College basketball: Grading the 2019 coaching changes

College basketball: Grading the 2019 coaching changes – Who gets an A?

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Head coach Buzz Williams of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks on in the first half of their game against the Duke Blue Devils during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Semifinals at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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PALO ALTO, CA – DECEMBER 17: San Francisco Dons Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kyle Smith watches with his team during the Stanford Cardinals Men’s Basketball team’s 71-59 victory over the San Francisco Dons on December 17, 2017 at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, CA..(Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Washington State: Ernie Kent to Kyle Smith

The Cougars hired Ernie Kent with the idea that he could produce the same success in Pullman than he did during his tenure at Oregon. That didn’t happen. Kent was only able to muster a 22-68 record in Pac-12 play during his time at Washington State. It was an easy choice for the administration to let him go.

Selecting his replacement was a much tougher decision. In the end, the school lured Kyle Smith away from San Francisco. He’s not a household name, but his resume is pretty impressive. He did a quality job at Columbia before taking over the Dons’ program where he posted three straight 20-win seasons.

Smith is exactly the sort of out of the box hire that a program like Washington State needs to make. This is arguably the toughest job in the Pac-12 and they need to take risks if they’re going to outperform their resources. It’s reasonable for them to believe a coach who helped both Columbia and San Francisco punch above their weight can do the same for the Cougars.

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Washington State may find themselves searching for another new coach in four years, but they deserve credit for trying to be creative. Smith has a meaningful chance to help the Cougars achieve some success in a few years.

Grade: B