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WCC Basketball: San Francisco Dons make Kyle Smith hiring official

By John Parker

Dec 10, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Columbia Lions head coach Kyle Smith reacts to a call in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Columbia Lions 56-46. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Columbia Lions head coach Kyle Smith reacts to a call in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Columbia Lions 56-46. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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Columbia’s Kyle Smith will join the WCC Basketball Conference as the head coach of the San Francisco Dons.

Kyle Smith, fresh off of a College Insider Tournament Championship, is leaving his post as head coach of the Columbia men’s basketball program to take over the same position with the San Francisco Dons. Smith’s status as the leading candidate for the job was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman on Sunday.

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Smith, who lead the Lions for six years, spent his entire coaching career prior to taking the Columbia job as an assistant on the West Coast. He spent a decade working as an assistant on Randy Bennett’s staff at Saint Mary’s from 2001-2010.

While Smith was unable to win an Ivy League regular season title and the automatic NCAA Tournament bid that comes with it, he is leaving Columbia after building the program back into an Ivy League contender. Smith led the program to its only two 20-win seasons since 1970 and a school record 25 wins this year. His 101 career wins leave him tied for third all-time at the school.

San Francisco is the third of four West Coast Conference programs to fill its head coaching vacancy this offseason. Pacific replaced Ron Verlin — who was suspended following allegations of academic misconduct — with Memphis assistant Damon Stoudamire. Santa Clara tabbed former North Carolina State and Arizona State Head Coach Herb Sendek as its new head coach on Monday.

Only Portland has yet to name a new coach, but the Pilots have been linked to Terry Porter, who held multiple head coaching positions after the conclusion of his 17-year NBA career.

There is some speculation that Gonzaga head coach Mark Few’s criticism of many of the conference’s schools contributed to some of the firings. Few said the following in an interview with the Spokesman-Review:

"Our league needs to really step back and take notice…It’s time for some of these other institutions to start picking it up. They’re really dragging the top three down.We need to talk long and hard about (NCAA Tournament) money distribution that we’re making for the league…and if they’re not spending it on basketball, we don’t need to be sponsoring swimming at those schools or whatever they’ve got going. They’re not all in."

On paper, the current hires and the Porter rumors look to be a sign of the increased investment that Few is looking for. Sendek and Porter have high level experience that you don’t typically see from mid-tier WCC hires.

Smith, the only coach in the group whose name might not be immediately recognizable to college basketball fans, is making what amounts in many ways to a lateral move to return to the West Coast. Private schools aren’t required to release financial details of coaching salaries, but increased pay almost definitely contributed to the decision to move back across the country.

Next: Final Four Preview

If the series of splash hires pans out, the WCC could be on its way to a status where receiving two bids to the NCAA Tournament is considered a disappointment.