Busting Brackets
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Colorado State Basketball: Three candidates to be next Rams coach

By Holden Walter-Warner

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: The Colorado State Rams mascot CAM the Ram performs during the team's game against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half of the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: The Colorado State Rams mascot CAM the Ram performs during the team's game against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half of the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas /
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SPOKANE, WA – DECEMBER 21: Head coach Craig Smith of the South Dakota Coyotes works from the sidelines in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at McCarthey Athletic Center on December 21, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WA – DECEMBER 21: Head coach Craig Smith of the South Dakota Coyotes works from the sidelines in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at McCarthey Athletic Center on December 21, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

1. Craig Smith

Craig Smith has a history with Colorado State, and a positive one at that. He served as the director of basketball operations a decade ago before serving as an assistant coach under Tim Miles. When Miles left for Nebraska, Smith followed.

In 2014, Smith took over the South Dakota Coyotes, his first head coaching job at the Division I level. He immediately turned around the Summit League team, propelling them to a winning season in his first year.

Last season, the Coyotes won the regular season title and made the trip to the NIT. This year, they finished second in the league and will look to take down the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the conference tournament.

South Dakota was even competitive at UCLA earlier in the year, where they lost by just three points.

There will be a strong push to bring the one-time Summit League Coach of the Year back to Colorado during the offseason. The Rams are definitely a step up the ladder, from a low major to a mid-major.

Smith might not have good reason to leave a gig that could propel him to other good jobs in the upper Midwest region of the country, though.