The University of Memphis introduced its new men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith at FedExForum Thursday afternoon.
Smith, who arrives to the Bluff City after three seasons as Texas Tech coach, replaces Josh Pastner, who left the U of M after seven seasons to take over Georgia Tech’s vacancy last week.
"A historic hire for the University of Memphis," said President M. David Rudd. "He is the most accomplished coach the U of M has ever hired. For the University of Memphis and our basketball program, (Tubby) Smith is simply the right guy at the right time."
Smith, who is the 18th head coach in Tiger basketball history, will be paid $15.45 over five years, according to the University. The contract states he will make $2.8 million in the 2016-17 season, $2.9 million in the 2017-18 season and $3.25 million in the final three years of the contract.
Smith takes over a Memphis program that has missed postseason play in each of the last two seasons after making the NCAA tournament in 10 of the previous 12 seasons. Though the return of Dedric Lawson, who announced he will return to the U of M for his sophomore season earlier this week, gives Smith a key building block to build around moving forward. Especially, given the five open scholarship spots currently open on the Tigers’ roster.
The 64-year-old Smith has won 557 games in 25 seasons as a college coach with five different programs – Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota and most recently at Texas Tech where he led them to the 2016 NCAA tournament and won the 2016 Big 12 Coach of the Year award.
However, Smith is most known for his 10 years at the University of Kentucky where he made the NCAA Tournament in each season, leading the Wildcats to two Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights and the 1998 National Championship. Smith put 16 players in the NBA – including Rajon Rondo, Tayshaun Prince and Jamaal Magloire – while winning the 2003 Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year in his time with the Wildcats.
After a rocky last couple of seasons where Kentucky lost a combined 25 games and failed to get past the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Smith resigned under pressure in 2007 to take over the University of Minnesota coaching position ahead of the 2007-08 season.
As coach of the Golden Gophers, Smith made the NCAA Tournament in three of his six seasons and also two trips to the NIT before being fired in 2013. The firing came just after he won his first and only NCAA tournament game in charge of Minnesota, a second round matchup against UCLA.
Minnesota, which is now coached by Richard Pitino, has not made the NCAA tournament in the three seasons since Smith’s firing. He subsequently took over Texas Tech, where he led the Red Raiders to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007 last season.
Since 2001, only two of Texas Tech’s five men’s basketball coaches had made the NCAA tournament: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight and new Tigers’ coach Tubby Smith, who may well be enshrined in the Hall of Fame one day as well.
Tubby Smith, then University of Kentucky coach, congratulates Camp Virginia players after a game during the Operation Hardwood basketball tournament in 2006. Smith was announced as the new University of Memphis men’s basketball coach Thursday.
