Shaun Smith was elevated to interim head coach of the Kentucky State University men’s basketball program after spending 10 seasons on the Thorobreds’ sideline as the program’s lead assistant coach.
Smith’s appointment follows the transition of former head coach Dr. Jamaal Jackson into an associate athletics director role. A longtime member of the Kentucky State coaching staff, Smith brings extensive experience in player development, recruiting, scouting, academic support, program operations and student-athlete mentorship.
During his tenure at Kentucky State, Smith played a significant role in the program’s competitive growth. He helped guide the Thorobreds to the 2023 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals, placing Kentucky State one win away from the SIAC championship game and marking a postseason achievement the program had not reached in nearly a decade.
As lead assistant, Smith was heavily involved in the daily operation of the program, overseeing areas such as player development, recruiting, scouting, travel coordination and academic monitoring. He helped recruit and develop five All-SIAC selections, four BOXTOROW Division II All-Americans and one Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-South Region honoree. During his time on staff, more than 15 Kentucky State student-athletes signed professional basketball contracts in countries including Canada, Mexico, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Argentina.
Smith also played an important role in the program’s academic progress. Tasked with helping improve the team grade-point average, he implemented academic and time-management strategies that helped the Thorobreds consistently surpass their goal of a 3.0 team GPA, with marks reaching as high as 3.4.
Under Smith’s academic guidance, 19 student-athletes earned NABC Honors Court recognition, 10 student-athletes achieved 4.0 GPAs, one student-athlete earned salutatorian honors and several others were named to the Dean’s List and President’s List.
Before arriving at Kentucky State, Smith served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Bluefield State College from 2014-16. In his first season, Bluefield State recorded its highest win total since the 1995-96 season and ranked first nationally in fewest turnovers committed. Smith also helped coach 2015-16 ECAC Freshman of the Year Chas Harvey and BOXTOROW Division II All-American Mark Durgan.
Smith spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant coach at Columbus State Community College, where his responsibilities included recruiting, scouting, academic monitoring of freshmen and player development. In his lone season, seven student-athletes moved on to four-year institutions at the NAIA, NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II levels, including former Kentucky State standout Darrien Wilkins.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Smith has worked with several AAU programs, including the Ohio Hoopsters 16U and 17U teams in 2013 and All-Ohio Red 17U in 2008.
Before beginning his coaching career, Smith was a four-year letterwinner at The Ohio State University from 2000-04 under head coach Jim O’Brien. As a Buckeye, he was a three-time recipient of the John Havlicek Most Inspirational Award, a two-time NCAA Tournament participant in 2001 and 2002, a member of the 2002 Big Ten regular-season and tournament championship team and a 2003 NIT participant.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in family resource management with minors in business and economics from The Ohio State University in 2004. He resides in Frankfort with his wife, Laquita, and their two children, Lilyauna and Shaun II.
