Dave Smart

Last updated
Dave Smart
Pacific Tigers
PositionHead Coach
Conference West Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (1966-08-14) August 14, 1966 (age 57)
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Career information
College Queen's (1991–1994)
Coaching career1997–present
Career history
As coach:
1997–1999 Carleton (assistant)
1999–2015,
2016–2019		 Carleton
2023–2024 Texas Tech (assistant)
2024–present Pacific
Career highlights and awards
As head coach:
  • 13× U Sports Basketball Championship (2003–2007, 2009, 2011–2015, 2017, 2019)
  • 9× OUA Conference Championship (2003–2005, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019)
  • 9× Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy (2003, 2005, 2009, 2011–2014, 2017, 2018)
  • 13× OUA Coach of the Year (2001–2003, 2005, 2009–2014, 2017–2019)

Dave Smart (born August 14, 1966) is a Canadian college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Pacific Tigers men's basketball team. Regarded as the most successful Canadian university coach of all time, Smart was the head coach of the Carleton Ravens from 1999 to 2019, leading them to 13 of the team's 17 overall U Sports national championships. During his 18 seasons at Carleton, he also led the Ravens to 11 OUA championships — the most by any coach in conference history. Smart has also served as an assistant coach with the Canadian men's national team on multiple occasions, working with former NBA player Leo Rautins, and Jay Triano. [1] [2]

Contents

Smart was the Director of Basketball Operations at Carleton, and has served as a consultant to the coaching staff for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League.

Early life and education

Smart was born in Kingston, Ontario, and attended Queen's University. He graduated from Queen's with a degree in sociology. He played three seasons of varsity basketball for the Queen's Golden Gaels, from 1991–94. He set the all-time school record for highest points per game career average (26.6). Smart also set the highest single-game Queen's scoring mark (43 points). [3] His career average is one of the highest ever recorded in Canadian university basketball. In the 1992–93 season, Smart became the only Queen's player ever to lead Canada in scoring average, with an average of 29.4 points per game. [4] He was selected a first team Ontario University Athletics All-Star in all three of seasons. [5]

Smart coached extensively at the high school and club levels, before attending university, and again as a university student, including at Nepean High School where he coached the team to a city championship and a berth at OFSAA.

Coaching career

Carleton (1997–2019)

Assistant coach (1997–1999)

Rejected for the vacant Queen's men's basketball head coaching job following the 1994 season, Smart was hired as an assistant coach at Carleton University, under head coach Paul Armstrong, and served for two years in that role. Smart became the head coach at Carleton in 1999, when Armstrong was promoted into management.

Head coach promotion & historical run (1999–2015)

Smart led the Carleton Ravens to five consecutive Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships from 2003–07. [1] These were the first CIS championships won by Carleton in any sport.

The Ravens' five-year championship streak was broken in 2008 when they were upset 82–80 in double overtime in the CIS semifinals by the Acadia Axemen; the Ravens, seeded first, had been 32–0 in that season. Carleton then won the 2009 CIS Basketball Championship, the school's sixth, hosted at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, making the Ravens 19–1 in CIS Final Eight play, since 2003.

Carleton lost in the 2010 CIS semifinals to eventual champion Saskatchewan Huskies; this tournament was also hosted at Scotiabank Place. [4]

The CIS Men's Basketball Championships returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2011, after three years at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, and Smart and the Ravens captured their seventh CIS National Championship in nine years with a victory over Trinity Western Spartans. [6] Smart and the Ravens captured their eighth CIS National Championship, defeating the Alberta Golden Bears in the 2012 edition of the championship tournament. The CIS National Men's Basketball Championships returned to Ottawa in 2013, and Smart's Ravens won their ninth title, defeating Lakehead Thunderwolves, 92–42. The Ravens set Canadian university basketball records for largest winning margin (50 points) and fewest points allowed (42 points) in a championship final, and broke the tie with the University of Victoria for the most total championships won in Canadian men's university basketball. [7]

