Smith plays the numbers game (by John Marshall, AP Basketball Writer/Dec. 22, 2011)

Arizona State head men's basketball coach Herb Sendek announced the hiring of Lamont Smith in the spring of 2008 to the ASU staff, as he replaced 12-year assistant coach Mark Phelps who earned the Drake head coaching position.

"We are excited to have Lamont Smith join our staff. We most certainly welcome his energy and passion to be a Sun Devil," said Coach Sendek, who led ASU to a 13-win turnaround in his second season in 2007-08, tied for the best mark in the nation. "We once again will have a compatible and determined coaching staff."

Smith was at Santa Clara in 2007-08 as former UCLA assistant coach Kerry Keating's top assistant and helped recruit one of the top classes in the West Coast Conference. Prior to Santa Clara, Smith spent six seasons as an assistant on the staff of Randy Bennett at Saint Mary's College as the Gaels completed one of the nation's best turnarounds in a four-year period. SMC was 2-27 the year before Bennett and Smith arrived, and the Gaels won nine games the first year, 15 the second, 19 in the third and a school record 25 in 2004-05. The 2004-05 team made the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in the history of the program while the 2003-04 team set a school record by scoring 2,377 points. In the first four seasons he was at SMC, the Gaels led the WCC in scoring defense.

With the Gaels, Smith's duties included working with the post players, assisting with the strength and conditioning program, recruiting and scouting.

Smith, a native of The Colony, Texas, returned to the West Coast Conference in 2001 after spending two years as the graduate assistant coach at Saint Louis University. Smith began his coaching career under the tutelage of current Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar at Saint Louis. While at Saint Louis, Smith was an assistant coach on the same staff as Randy Bennett, who brought Smith with him to Saint Mary's when he took the head coaching job there in 2001. Smith's duties with the Billikens included coordinating the team's video editing and film exchange, while assisting with team recruiting, scouting and strength and conditioning programs.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from the University of San Diego in 1998 and was a member of the men's basketball team from 1994-99. He was named the Toreros' Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 and 1999 and served as the team captain from 1997-99.

COACH SMITH EDUCATION AND FAMILY
Degree Earned: B.A. from San Diego in 1998
Born: October 19, 1975

COACH SMITH COACHING EXPERIENCE
--Assistant Coach, Arizona State (2008-present)
--Assistant Coach, Santa Clara (2007-2008)
--Assistant Coach, St. Mary's (2001-2007)
--Graduate Assistant Coach, Saint Louis (1999-2001)

COACH SMITH PLAYING EXPERIENCE
--University of San Diego (1994-99)
--University of San Diego Defensive Player of the Year (1996-97 and 1998-99)
--University of San Diego Team Captain (1997-99)

Lamont Smith Hometown: The Colony, Texas Last College: University of San Diego (B.S., 1998)