Following the departure of their former head coach, the Tennessee State men’s basketball program is expected to hire former NCAA champion Nolan Smith as his successor.
According to a report from CBS College Basketball Insider Jon Rothstein, the deal is not official as both sides are still working out the terms of the agreement.
A finalized deal would make Smith the 19th head coach in the history of Tennessee State men’s basketball program.
Entering college as a four-star recruit, Smith had a storied career at Duke University, helping lead the Blue Devils to an NCAA championship as a junior in 2010.
As a senior, he was named ACC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American after leading the ACC in scoring (20.6).
Sources: Memphis’ Nolan Smith is finalizing a deal to be the next head coach at Tennessee State.
Nothing is officially done, but the two sides are working towards an agreement.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 15, 2025
The Duke guard was then selected in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, playing two seasons there before being assigned to the team’s G-League affiliate.
After embarking on an overseas career, playing a season in Croatia, Smith transitioned to a career in coaching, being hired as an assistant coach at his alma mater in 2016.
He spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Duke, coaching future NBA All-Stars such as Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, and Paolo Banchero.
Smith was then hired as an assistant coach at Louisville, holding that position for two seasons.
Most recently, Smith served as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis under head coach and former NBA All-Star Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway.
He helped lead Memphis to an American Athletic Conference tournament championship and its third NCAA tournament appearance in four seasons.
Smith takes over a position previously held by Brian Collins, who is transitioning to the NBA after being hired as an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Tennessee State finished the 2024-2025 season with a 17-16 overall record and a 12-8 mark against the Ohio Valley Conference.
Their 12 conference wins were tied for the second-most in program history, and this was the third year in a row they had reached 10 (something they have not done since 2013).
The Tigers are searching for their first OVC championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 1994.
