Stanford names Washington State's Kyle Smith next head coach

Stanford has its next head man. On Monday, the historic program named Washington State’s Kyle Smith its next head coach.

Smith took over at Washington State ahead of the 2019-20 season. This past season, he guided the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008. Under Smith’s guidance, Washington State won its first round game against Drake, but ultimately fell to Iowa State in the Round of 32.

For his efforts, Smith was named the 2024 John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Now, Smith is ecstatic to build similar success at a fellow Pac-12 program.

“The opportunity to serve as the head men’s basketball coach at Stanford is a dream come true, and I want to thank Bernard Muir for entrusting me with this opportunity,” Smith said. “From my perspective, Stanford has the resources and reputation to attract the ideal student-athlete who is seeking the character development aspects of what our basketball program will offer.

“Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building. I am thrilled to try to provide that type of culture for an institution that prides itself on excellence in all areas.”

Before Smith made history at Washington State, he was the head coach at the University of San Francisco for three seasons. While there, Smith boasted a 63-40 record and won at least 20 games every season.

Smith began his head coaching career at Columbia. He spent six seasons at the helm. In his final season with the program, Smith guided the team to a 25-10 record and 10-4 mark in conference play. Smith also has assistant coaching experience at San Diego, Air Force and Saint Mary’s.

Kyle Smith will replace longtime Stanford head coach Jerod Haase. He spent the past eight seasons as the Cardinal’s head coach. Stanford announced its decision only minutes after the team suffered a season-ending loss to Washington State in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Stanford finished this season with a 14-18 record, posting an 8-12 mark in conference play. Haase finished his career at Stanford with a collective 126-127 record. The program never made an NCAA Tournament appearance during his tenure. The Cardinal did play in the NIT in 2018.

Haase only led Stanford to a winning record in two of his eight seasons at the helm. Haas’s best performing team was in the 2019-20 season when the postseason was canceled. That team posted a 20-12 record.