Back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1981-82 are exciting, but University of San Francisco men’s basketball’s head coach Kyle Smith knows that in the West Coast Conference, the teams that have had success are the ones with continuity. With that, Director of Athletics Scott Sidwell is pleased to announce the signing of Smith to a multi-year extension.
“Kyle Smith and his staff have put USF basketball back in position to consistently compete for national postseason tournament berths and ultimately a WCC championship,” said Sidwell. “We are excited to have Kyle commit to a long term contract that will help us build continuity for our men’s basketball program. This was of great importance to both of us as he continues to build a program we can all be proud of on a lot of levels for many years to come. We are looking forward to continued progress and sustained success under Kyle’s leadership.”
In two years at the helm of the men’s basketball program, Smith has exceeded even his own expectations. The Dons have gone 42-30 overall, including 19-17 in the West Coast Conference. His .583 winning percentage at the Hilltop is fifth-best in program history for a head coach through two seasons, topping Naismith Hall of Fame names such as Pete Newell (.509), Phil Wolpert (.400) and other legendary Dons’ head coaches such as Pete Paletta (.509), Phil Vukicevich (.568), and Jim Brovelli (.410).
Smith’s 42 wins after two seasons ranks fourth-most in USF history, behind Pete Berry (49 wins), Dan Belluomini (45 wins), and Bob Gaillard (43 wins). In posting back-to-back 20-win seasons, Smith becomes the first Dons head coach to accomplish that feat since the 1981-82 seasons. He has guided the Dons to consecutive postseason tournament appearances, the second culminating with the Dons’ first postseason tournament championship appearance since USF took home the NCAA Championship in 1956.
During the past two seasons, Smith has guided USF to several signature wins, including a win over Utah in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamondhead Classic in his first season. It was USF’s first win over a Pac-12 team in eight years. Last season, USF boasted a victory over Nevada to win the Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic. They followed that up with a monumental win at home over No. 15 Saint Mary’s. The Dons’ victory over the Gaels was their first over a ranked team in six years. The win over Colgate in the opening round of the CBI on Mar. 14 was USF’s first postseason victory since 2011.
More highlights from the hardwood under Smith: the Dons broke the team single-season record for made 3-point field goals in his first year with 299. A season later, the Dons broke it again, sinking 333 3-point field goals. USF has also had some exciting players make huge leaps under Smith. Jordan Ratinho set the single-season record for made 3-point field goals this past season with 86 and is well on pace to break the USF record. Meanwhile, Frankie Ferrari became just the third player in USF history to record 150 assists while scoring over 400 points. USF has had five players earn All-Conference honors during Smith’s tenure, and the program’s first WCC Player of the Week in nearly four years.
However, the program’s achievements haven’t been limited to the court. Under Smith, men’s basketball finished the fall with a team GPA of 3.36, including 12 players with GPAs of 3.0 or higher, and six who made the Dean’s List. Nate Renfro turned in a 4.0 GPA for the Dons. Five current and past players have earned WCC All-Academic Honors in the last two seasons. The Dons have also been leaders in the community, annually partnering with E-Hoops, an inclusive basketball program that trains and develops kids through the game of basketball, including children with special needs.
“I am really appreciative that University of San Francisco has committed to our program long term,” said Smith. “President Father Fitzgerald, Vice President Charlie Cross, and Director of Athletics Scott Sidwell have been incredibly supportive in our short time here. With this extension, our partnership will grow even stronger. My family and I are thankful to be a part of the University and Community, and we will do our best to try and ‘change the world from here.'”
Smith, who enters his ninth year as a head coach in 2017-18, is rapidly approaching win No. 150 of his career. He looks to do that in a season that sees the return of an exciting core of players including Ferrari, Ratinho, three-time captain Nate Renfro, three year starter Matt McCarthy as well as the return of sophomore Charles Minlend. The Dons boast a very strong non-conference schedule this season, with 10 of those contests at the friendly confines of War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Highlighting those home contests are dates against Pac-12 foes Stanford and Arizona State, as well as a home contest against Harvard.
