Steve Smiley

Steve Smiley
Smiley in 2021.
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamNorthern Colorado
ConferenceBig Sky
Record64–61 (.512)
Biographical details
Born (1981-04-01) April 1, 1981 (age 43)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Playing career
2000–2004Northern State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2005–2006Black Hills State (assistant)
2006–2008Northern State (assistant)
2008–2014Sheridan College
2014–2016Weber State (assistant)
2016–2020Northern Colorado (assistant)
2020–presentNorthern Colorado
Head coaching record
Overall64–61 (.512) (NCAA)
152–45 (.772) (NJCAA)
Tournaments2–2 (CBI)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
Big Sky Co-Coach of the Year (2024)

Stephen Christopher Smiley (born April 1, 1981) is an American basketball coach who is the current head coach of the Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball team.[1]

Playing career

Smiley was a two-time all-state selection from Pomona High School in Arvada, Colorado. Smiley played collegiately under Don Meyer at Northern State.[2] He completed his career with the Wolves as the school's record holder in assists with 537, while also ranking third all-time in single-season field goal percentage, along with being named a NSIC all-conference performer his senior year.[3]

Coaching career

Smiley's coaching career began in 2005 as an assistant at then-NAIA institution Black Hills State under Paul Sather for one season before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach from 2006 to 2008. Smiley was then named the head coach at Sheridan College in Wyoming, a NJCAA school. From 2008 to 2014 he led the Generals to a 153-43 overall record with four North Sub-Region 9 titles and two runner-up finishes. They advanced to four Region 9 Final Fours along with two appearances in the championship game.[2] Smiley would join the Division I ranks in 2014 by accepting a position on Randy Rahe's staff at Weber State and was part of the team's 2016 Big Sky championship team which made an appearance in the 2016 NCAA tournament.[4] The following season he moved to Big Sky rival Northern Colorado as an assistant coach under Jeff Linder. In the four seasons with the Bears as an assistant, the team posted three-straight 20-win seasons, and won the 2018 CIT. On March 20, 2020, three days after Linder departed to take the head coaching position at Wyoming, Smiley was elevated to head coach, becoming the 20th coach in Northern Colorado history.[1][5]

Head coaching record

NJCAA

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Sheridan College () (2008–2014)
2008–09 Sheridan College 26–7
2009–10 Sheridan College 27–7
2010–11 Sheridan College 24–10
2011–12 Sheridan College 25–7
2012–13 Sheridan College 24–7 11–1
2013–14 Sheridan College 26–7 15–2
Sheridan College: 152–45 (.772)
Total: 152–45 (.772)

NCAA D1

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Northern Colorado Bears (Big Sky Conference) (2020–present)
2020–21 Northern Colorado 11–11 6–8 7th
2021–22 Northern Colorado 22–16 13–7 T–3rd CBI Semifinals
2022–23 Northern Colorado 12–20 6–12 8th
2023–24 Northern Colorado 19–14 12–6 T–2nd CBI First Round
Northern Colorado: 64–61 (.512) 36–33 (.522)
Total: 64–61 (.512)

      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

References

  1. ^ a b "Steve Smiley Named UNC Men's Basketball Head Coach". University of Northern Colorado Athletics. 20 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Steve Smiley - Head Men's Basketball Coach - Men's Basketball Coaches". University of Northern Colorado Athletics.
  3. ^ https://s3.amazonaws.com/nsuwolvesathletics.com/documents/2019/6/28/MBasketball_Records_2019Update.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ "Steve Smiley - Men's Basketball Coach". Weber State University Athletics.
  5. ^ "Steve Smiley named new Northern Colorado men's basketball coach". March 20, 2020.