BOSTON – Washington State head coach Kyle Smith was named a Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year finalist, College Insider, Inc. announced March 19. Smith, the John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year, led WSU to a 20-win season for the first time since 2007-08 and matched the school record with 14 League wins.
Smith, who was also named a Naismith National Coach of the Year semifinalist, eclipsed 250 career wins in his fifth season at WSU. He led WSU to a 23-8 regular season finish and became the only coach in Cougar history to earn two top-10 wins in the same season. WSU won eight straight League games for just the third time in program history (1946-47) and strung together two 7-win streaks against Conference opponents in back-to-back seasons for the first time in WSU history.
Smith was the first head coach in Washington State men’s basketball history to finish at or above .500 in his first five seasons on the Palouse. Smith is the only coach in Washington State history to post a winning record in the Pac-12 era and the first since WSU posted a .500 or better record in five-straight seasons from 1992-96.
This season, the Cougars set the single-season blocks record with 172 rejections. Three Cougars earned All-Pac-12 recognition for the first time since 1980 and earned their highest AP ranking snice March 2008.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Washington State University Athletics…