Stanford Cardinal Men's Basketball hires Kyle Smith

Smith, the former Utah State head coach, takes over at Stanford after Jerod Haase's six seasons in Palo Alto

Smith led the Aggies to three NCAA tournament appearances in six seasons, including a victory over Washington in the 2019 first round

Stanford has hired Kyle Smith as its new men's basketball coach, the school announced Monday. Smith, who spent the past six seasons as the head coach at Utah State, replaces Jerod Haase, who was fired last month after six seasons at Stanford.

Smith led Utah State to three NCAA tournament appearances in six seasons, including a victory over Washington in the 2019 first round. He also won two Mountain West regular-season championships and two conference tournament titles.

"Kyle is a proven winner who has a track record of success both on and off the court," Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir said in a statement. "He is a great fit for Stanford both because of his basketball acumen and his commitment to student-athlete development."

Smith said he is "excited" to take over at Stanford and that he is "looking forward to building on the success that Coach Haase and his staff have had."

"I believe that Stanford has the potential to be one of the top programs in the country," Smith said. "I am confident that we can compete for championships and provide our student-athletes with a world-class experience."

Smith is a 1992 graduate of Brigham Young University. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Utah State from 1994 to 1998. He then spent two seasons as an assistant at San Diego State before returning to Utah State as an associate head coach in 2000. Smith was promoted to head coach in 2006.