In 2014, Carleton defeated cross-town rivals Ottawa Gee-Gees 79–67 to win their tenth CIS National Men's Basketball Championship under Smart's tenure. Carleton defeated the Gee-Gees in a rematch the following year, for the 2015 CIS Final 8 National Men's Basketball Championship, by a score of 93–46, claiming Carleton's eleventh championship in men's basketball. [8]

Sabbatical & return to coach duties (2015–2019)

On July 31, 2015, Dave Smart took a sabbatical from head coaching duties, and his nephew, Rob Smart, was named interim head coach. [9] Led by coach Rob Smart, and after losing four starters from the previous year's championship, Carleton defeated the Calgary Dinos in the 2016 CIS final by a score of 101–79. [10] This was the Ravens' 12th CIS championship win overall, and 6th consecutive championship win.

Smart returned from his sabbatical, and resumed his position as head coach for the 2016–2017 season. The Ravens captured their seventh consecutive national championship, thirteenth overall, and twelfth for Smart, defeating the Ryerson Rams 78–69. [11] The seventh consecutive championship by the Ravens matches the record at the Canadian university sports level, set by the University of Victoria. On March 10, 2019, Coach Smart and the Ravens won the school's fourteenth men's basketball National Championship (and fifteenth basketball National Championship overall), defeating the Calgary Dinos 83–49. [12]

On March 19, 2019, Smart stepped down as head coach of the Carleton Ravens men's basketball team, accepting a new position as their director of basketball operations. Former Ravens women's basketball head coach Taffe Charles was named Smart's replacement. [13] Smart's head-coaching record at Carleton was 591 wins, 48 losses. [14]

Texas Tech (2023–2024)

On July 25, 2023, Smart accepted the position of assistant basketball coach at Texas Tech University, under head coach Grant McCasland. [15] The Red Raiders went 23–11 and earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament, but fell to No. 11 NC State in the first round.

Pacific (2024–present)

On March 27, 2024, Smart was announced as the head coach of the Pacific men's basketball program. [16]

National team career

On April 8, 2012, Smart was named the head coach of the Great Britain U20 men's basketball team. [17] [18]

On February 20, 2018, Smart was hired as head coach of the Canada's U18 men's basketball team ahead of the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship. Canada would ultimately make it to the finals, losing to the United States 113–74. [19]

Executive career

Carleton

With Taffe Charles as head coach and Smart as Director of Basketball Operations, Carleton won its fifteenth national championship in men's basketball, defeating the Dalhousie Tigers 74–65, on March 8, 2020. [20] Charles became the first black head coach to win a Canadian national championship in men's basketball, and the first head coach to win Canadian national championships in both women's and men's basketball.

Ottawa Senators

Smart was hired by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League to serve as a consultant to the coaching staff during the 2019–20 season. Smart served as a guest speaker for the Ottawa Senators in several of their summer rookie camps, before being hired as a coaching consultant for the team. Smart's focus will be on defensive mindsets, and player attitude and personality. [21]

Ottawa Blackjacks

Smart was named the inaugural general manager of the expansion Ottawa Blackjacks of the CEBL on December 18, 2019. [22] Smart retained his position of Director of Basketball Operations at Carleton University, concurrent with his duties as general manager of the Ottawa Blackjacks. Smart stepped down as general manager of the Blackjacks on August 18, 2020. [23]

Awards and achievements

In the 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018 seasons, Smart was awarded the Stewart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy, as the top men's basketball coach in Canadian university sports. Smart won OUA coach-of-the-year awards thirteen times, for the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons.

Smart won 92 per cent of his games against Canadian opposition between 1999 and 2019. He led the Ravens to a Canadian men's record of 87 consecutive wins in league and playoff games, from 2002 to 2005.

