Former Duke All-American guard captures conference title in first year as head coach

Nolan Smith's path to his first head coaching job wasn't the straight line he was hoping for. His tenure as an assistant was rocky when he decided to leave the Duke bench to join Kenny Payne's staff at his father's alma mater, Louisville.

Payne, along with Smith and the entire Louisville staff, was fired following the 2024 season. Smith caught on with Penny Hardaway for a season at Memphis, and the Tigers had an excellent season en route to earning a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Smith parlayed that successful season with Memphis into his first head coaching job at Tennessee State, and the former Duke All-American guard wasted little time putting his mark on the program.

Taking over a Tennessee State team that went 17-16 a year ago, the Tigers just wrapped up their regular season with a 21-9 record and a 15-5 mark in the OVC. Their blowout road win over UT Martin on Saturday clinched a share of the OVC regular-season championship for the first time since 1995:

Nolan Smith leads Tennessee State to first conference championship in 30 years

Smith finding quick success as a head coach comes as no real surprise to Duke fans. He was always an on-court leader during his time in Durham, and he figures to make a quick rise in the coaching ranks after an impressive debut season with Tennessee State and his pedigree as a former player.

Smith played four seasons for Duke, earning the 2011 ACC Player of the Year Award. Smith played an integral role in the Blue Devils' 2010 national championship team, averaging over 16 points per game during the 2010 Final Four.

Tennessee State got hot at the right time, winning seven of its final eight games to capture the No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament. They will receive a double-bye in the OVC Tournament, which takes them straight into the Semifinals, meaning Smith will only need to lead the Tigers to two wins to earn an NCAA Tournament berth, something the program hasn't done since 1994.