We are less than 7 weeks away from the tip-off of the new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with new Siena coach Nevada Smith, who talked about getting hired last April and his expectations for this season.
Your dad was not present at the hospital when you were born because he was instead at the Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran fight known as the “Brawl in Montreal”: did he have any regrets, and did your wife have a long talk with you before the birth of your own 2 kids? He did not have any regrets: I was a little early so he thought he could get away with it, but his brother was there. My wife knew that I would never miss our own kids’ births. Our daughter was born at 3:53AM, and even though I was there I still coached that night…and we won!
As a junior at Bethany College, you ranked 1st in D-3 in 3PM: what is the key to making shots from behind the arc? Shooting is a learned skill that you can improve on over time. You need to be a bit nuts because there is a monotony in taking a shot a million times. They are all different so the more game situations you are in, the better you will be. I played on the tightest rims in America growing up and you had to be perfect to make the ball go in the hoop. I also shot during drills with a big ball, which was crazy. Our team will be able to really shoot it this year, and I am excited to see us compete.
You were also a 3-year captain of the golf team: which sport were you best at, and which sport did you enjoy the most? Basketball: golf was more of a hobby. It was the perfect sport to go with basketball because I never had to miss any games…and we received a full-year membership to a golf resort less than 90 minutes from my house.
How did you 1st get into coaching? When I was done playing in college, I thought about trying to play overseas or get my foot in the door in the US as a coach. I got a grad assistant job right after college and have been doing it ever since.
You spent 5 years as a head coach in the D-League: what is the biggest difference between pro basketball and college basketball? The pro players are very good and work hard and have similar goals, but you must do a great job managing goals/expectations. There were young guys who had their whole career ahead of them and older guys who had 1 shot left. The college game is based so much more on continuity and performing for your teammates. In the D-League there was 1 time where we played a game, and before our next game we had lost 4 of our 5 starters because several got called up to the NBA so our roster was constantly in flux. In college you have a much better idea of who will be there for you.
You worked for Shaka Smart at both Texas/Marquette: what makes him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He is an unbelievable teacher and 1 of the smartest human beings that I have ever been around. His ability to create relationships between his players and staff is unlike anyone I have met: you are ready to run through a wall for the guy. I can still call him up at any point, and instead of a 1-word answer he will give me a thoughtful response because that is who he is.
You were hired at Siena last April Fool’s Day: were you concerned that it would turn out to be some kind of cruel prank, and how is it going so far? When I got the initial call at dinner and saw where it was coming from, I turned to my wife and said, “Great: Siena is calling me to say I came in 2nd!”. It has been a phenomenal few months building a great roster of people who want to improve and help the guy next to them. I cannot wait until we start playing against other teams. When you do this long enough you see how much of a crazy rollercoaster it is, but it worked out well for me this year.
Your schedule includes road trips to St. John’s/Seton Hall in November: is there any 1 game that you feel will be your biggest test or that you are most excited about? Those 2 will be very fun because of my familiarity with the Big East. Dayton is a place that is special to Siena because we have won some big games on their court. It might not be our only game there(!), so we will talk about what could be coming down the road in March. We will learn a lot about each other: their venue is amazing and their fans are incredible.
Your roster includes players from Turkey/Greece/New Zealand/Spain/Australia/Germany/France: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have, and what sort of recruiting budget do you have? We are trying to get the best players we can that fit us so we will go wherever it takes. Our staff has a lot of international ties, which has broadened the group of guys that we can recruit. The international guys are extremely skilled and come from great families and love basketball, which is why they are here. We want them to highlight our best players and eventually become our best players.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our goal is just to improve every day and have everyone from our fans to our administration be proud of the team we put on the floor. The wins/losses will take care of themselves, but our expectations are to win the league, play in the NCAA tourney, and see how far we can go. We just need to be prepared and leave our best out there.
