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Tennessee State and Memphis assistant coach Nolan Smith are finalizing on a deal to make Smith the Tigers' next men's basketball head coach, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. Rothstein added that the deal is not official, but “the two sides are working towards an agreement.”
Assuming there are no last-minute hangups, Smith will replace Brian “Penny” Collins, who left his post at Tennessee State to take an assistant coaching job with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month.
Smith spent one season at Memphis under Penny Hardaway, coming from Louisville, where he served two seasons under Kenny Payne. He began his coaching career at Duke, his alma mater, where he spent six seasons under Mike Krzyzewski.
“Nolan is a grit and grind guy and is one of the brightest young coaches in college basketball,” Hardaway said in a release last year announcing Smith's hire. “He works hard and has a passion for the game that is unmatched.
“He brings a championship mindset to our team after not only having won a national championship as a player, but also by learning from one of the all-time greats in Mike Krzyzewski.”
As a player, Smith spent four seasons at Duke, where he was a member of the Blue Devils' 2010 National Championship team and was ACC Player of the Year the following season. He finished his career 17th on the Blue Devils' all-time scoring list with 1,911 points, and Duke's 121 wins during his tenure makes him the fifth-winningest player in program history.
The Portland Trail Blazers selected him 21st overall in the 2011 NBA Draft and he played two seasons in Portland before finishing his playing career overseas.
Smith is set to take over a Tennessee State basketball program that went 17-16 last season with a 12-8 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play. In seven seasons with the Tigers, Collins went 98-118, and Tennessee State has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 1994.
