Allegheny College head men’s basketball coach Bob Simmons has announced the hiring of assistant coach Conor Smith.
A graduate of New York University and native of Rye, New York, Smith comes to Allegheny after serving as an assistant coach at SUNY-New Paltz during the 2016-17 campaign.
“I am extremely happy to welcome Conor to the Allegheny men’s basketball family,” said Simmons. “I have gotten to know him over the past few years, and have always been impressed with his character, professionalism, recruiting style, work ethic, and knowledge of the game. He brings great knowledge of Division III with him having been a student-athlete at NYU, and then beginning his coaching career there under Coach Joe Nesci before moving on to New Palz. Our men, staff, alumni, and campus community will have a great role model in Coach Smith.”
During his time at New Paltz, Smith handled a multitude of responsibilities, assisting with nearly all aspects of the program. He was responsible for all recruiting, as well as the development of opponent scouting report and handled all of the team’s video breakdown responsibilities. On the court, Smith led individual workouts with every player throughout the season, while also teaching and developing various offensive plays and defensive schemes.
Smith began his coaching career at his alma mater NYU as an assistant during the 2015-16 campaign, a season in which the Violets finished 21-6 and earned a spot in the NCAA Division III playoffs. He assisted in all recruiting efforts, while coordinating all film exchange and conducting individual skill workouts with players throughout the season. In his one season on the staff, NYU’s Evan Kupferberg was named both All-America and the University Athletic Association Player of the Year, while Max Ralby was named the UAA Defensive Player of the Year.
In addition to his time on the staffs at New Paltz and NYU, Smith also received extensive coaching experience at various camps across the country, including four for Hoop Group and others conducted at Amherst, NYU, and New Paltz. He is also the founder of Go the Distance Training LLC, which specializes in basketball and strength and conditioning training. He created and ran the Little Savages Basketball Clinic in Harrison, New York for kids aged seven to 10, and ran skill development sessions with players ranging in age from middle school to college.
Smith graduated from NYU in 2015 with a degree in anthropology and minors in history and math/computer science. Joining the basketball team as a walk-on during his sophomore season, Smith evolved into a three-year letterwinner, and served as team captain during his senior season of 2014-15. The Violets finished over .500 in all three seasons, culminating with a 19-9 record and a trip to the ECAC Metro finals in his senior year.
He replaces Brian Urso on the Gator staff, who resigned to accept a position as men’s basketball video coordinator at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.
“I want to thank Brian for all of his hard work over the past few months,” Simmons said. “He made a great impact on me and for Allegheny College on the recruiting trail. I knew it would only be a matter of time before a school came calling. I’m happy for him and his family, and wish him the best in his new position.”
