2024 Openings: Keep an Eye on This Stealthy Off-Season Hire

Previously we wrote about the best Non Division 1 coaches in the sport of college basketball. The foremost coach on our list was undeniably Dave Smart. We even had suggested, “Some D1 school should make the call” at the time. Having retired as a head coach at 52 years old, Smart became a consultant for the Ottawa Senators and an assistant for the Canadian National basketball team. Now at 57 years old, it seemed his window of opportunity might have closed to make the jump to the NCAA. However, in a move largely overlooked and unexpected, Dave Smart has relocated to the United States and secured a coaching position at Texas Tech, operating at the highest echelons of basketball in the Big 12 as an assistant.

Smart has long been within our purview. If you are unfamiliar with his background, he accrued a remarkable record of 591-48 record as the head coach at the Canadian powerhouse Carleton, earning an impressive 13 Canadian National Titles. This achievement alone merits commendation. More notably to the American college basketball fans, his teams regularly outperformed or significantly beat NCAA D1 teams in exhibitions.

Among the teams Carleton defeated were Baylor, TCU, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Cincinnati, Providence, Vanderbilt, Northern Colorado, Alabama, Wichita State, Texas Tech, Memphis, Vermont, Saint Louis, Akron, La Salle, and Wright State. Some of these were NCAA teams or even top 25 teams at the time of competition. For instance, Carleton vanquished Wichita State by an astounding 25-point margin, and Wichita State later concluded the season in the top 25 rankings.

There was a impressive period where Carleton held a 16-1 record against these D1 teams, securing victories over most of those prestigious P5 schools listed earlier, and going 20-4 over a more extended stretch. Moreover, there were numerous closely contested matches, such as a loss to a Sweet 16 Kansas team by a single point in the season following their national title win.

The exceptional record stands out even when acknowledging that most of the victories were secured in Canada, on home soil. Upon examining the rosters from this period, it was evident that they included several D1 transfers who had previously served as role players at mid-major schools. Such a roster composition is not typically associated with the level of talent one would expect to consistently achieve such impressive victories or establish such an outstanding record vs mostly P5 teams.

Here is Carleton’s extensive record against D1 teams during Smart’s tenure as an Assistant or Head Coach at Carleton.

Bruce Pearl, Steve Forbes, and Bo Ryan serve as prime examples that a non-D1 setting is a viable and successful path. While failures exist, demonstrating excellence at any level signifies an individual’s capabilities. The landscape remains relatively flexible across these tiers, unlike the significant gaps observed in D1 where substantial financial disparities prevail. Achieving considerable success in these settings often involves being a better coach with the recruited talent at hand. Particularly, being able to reference a 20-4 stretch against numerous high-level and P5 schools, triumphing with likely less superior talent, exemplifies this point.

It appears he’s in the game and may be eying a D1 job before he retires. If I were an Athletic Director in the realm of D1 this coming spring 2024, Smart would be my primary consideration for a head coaching position. The first call, granting a season to acquaint himself with the nuances and regulations of the NCAA under his belt. We fervently hope for this opportunity to materialize, enabling him to exhibit his capabilities within the NCAA. It’s a bet we’d make that his return to heading a program would be nothing short of spectacular.