Mansfield University men’s basketball head coach Pat Zipfel has announced the hiring of Marcus Smith as the Mountaineers’ assistant coach.

“I’m very pleased to have Marcus join our program. His experience in the PSAC will be a great asset as we continue to build this program” said Zipfel. “We had a large pool of candidates and Marcus stood out from the rest.”

Smith spent last season in the PSAC West, working under legendary head coach Bill Brown at California University of Pennsylvania. He came to Cal after serving a season each at Division I Akron and Seton Hill as a graduate-assistant coach. Along with his coaching duties, Smith has been responsible for recruiting, scouting and academic support at his previous institutions.

Since 2011, Smith has been a support staff member with USA Basketball, helping to prepare the men’s team for the London and Rio Olympic Games along with the 2011 Pan American Games. He worked directly with Team USA assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski along with players Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodala, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

Smith played for Division III College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio from 2004-06 where he received the Best Defensive Player Award following the 2004-05 season. He received his bachelor of science in sociology from MSJ in 2008 and his masters of science in sociology from the University of Cincinnati in 2011.

Smith’s high school team Roger Bacon gained national attention when it defeated LeBron James’ St. Vincent-St. Mary in the 2002 Ohio Boy’s Basketball State Championship game.

http://www.gomounties.com/news/2016/8/15/smith-named-mens-basketball-assistant-coach.aspx