Smart was inducted into the Order of Ottawa by Mayor Jim Watson on November 17, 2016. [24]

He was inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame in 2021. [25]

Head coaching record

CIS/U Sports

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Carleton Ravens (OUA East)(1999–2015)
1999–00Carleton 13–1411–93rd
2000–01Carleton 31–521–11stCIS Consolation Final
2001–02Carleton 27–519–31st
2002–03Carleton 33–121–11st CIS Champion
2003–04Carleton 34–122–01st CIS Champion
2004–05Carleton 34–122–01st CIS Champion
2005–06Carleton 30–420–21st CIS Champion
2006–07Carleton 32–419–31st CIS Champion
2007–08Carleton 32–122–01st CIS Semifinals
2008–09Carleton 36–121–11st CIS Champion
2009–10Carleton 30–320–21st CIS Semifinals
2010–11Carleton 34–122–01st CIS Champion
2011–12Carleton 34–022–01st CIS Champion
2012–13Carleton 31–119–11st CIS Champion
2013–14Carleton 33–122–01st CIS Champion
2014–15Carleton 29–217–21st CIS Champion
Carleton:493–45 (.916)320–25 (.928)
Carleton Ravens (OUA North/OUA East)(2016–2019)
2016–17Carleton 30–119–01st U Sports Champion
2017–18Carleton 34–123–01st U Sports Third Place
2018–19Carleton 34–122–11st U Sports Champion
Carleton:98–3 (.970)64–1 (.985)
Total:591–48 (.925) [26]

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

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References

  1. 1 2 "Rautins back as Canada's basketball coach", CBC Sports, May 22, 2007, retrieved 2010-10-31
  2. ↑ http://www.basketball.ca/hm/news-article/jay-triano-named-head-coach-of-the-canadian-senior-men-s-national-team-p151674 Archived 2017-03-17 at the Wayback Machine JAY TRIANO NAMED HEAD COACH OF THE CANADIAN SENIOR MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
  3. ↑ The Queen's Journal, Feb. 11, 1994
  4. 1 2 http://www.cisport.ca Archived 2020-11-26 at the Wayback Machine , the men's basketball records section
  5. ↑ http://www.oua.ca, the men's basketball records section
  6. ↑ "Ravens beat Trinity Western: CIS Men's Basketball Final"
  7. ↑ "Carleton Ravens rewrite the definition of excellence with ninth CIS men's hoop title:". Archived from the original on 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
  8. ↑ "FINAL ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS men's basketball championship: Top-seeded Ravens five-peat, Scrubb brothers enter record books". Archived from the original on 2016-08-09. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  9. ↑ Dave Smart, head coach of Carleton University men's basketball team, takes leave of absence
  10. ↑ "Breaking News, Headlines and Stories | National Post".
  11. ↑ Carleton wins 7th straight men's basketball title
  12. ↑ Carleton hammers Calgary to win 14th national men's basketball title since 2003
  13. ↑ https://goravens.ca/news/2019/03/breaking-dave-smart-moves-to-director-of-basketball-operations-taffe-charles-takes-over-as-mens-basketball-head-coach/ Dave Smart moves to Director of Basketball Operations, Charles takes over as men’s basketball HC
  14. ↑ Historical Record for Carleton
  15. ↑ "McCasland announces Dave Smart as assistant coach". Texas Tech Red Raiders.
  16. ↑ "Pacific Names Dave Smart Men's Basketball Head Coach". University of the Pacific. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  17. ↑ "gbbasketball.com".
  18. ↑ "Canada's Dave Smart Named GB U20 Coach - Hoopsfix.com".
  19. ↑ "Dave Smart Named Head Coach Of Boys' U18 National Team". www.basketball.ca. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  20. ↑ "Carleton repeats as U Sports men's basketball champions with win over Dalhousie | Globalnews.ca". Global News.
  21. ↑ Mendes, Ian (October 12, 2019). "Smart hire: Sens tap into greatest basketball coach in Canadian history". TSN.
  22. ↑ "Ottawa Blackjacks Name Dave Smart General Manager". Ottawa Blackjacks. December 18, 2019.
  23. ↑ "GM Dave Smart quits Ottawa Blackjacks".
  24. ↑ http://ottawa.ca/en/news/mayor-watson-announces-2016-order-ottawa-inductees-and-brian-kilrea-award-excellence-coaching Mayor Watson announces 2016 Order of Ottawa inductees and Brian Kilrea Award for Excellence in Coaching recipient
  25. ↑ "Ottawa Sport Hall Of Fame Announces Virtual 2020-2021 Induction Awards Ceremony". Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  26. ↑ https://usportshoops.ca/history/person.php?Person=smart-dave
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