Stanford hires Washington State's Smith as head coach

Stanford is hiring Washington State bench boss Kyle Smith as the program's new head coach, athletic director Bernard Muir announced Monday.

"The opportunity to serve as the head men’s basketball coach at Stanford is a dream come true. ... From my perspective, Stanford has the resources and reputation to attract the ideal student-athlete who is seeking the character development aspects of what our basketball program will offer," Smith said in a statement. "Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building. I am thrilled to try to provide that type of culture for an institution that prides itself on excellence in all areas."

Smith led Washington State to a 25-10 record and the school's first March Madness appearance since 2008. He won Pac-12 Coach of the Year for his efforts in the regular season, helping the Cougars go 14-6 in conference play.

The 7-seed Cougars were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tourney by No. 2 seed Iowa State on Saturday.

Smith spent five seasons at Washington State, leading the school to above .500 finishes for the last three campaigns. He previously spent time as the head coach at San Francisco and Columbia.

Stanford parted ways with Jerod Haase earlier in March after eight seasons as head coach. The Cardinal have only made the Big Dance once since 2009, going to the Sweet 16 in 2014.

Three major players from Stanford's team this season have entered the transfer portal: junior forward Maxine Raynaud, freshman guard Kanaan Carlyle, and freshman forward Andrej Stojakovic, son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic.