Dalton State Interim Men’s Basketball Head Coach Alex Ireland has announced the addition of veteran coach Mike Smith to the Roadrunner basketball staff.
Smith (53) brings over 10 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Roadrunner bench, making stops at Southeastern Louisiana, Centenary, Mississippi Valley State, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Lawson State, and Alabama A&M. Last season, he was the Head Coach at Mae Jemison High School in Huntsville, Ala.
“It is an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to serve at Dalton State College and its surrounding community,” said Smith. “I would like to thank Athletic Director Jon Jaudon and especially Coach Ireland for this great opportunity. I am excited and energized to assist Coach Ireland and to continue to compete for championships and mentor young men.”
Smith brings an accomplished background as a player and coach to Dalton State. He was part of a University of New Orleans squad that finished the 1986-87 regular season 26-4 and ranked #16 in the country earning the #7-seed in the Southeast Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Privateers would go on to defeat #10-seed BYU, before losing to #2-seed Alabama in the second round.
The next season UNO would win the American South Conference regular season championship and continue on to play in the NIT where they would lose their first round matchup with eventually semifinalist, Colorado State.
After college, Smith would transition to a professional career overseas that spanned seven seasons and took him to Japan, Austria, Turkey, Belgium, Finland, and The Netherlands. He led the Turkish League in rebounds per game during the 92-93 season with 15.6, while also averaging 19.9 points per contest.
Upon entering into the coaching ranks, he would strike the eye of another up-and-coming coach at Southeastern Louisiana, who was an assistant at UNO when Smith was a player, current Texas A&M Head Coach Billy Kennedy. Smith would assist Kennedy during the 03-04 season in which time the Lions went 20-6 and won the Southland Conference regular season championship.
A native of Hattiesburg, Miss., he received a BA in Communications with a minor in Sociology from University of New Orleans in 1990 and a MS in Education Leadership from then William Carey College in 2003. He is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Black Coaches Association, and in 2011, was selected to participate in the BCA/NCAA Achieving Coaching Excellence Program.
“I am very fortunate to have Coach Smith serve as my assistant coach,” said Coach Ireland. “I have known Coach Smith for many years; he has great experience on several different levels, and is an individual of the highest character. Myself, our student-athletes, and the community of Dalton will benefit from having Coach Smith on our staff.”
