Rautins back as Canada's basketball coach,
CBC Sports
CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for English-language sports broadcasting. The CBC's sports programming primarily airs on CBC Television, CBCSports.ca, and CBC Radio One. (The CBC's French-languag ...
, May 22, 2007, retrieved 2010-10-31
Smart also spent time as an assistant coach, and later Director of Basketball Operations at Carleton, and has served as a consultant to the coaching staff for the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
.
Early life and education
Smart was born in
Kingston
Kingston may refer to:
Places
* List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated:
** Kingston, Jamaica
** Kingston upon Hull, England
** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia
** Kingston, Ontario, Canada
** Kingston upon Thames, ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, and attended
Queen's University, where he graduated with a degree in
sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
. He played three seasons of varsity basketball for the
Queen's Golden Gaels
The Queen's Gaels (also known as the Queen's Golden Gaels) is the athletics program representing Queen's University at Kingston, Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The main athletics facilities include Richardson Stadium (Kingston) ...
, from 1991–94. He set the all-time school record for highest points per game career average (26.6). Smart also set the highest single-game Queen's scoring mark (43 points). His career average is one of the highest ever recorded in Canadian university basketball. In the 1992–93 season, Smart became the only Queen's player ever to lead Canada in scoring average, with an average of 29.4 points per game.
[http://www.cisport.ca , the men's basketball records section] He was selected a first team
Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics (OUA; ) is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, ...
All-Star in all three of seasons.
[http://www.oua.ca, the men's basketball records section]
Smart coached extensively at the high school and club levels, before attending university, and again as a university student, including at
Nepean High School where he coached the team to a city championship and a berth at
OFSAA
The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) is an organization of student-athletes, teacher-coaches, student-coaches, teachers, principals, and sport administrators in Ontario, Canada. OFSAA is the second largest high school ath ...
.
Coaching career
Carleton (1997–2019)
Assistant coach (1997–1999)
After being rejected for the vacant Queen's men's basketball head coaching job following the 1994 season, Smart was hired as an assistant coach at
Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...
, under head coach Paul Armstrong, and served for two years in that role. Smart became the head coach at Carleton in 1999, when Armstrong was promoted into management.
Head coach promotion & historical run (1999–2015)
Smart led the
Carleton Ravens
The Carleton Ravens are the athletic teams that represent Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The most notable sports team for Carleton is the men's basketball team. In men's basketball, the Ravens have won 16 of the last 19 national men's ...
to five consecutive
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...
national championships from 2003–07.
These were the first CIS championships won by Carleton in any sport.
The Ravens' five-year championship streak was broken in 2008 when they were upset 82–80 in double overtime in the CIS semifinals by the
Acadia Axemen
The Acadia Axemen and Axewomen are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. The on-campus sports facilities used by Axemen teams include Raymond Field for various field sports and ...
; the Ravens, seeded first, had been 32–0 in that season. Carleton then won the 2009 CIS Basketball Championship, the school's sixth, hosted at
Scotiabank Place
Canadian Tire Centre () is a multi-purpose arena in the suburb of Kanata in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in January 1996 as the Palladium and was also known as Corel Centre () from 1996 to 2006 and Scotiabank Place () from 2006 to 2013.
...
in Ottawa, making the Ravens 19–1 in CIS Final Eight play since 2003.
Carleton lost in the 2010 CIS semifinals to the eventual champion
Saskatchewan Huskies
The Saskatchewan Huskies are the athletics teams representing the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The university began their athletics program in 1907 and has competed with others since 1911. They currently compete in eli ...
; this tournament was also hosted at Scotiabank Place.
The CIS Men's Basketball Championships returned to
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, in 2011, after three years at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, and Smart and the Ravens captured their seventh CIS National Championship in nine years with a victory over
Trinity Western Spartans
The Trinity Western Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. The university's teams are members of U Sports (previously CIS), and compete in the Canada West Universities Athletics A ...
.
[Ravens beat Trinity Western: CIS Men's Basketball Final]
Smart and the Ravens captured their eighth CIS National Championship, defeating the
Alberta Golden Bears
The Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas are the sports teams that represent the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Alberta athletics teams have won a total of 101 national championships, including 84 in U Sports sanctioned sports, ma ...
in the 2012 edition of the championship tournament. The CIS National Men's Basketball Championships returned to Ottawa in 2013, and Smart's Ravens won their ninth title, defeating
Lakehead Thunderwolves
The Lakehead Thunderwolves are the U Sports varsity athletic teams that represent Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Overview
The Lakehead Thunderwolves are perennial powers in the OUA and U Sports in Nordic Skiing and wrest ...
, 92–42. The Ravens set Canadian university basketball records for largest winning margin (50 points) and fewest points allowed (42 points) in a championship final, and broke the tie with the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...
for the most total championships won in Canadian men's university basketball.
In 2014, Carleton defeated cross-town rivals
Ottawa Gee-Gees
The Ottawa Gee-Gees () are the athletic teams that represent the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario.
The Gee-Gees won the national football championship, the Vanier Cup, in 1975 and 2000, while also appearing in the game in the 1970, 1980 ...
