DMACC men’s basketball coach Brett Putz has announced the hiring of Trevor Smith and Taylor Tucker as assistant men’s basketball coaches. Smith and Tucker replace former DMACC assistant coaches Kannon Burrage and Sam Esboldt. Burrage left DMACC to become the men’s basketball coach at Black Hawk College and Esboldt has joined the Minot State University staff as director of basketball operations.
- Smith joins the DMACC staff after two seasons as a graduate assistant at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV)
- Smith spent four seasons as a student manager for the University of Iowa men’s basketball team
- Smith is a native of Spirit Lake, Iowa
“Trevor comes highly recommended from (UNLV and Iowa),” DMACC men’s basketball coach Brett Putz said. “He’s got great connections to the State of Iowa and is an extremely hard worker. Trevor is going to become a very, very good basketball coach and I’m excited to give him the opportunity to coach on the floor, recruit, game plan and scout for the first time in his career. I think he is going to excel in those areas.”
Smith, a native of Spirit Lake, joins the DMACC staff after two seasons as a graduate assistant for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) men’s basketball team. Prior to joining the UNLV staff, Smith spent four seasons as a student manager for the University of Iowa men’s basketball team.
Smith earned his master’s in education in curriculum and instruction from UNLV and has a bachelor’s degree in sports studies from the University of Iowa. During his time in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes played in the postseason three times, twice advancing to the NCAA tournament’s round of 32. The 2018-19 Iowa team went 23-12 and its 23 wins were the most in 13 seasons.
During his time with the UNLV staff, Smith assisted with the day-to-day program operations, player development, scouting projects, video breakdown and leadership of the student managers.
Smith graduated from Spirit Lake High School where he was a two-sport varsity captain in basketball and football. He and his wife, Krista, recently celebrated their two-year anniversary.
- Tucker joins the DMACC staff after two seasons as an assistant coach at Northern State University (NSU)
- Tucker is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University (ONU)
- Tucker is a native of Tyler, Texas
“Taylor brings a lot of knowledge and hunger to get better as a basketball coach to our staff,” DMACC men’s basketball coach Brett Putz said. “He loves working with players and player development and helping them become the best basketball players they can be. He is a very detailed and organized coach that is going to be able to help our program continue to grow on and off the basketball court.”
Tucker previously served as an assistant coach for two seasons at Northern State University (NSU) in Aberdeen, S.D. While at NSU, Tucker was part of back-to-back Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) championships. During the 2021 season, NSU entered the NCAA Division II national tournament with a No. 2 national ranking before losing to the eventual national champions in the Sweet Sixteen.
Before joining the NSU staff, Tucker was an assistant coach at Monmouth College (MC) in Illinois. While at MC, the Scots won the conference championship during the 2017-18 season.
Tucker is a 2016 graduate of Olivet Nazarene University with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and physical education. He played collegiately at ONU, making two NAIA national tournament appearances. The Tigers won the 2015 regular season and tournament conference championship during Tucker’s junior year in 2015.
