The right-hand man to former Nebraska basketball coach Tim Miles has lost his own head coaching job after four years with the Utah Utes.
Craig Smith was guiding his Utes program through their first in the Big 12, and for the most part was having at least some success, including an upset win over the Kansas Jayhawks. However, the 15-12 record and 7-9 conference mark was deemed not good enough by AD Mark Harlan.
Former Nebraska basketball coach on the lookout for new job
"I want to thank Craig for his work and commitment since he arrived in Salt Lake City," Harlan said in a statement on Monday. "He has led us to special moments and memorable victories, and Craig has poured his heart into building our current team.” The thought is that no tournament appearances in four years in Salt Lake City were the final straw for the former Nebraska basketball assistant.
Smith had shown incremental improvement in each of his first three seasons in Utah. He went 11-20 in 2021-22, but improved to 17-15 and then 22-15 last year while making it to the NIT Semifinals.
Ex-Nebraska basketball assistant Craig Smith looking for a job
This year, the Utes took a step back and after clearly not qualifying for an NCAA Tournament birth barring an incredible Big 12 tournament run, Utah decided to move on.
Before taking over the Utes, he had an incredibly successful run in the same state with Utah State. There, he posted three straight NCAA Tournament appearances posting a 74-24 record with the Aggies. It stands to reason that Smith will almost certainly be offered a mid-major job now that he’s unemployed again.
The former Nebraska basketball assistant was with the Huskers from 2012 to 2014 after serving as Tim Miles’ assistant for five years at Colorado State. Smith was on the staff when the Cornhuskers made the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and nearly scored a first round upset of the Baylor Bears.