NCAA Basketball: 10 most unappreciated head coaches in 2022
By Joey Loose
7. Kyle Smith – Washington State
Now that he’s taken the head coaching job at Florida, former San Francisco head coach Todd Golden isn’t really flying under anyone’s radar. Golden was never going to be included on this list, but there’s a reason his predecessor and former employer lands here instead. Smith’s head coaching career is only a decade long, but his entire body of work is full of success and potential.
A longtime former aid at west coast schools like San Diego and Saint Mary’s, Smith’s head coaching career began at Columbia, leading the Lions to a CIT championship before heading back to San Francisco. In three years, he turned the Dons back into a contender in the WCC, beginning much of the success that Golden built on in recent years. Even more impressive has his been his work at Washington State these last three years.
In recent years, Washington State has done absolutely nothing in the Pac-12, but Smith seems to be moving that needle. Last year’s Cougars team won 22 games and made the final four of the NIT, a major step forward compared to the last decade of Cougars basketball. There’s no guarantee that this type of success will continue, especially with how the Transfer Portal massacred their roster, but it’s evidence that Smith has built decent success at three programs previously in rough shape; where’s his respect?