If not the main reason, one of the biggest factors why top high school basketball prospect AJ Dybantsa chose to sign with BYU is because its head coach, Kevin Young, has a wealth of experience coaching in the NBA.
As of Monday night, Dybantsa will have a coach with similar experience for the rest of his high school career.
On Monday night, Utah Prep announced that it has hired Keith Smart as its boys basketball coach. Smart is perhaps best known for hitting the game winning shot in the 1987 NCAA national championship game for the Indiana Hoosiers, but he was a coach in the NBA from 2000-2019, with a few stints as a head coach.
Smart replaces Justin Yamzon at the school in Hurricane. It is not clear why the move was made, although national college basketball reporter Adam Zagoria reported on Jan. 10 that Yamzon was no longer with the team.
Smart, 60, played in two games for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs in 1988 and then in various leagues around the world until 1997, when he became coach of the Fort Wayne Fury of the Continental Basketball Association in the United States.
In 2000 he became an assistant with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and was interim head coach for 40 games in the 2002-03 season. He was then named an assistant with the Golden State Warriors in 2003 and was head coach for the 2010-11 season.
After that, Smart was an assistant with the Sacramento Kings. He was in that role for just two months before becoming interim head coach. He then had that tag removed before getting fired following the 2012-13 season.
In all, Smart compiled a record of 93-170 as a head coach in the NBA.
Smart was then an assistant with the Miami Heat from 2014-2016, the Memphis Grizzlies from 2016-2018 and the New York Knicks from 2018-2019.
In 2021, Smart was hired as an assistant coach in the college ranks with the Arkansas Razorbacks, where he was until earlier this year.
At Utah Prep, Smart will be entering a program that is aiming to become a national high school sports powerhouse.
“I’m honored to join Utah Prep Academy,” Smart said in a news release. “This is a program that has grown to unprecedented prominence in such a short period of time. I’m excited to build on the great work that’s already been done and help these young men achieve their goals both on and off the court.”
In an unorthodox manner, Dybantsa was also quoted in the press release saying, “Keith Smart is a game-changer. Having someone with his experience and knowledge is incredible. I’m excited to learn from him and grow as a player and a person. This is going to be a special season.”