SWEET 16 TIMES THREE Nine Coaches have taken three different teams to the Sweet 16. The only active coaches to do so are Tubby Smith (Tulsa, Georgia and Kentucky), Bill Self (Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas), Lon Kruger (Florida, Illinois, UNLV) and Rick Pitino (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville). Name Gene Bartow Eddie Hickey Lon Kruger* Frank McGuire Ralph Miller Rick Pitino* Bill Self* Tubby Smith* Eddie Sutton * active
Schools Memphis, UCLA, UAB Creighton, St. Louis, Marquette Florida, Illinois, UNLV St. John’s, North Carolina, South Carolina Wichita State, Iowa, Oregon State Providence, Kentucky, Louisville Tulsa, Illinois, Kansas Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State
TUBBY TIME IS TOURNEY TIME Smith is 29-14 in NCAA Tournament action in 17 seasons as a head coach. His .674 winning percentage ranks as the eighth-best winning percentage among active coaches:
Active NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Coach (Current School) Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) Billy Donovan (Florida) Rick Pitino (Louisville) Tim Izzo (Michigan State) Roy Williams (North Carolina) Steve Fisher (San Diego State) Jim Calhoun (Connecticut) Tubby Smith (Minnesota) John Calipari (Kentucky) Gary Williams (Maryland)
No. 68-20 22-7 32-11 24-9 45-17 20-8 39-16 29-13 18-9 27-14
Yrs. .773 .758 .744 .727 .726 .714 .709 .691 .667 .659
in three of his first four years at Kentucky held opponents to their lowest field goal percentages since 1962. Smith began his coaching career at Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Md., where he was head coach for four years and compiled a 46-36 record. His next stop came at Hoke County High School in Raeford, N.C., where he recorded a 28-18 mark in two seasons. A 1973 graduate of High Point (N.C.) College, Smith was an all-conference performer as a senior. He played under three different head coaches at High Point, including Barnett, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education. Smith is the sixth of 16 children raised on a rural farm in southern Maryland. He and his wife Donna, have three sons and a daughter-in-law: Orlando (G.G.), who is an assistant coach at Loyola College in Maryland and his wife Lorie, who is a licensed Pediatrician in the State of Maryland; Saul, who is an assistant coach on the Minnesota coaching staff; and Brian, an Ole Miss graduate, is presently working as an assistant athletic director and assistant boys basketball coach at Windermere Prep Academy in Windermere, Fla. Smith has always been very active in the community. The Tubby Smith Foundation, which he established to assist underprivileged children, has raised over $1.5 million in the past five years. Tubby’s Clubhouses revitalized community centers throughout Lexington by providing computers and training to hundreds of school-age children. In the summer of 2001, the United Way created a new award - The Donna and Tubby Smith Community Spirit Award. The Smith’s were the inaugural recipient of the award for their generous contributions. In 2001, their $125,000 donation made them the highest individual contributor to the United Way in the state of Kentucky. The award is given annually to those who effectively advance mobilization or collaboration to achieve positive impact that benefits the Central Kentucky community atlarge.
Coach Smith From A Player’s Perspective
“Coach Smith is a great motivator. He knows how to get the most out
of his players and how to get them ready to play hard. A Tubby Smith
coached team is always going to be disciplined and solid defensively. He doesn’t just care about his players on the court, he cares about
them off the court as well and tries to help each player become a better person, not just a better basketball player.”
— Kelenna Azubuike, Golden State Warriors “Coach Smith is the only reason I chose the college institution I did. It is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Coach Smith
stressed that it’s just as important to focus on your academics as
much as you do your work on the court. He taught us that in order to
accomplish your goals you have to put in the time, work and effort.” — Chuck Hayes, Houston Rockets
The Smith Family
Smith’s 14 consecutive NCAA appearances ranks as the third-most among active coaches, trailing only Arizona’s Lute Olsen (23) and North Carolina’s Roy Williams (18). He ranks in a tie for fifth all-time with the 14 straight NCAA berths.
All-Time Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances Coach (Current School) 1. Dean Smith (1975-97) Lute Olson (1985-2007) 3. Roy Williams (1990-pres.) 4. Bob Knight (1986-2000) 5. Tubby Smith (1994-2007) Bob Huggins (1992-2005) John Thompson (1979-92) 7. Rick Barnes (1996-pres.) Mike Krzyzewski (1996-pres.) Eddie Sutton (1977-88) John Chaney (1990-2001)
No. 23 23 19 15 14 14 14 13 13 12 12
Donna and Tubby Smith
79 * Minnesota Basketball