Steve Smiley
{{Short description|American basketball coach (born 1981)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Steve Smiley
| image = Steve Smiley in 2021.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Smiley in 2021.
| current_title = Head coach
| current_team = Northern Colorado
| current_conference = Big Sky
| current_record = 89–71 ({{winpct|89|71}})
| contract =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|4|1}}
| birth_place = Denver, Colorado, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 2000–2004
| player_team1 = Northern State
| coach_years1 = 2005–2006
| coach_team1 = Black Hills State (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 2006–2008
| coach_team2 = Northern State (assistant)
| coach_years3 = 2008–2014
| coach_team3 = Sheridan College
| coach_years4 = 2014–2016
| coach_team4 = Weber State (assistant)
| coach_years5 = 2016–2020
| coach_team5 = Northern Colorado (assistant)
| coach_years6 = 2020–present
| coach_team6 = Northern Colorado
| overall_record = 89–71 ({{winpct|89|71}}) (NCAA)
152–45 ({{winpct|152|45}}) (NJCAA)
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record = 0–1 (NIT)
2–2 (CBI)
| championships =
- Big Sky regular season (2025)
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
Stephen Christopher Smiley (born April 1, 1981) is an American basketball coach who is the current head coach of the Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball team.{{Cite web|url=https://uncbears.com/news/2020/3/20/steve-smiley-named-unc-mens-basketball-head-coach.aspx|title=Steve Smiley Named UNC Men's Basketball Head Coach|website=University of Northern Colorado Athletics|date=20 March 2020 }}
Playing career
Smiley was a two-time all-state selection from Pomona High School in Arvada, Colorado. Smiley played collegiately under Don Meyer at Northern State.{{Cite web|url=https://uncbears.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/steve-smiley/569|title=Steve Smiley - Head Men's Basketball Coach - Men's Basketball Coaches|website=University of Northern Colorado Athletics}} He completed his career with the Wolves as the school's record holder in assists with 537, while also ranking third all-time in single-season field goal percentage, along with being named a NSIC all-conference performer his senior year.[https://s3.amazonaws.com/nsuwolvesathletics.com/documents/2019/6/28/MBasketball_Records_2019Update.pdf Unknown]{{Dead link | date=December 2024 | fix-attempted=yes}}
Coaching career
Smiley's coaching career began in 2005 as an assistant at then-NAIA institution Black Hills State under Paul Sather for one season before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach from 2006 to 2008. Smiley was then named the head coach at Sheridan College in Wyoming, a NJCAA school. From 2008 to 2014 he led the Generals to a 153–43 overall record with four North Sub-Region 9 titles and two runner-up finishes. They advanced to four Region 9 Final Fours along with two appearances in the championship game. Smiley would join the Division I ranks in 2014 by accepting a position on Randy Rahe's staff at Weber State and was part of the team's 2016 Big Sky championship team which made an appearance in the 2016 NCAA tournament.{{Cite web|url=https://weberstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/steve-smiley/388|title=Steve Smiley - Men's Basketball Coach|website=Weber State University Athletics}} The following season he moved to Big Sky rival Northern Colorado as an assistant coach under Jeff Linder. In the four seasons with the Bears as an assistant, the team posted three-straight 20-win seasons, and won the 2018 CIT. On March 20, 2020, three days after Linder departed to take the head coaching position at Wyoming, Smiley was elevated to head coach, becoming the 20th coach in Northern Colorado history.{{Cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2020/03/20/steve-smiley-northern-colorado-mens-basketball-coach/|title=Steve Smiley named new Northern Colorado men's basketball coach|date=March 20, 2020}}
Head coaching record
=NJCAA=
{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason = | poll = }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Sheridan College
| conference =
| startyear = 2008
| endyear = 2014
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2008–09
| name = Sheridan College
| overall = 26–7
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2009–10
| name = Sheridan College
| overall = 27–7
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2010–11
| name = Sheridan College
| overall = 24–10
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2011–12
| name = Sheridan College
| overall = 25–7
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2012–13
| name = Sheridan College
| overall = 24–7
| conference = 11–1
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2013–14
| name = Sheridan College
| overall = 26–7
| conference = 15–2
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Sheridan College
| overall = 152–45 ({{winpct|152|45}})
| confrecord =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = 152–45 ({{winpct|152|45}})
| legend = no
}}
=NCAA D1=
{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason = | poll = }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Northern Colorado Bears
| conference = Big Sky Conference
| startyear = 2020
| endyear =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2020–21
| name = Northern Colorado
| overall = 11–11
| conference = 6–8
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2021–22
| name = Northern Colorado
| overall = 22–16
| conference = 13–7
| confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason = CBI Semifinals
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2022–23
| name = Northern Colorado
| overall = 12–20
| conference = 6–12
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2023–24
| name = Northern Colorado
| overall = 19–14
| conference = 12–6
| confstanding = T–2nd
| postseason = CBI First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| season = 2024–25
| name = Northern Colorado
| overall = 25–10
| conference = 15–3
| confstanding = T–1st
| postseason = NIT first round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Northern Colorado
| overall = 89–71 ({{winpct|89|71}})
| confrecord = 52–36 ({{winpct|52|36}})
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = 89–71 ({{winpct|89|71}})
| legend = yes
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Big Sky Conference men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{Northern Colorado Bears basketball coach navbox}}
{{Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smiley, Steve}}
Category:American men's basketball coaches
Category:Basketball coaches from Colorado
Category:Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball coaches
Category:Weber State Wildcats men's basketball coaches
Category:Northern State Wolves men's basketball coaches
Category:Black Hills State Yellow Jackets men's basketball coaches
Category:Sheridan Generals men's basketball coaches
Category:Sportspeople from the Denver metropolitan area
Category:Northern State Wolves men's basketball players