79–67 to win their tenth CIS National Men's Basketball Championship under Smart's tenure. Carleton defeated the Gee-Gees in a rematch the following year, for the 2015 CIS Final 8 National Men's Basketball Championship, by a score of 93–46, claiming Carleton's eleventh championship in men's basketball.
Sabbatical & return to coach duties (2015–2019)
On July 31, 2015, Smart took a sabbatical from head coaching duties, and his nephew,
Rob Smart, was named interim head coach. Led by Rob Smart, and after losing four starters from the previous year's championship, Carleton defeated the
Calgary Dinos
The Calgary Dinos are the athletic teams that represent the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. They were known as the "Dinosaurs" but usually referred to as the "Dinos" until 1999, when the name was officially shortened. Some of its venues ...
in the 2016 CIS final by a score of 101–79. This was the Ravens' 12th CIS championship win overall, and 6th consecutive championship win.
Smart returned from his sabbatical, and resumed his position as head coach for the 2016–2017 season. The Ravens captured their seventh consecutive national championship, thirteenth overall, and twelfth for Smart, defeating the
Ryerson Rams
The TMU Bold, formerly known as the Ryerson Rams, are the varsity athletic teams that represent Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Metropolitan University operates 11 men's ...
78–69. The seventh consecutive championship by the Ravens matched the record at the Canadian university sports level, set by the University of Victoria. On March 10, 2019, Coach Smart and the Ravens won the school's fourteenth men's basketball National Championship (and fifteenth basketball National Championship overall), defeating the Calgary Dinos 83–49.
On March 19, 2019, Smart stepped down as head coach of the team, accepting a new position as their director of basketball operations. Former Ravens women's basketball head coach Taffe Charles was named Smart's replacement. Smart's head-coaching record at Carleton was 591 wins, 48 losses.
Texas Tech (2023–2024, assistant)
On July 25, 2023, Smart accepted the position of assistant basketball coach at
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
, under head coach
Grant McCasland
Grant McCasland (born October 14, 1976) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head men's basketball coach at Texas Tech University. McCasland previously coached at North Texas from 2017 to 2023, where he guided the Mean Gre ...
. The Red Raiders went 23–11 and earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament, but fell to No. 11 NC State in the first round.
Pacific (2024–present)
On March 27, 2024, Smart was announced as the head coach of the
Pacific men's basketball program.
National team career
On April 8, 2012, Smart was named the head coach of the Great Britain U20 men's team.
On February 20, 2018, Smart was hired as head coach of the
Canada's U18 men's team ahead of the
2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship
The 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship was an international under-18 basketball tournament that was held from 10 to 16 June 2018 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The eleventh edition of the biennial competition, this is also the qualify ...
. Canada ultimately reached the finals, losing to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
113–74.
Executive career
Carleton University
With Taffe Charles as head coach and Smart as Director of Basketball Operations, Carleton won its fifteenth national championship in men's basketball, defeating the
Dalhousie Tigers
The Dalhousie Tigers are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Tigers field 14 varsity teams with seven men's teams and seven women's teams that primarily compete in the Atla ...
74–65, on March 8, 2020. Charles became the first black head coach to win a Canadian national championship in men's basketball, and the first head coach to win Canadian national championships in both women's and men's basketball. Carleton won two more National Championships with Smart as director of basketball operations.
Ottawa Senators
Smart was hired by the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
to serve as a consultant to the coaching staff during the 2019–20 season. Smart served as a guest speaker for the Senators in several of their summer rookie camps, before being hired as a coaching consultant for the team. Smart's focus will be on defensive mindsets, and player attitude and personality.
Ottawa Blackjacks
Smart was named the inaugural general manager of the expansion
Ottawa Blackjacks of the
CEBL on December 18, 2019.
Smart retained his position of Director of Basketball Operations at Carleton University, concurrent with his duties with the Blackjacks. Smart stepped down as general manager of the Blackjacks on August 18, 2020.
Awards and achievements
In the 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018 seasons, Smart was awarded the Stewart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy, as the top men's basketball coach in Canadian university sports. Smart won OUA coach-of-the-year awards thirteen times, for the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons.
Smart won 92 percent of his games against Canadian opposition between 1999 and 2019. He led the Ravens to a Canadian men's record of 87 consecutive wins in league and playoff games, from 2002 to 2005.
Smart was inducted into the
Order of Ottawa by Mayor
Jim Watson on November 17, 2016.
He was inducted into the
Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame
The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame () is a hall of fame dedicated to recognizing athletes and sportspeople associated with Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It has been located in several locations during its history, including the Ottawa Normal School, Heritag ...
in 2021.
Head coaching record
CIS/U Sports
NCAA
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, David
1966 births
Living people
20th-century Canadian sportsmen
21st-century Canadian sportsmen
Basketball players from Ottawa
Canadian men's basketball coaches
Canadian men's basketball players
Pacific Tigers men's basketball coaches
Queen's University at Kingston alumni
Sportspeople from Kingston, Ontario
Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball coaches
U Sports coaches