Former Duke recruiting coordinator Sarah Smoak has joined the Coastal Carolina women’s basketball staff, announced first year head coach Jaida Williams. Smoak will serve as Williams’ top assistant and the program’s recruiting coordinator.
"We are absolutely thrilled to have Sarah join the Coastal Carolina family," said Williams. "She was an instrumental part of Duke University’s success over the last five seasons. At Coastal, Sarah will work closely with our guards as well as serve as recruiting coordinator."
Smoak comes to Conway after serving on Joanne P. McCallie’s staff at Duke. During her time with the Blue Devils, Smoak helped recruit four top-10 classes as ranked by ESPN Hoopgurlz, including the No. 1 overall class in 2010 and the No. 2 class in 2013. She also played an instrumental role in the recruitment of five top-10 individuals, including 2011’s top-ranked recruit Elizabeth Williams.
While Smoak was at Duke, the Blue Devils captured the ACC regular season title in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and won the ACC Tournament in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Duke was also a perennial NCAA Tournament team, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Additionally, Duke boasted the ACC’s Rookie of the Year in 2012, Player of the Year in 2013 and Defensive Player of the Year in both 2012 and 2013.
Smoak spent her first three years on the Duke campus as the women’s basketball director of marketing and assistant director of basketball operations before moving into the role of recruiting coordinator before the 2011-12 season. Her responsibilities included organization of recruiting communication, on-campus recruiting, scouting opponents, directing summer camps and developing program relations within the Durham, N.C., community.
A 2006 Lynchburg College graduate with a degree in exercise physiology, Smoak served as an assistant coach at Peace College in 2007-08.
A native of Charlotte, N.C., Smoak was a four-year letterwinner at Lynchburg, where she earned ODAC Academic All-Conference honors in 2005-06 and was named to the ODAC Senior All-Star team. A team captain as a senior, she was also selected to the Director of Athletics Honor Roll.
Smoak has also spent time as a basketball camp instructor for Duke on six different occasions and performed an internship with the men’s basketball program in the summer of 2005, assisting with summer camp. Smoak also worked for Nike prior to joining the Peace College staff.
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