The University of the Incarnate Word director of athletics John Williams named University of Arkansas assistant coach Christy Smith as the seventh head women’s basketball coach in UIW history on Wednesday at a press conference.
Smith takes over a program that is entering its fourth and final year of the transition process from NCAA Division II to Division I. The program has only won seven Southland Conference games in its first three years as a member. She was one of three finalists that Williams brought in for a campus interview.
“We are really excited to have Christy join the UIW family,” said Williams. “She brings a wealth of experience from her success as a player and as a coach. Christy has played both in the collegiate and professional ranks. She understands the importance of hard work both in the classroom and on the court. We are blessed to have her.”
Smith has been a women’s basketball Division I assistant coach since 2008 and was a high school coach before that. She began her college coaching career at Valparaiso University in 2008 and was there for three years. She was the program’s recruiting coordinator, prepared team travel, scouted opponents and worked on individual player development.
In the summer of 2011, Smith took a position at Purdue University and had a successful three years with the Boilermakers where they went 77-27. They won a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons. She was the position coach for Courtney Moses who was a first team All-Big Ten player in 2014. She continued to do many of the same things as at Valparaiso and added a few other duties such as coordinating academic plans for players, representing the program at athletic director’s meeting and representing the department at fundraising and speaking events.
Smith made the move to her alma mater, University of Arkansas, in 2014. She helped the program to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015. She was a key recruiter for the program and remained involved in fundraising and speaking events while arranging player involvement in the JDRF OneWalk community service event.
“I am very grateful to John Williams for giving me an opportunity at UIW and I am excited to get started building the women’s basketball program,” said Smith. “I believe in the leadership team here and I am thrilled to be a part of their vision for the future.”
Prior to her stint at Valparaiso, Smith was the head varsity girls’ basketball coach at Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Ind., and before that she served as an assistant coach at Lafayette Jefferson High School and at Lake Country Christian School in Fort Worth, Texas, where she worked with Whitney Hand, a standout player at the University of Oklahoma.
The Oxford, Ind., native has a rich basketball background. In the space of 12 months, Smith led Team USA to gold at the World University Games, Arkansas to the NCAA Final Four and the Charlotte Sting into the WNBA playoffs.
Smith was a four-time honorable mention All-American as a point guard for the Razorbacks, was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times, earned first team All-SEC as a senior after twice being named second team All-SEC. In 1995, she earned SEC Freshman of the Year recognition.
Smith has two degrees from Arkansas. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 1998 and went on to earn a master’s degree in biomechanics in 2001. Smith has three children, Dayton, Tyson and Crew, and is married to Tommy Cook.
http://www.uiwcardinals.com/news/2016/4/13/womens-basketball-smith-tapped-as-head-coach.aspx
Photo Courtesy UIW Athletics
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