ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – University of New Mexico men’s basketball associate head coach Lamont Smith has been named head coach at the University of San Diego. Smith, who has spent the last two seasons as Craig Neal’s top assistant, had orchestrated a Lobo defense that posted some of the best statistical seasons in Lobo history.
The UNM defense made the Lobos the last team in the nation to concede 70 points in a game last season. New Mexico held its first 23 opponents to 69 points or fewer, which was the program’s best defensive scoring start to a season since World War II. The 2014-15 Lobos allowed 60.2 points per game, good for the second-best defensive scoring season in the last three decades of UNM history.
The native of Texas is a USD alum and played for the Toreros in the 1990’s. He was named the Toreros’ Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 and 1999 and served as the team captain from 1997-99 before starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Saint Louis University in 1999. Prior to New Mexico, Smith had coached at Washington, Arizona State, Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara.
He will be officially introduced in San Diego on Wednesday afternoon.
Smith is the second Lobo assistant in a year to get a college head coach position. Assistant coach Craig Snow left the Lobos last summer to be the head coach at New Mexico Highlands University.