![\"Nolan's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Derek-Smith.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNolan Smith was the only toddler setting screens on NBA paint. Born to Louisville legend and Sacramento shooting guard Derek Smith, Nolan learned to dribble a basketball before he learned to walk.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first person to put a ball in my hands was my dad. I felt like it was at birth,\u201d he told Hoops HQ. \u201cI was born into this game and around it. I fell in love with the game, I fell in love with where this game can take you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s career has taken him from Portland to Croatia, and through Division I, the NBA G League and a stint with the Trail Blazers. He planned to spend the 2025-26 season as an assistant on Penny Hardaway\u2019s staff at Memphis, but those plans changed suddenly and unexpectedly in July when Smith was given his first head coaching job at Tennessee State, an HBCU located in Nashville. The job came open when the previous coach, Brian Collins, took a job as an assistant with the NBA\u2019s Memphis Grizzlies. TSU is an old-guard powerhouse and won three straight NAIA national championships from 1957-59. Since then, the Tigers have transitioned to Division I, and following a 50-year streak of middling records, they had three consecutive winning seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference under Collins. It\u2019s up to Smith to maintain \u2014\u00a0and advance \u2014\u00a0that momentum.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe job really came out of nowhere,\u201d he said. \u201c(My agent) asked if I\u2019d be interested in the position. I said, \u2018Absolutely.\u2019 I\u2019ve known a lot about Tennessee State. I\u2019ve been knowing a lot about HBCUs all around the country my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a roster in-development and an understaffed front office, Smith must scramble if he hopes to honor TSU\u2019s legacy. \u201cEverything has to do with winning,\u201d he said. \u201cIf the players get sick of hearing the word winning, then this isn\u2019t gonna be the program for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Nolan\u2019s father, Derek was rostered with the Warriors, Clippers, Kings, 76ers and Celtics during his nine seasons in the NBA<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Tennessee State is the latest and most surprising stop in a basketball journey that began at birth. Smith\u2019s father Derek, an NBA journeyman, gave him the blueprint. In 1994, Derek joined the Washington Bullets as an assistant coach, surrounding six-year-old Nolan with elite professional talent. \u201cWatching those guys, seeing it at the highest level, I was like, \u2018Okay, that\u2019s my dream,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
In the summer of 1996, Derek died of a heart attack. In 34 years, he had won an NCAA title, played across the NBA, raised a family and taken on a coaching post. His life set the tone for Nolan\u2019s. \u201cI always wanted to walk in his footsteps and honor him,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt was always a duty of mine to give back as a coach and be a leader, be a mentor, be a servant, and help mold them into great men, great fathers and great sons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s likeness is tattooed to Nolan\u2019s bicep, framed by a halo and flanked by his number: 43.<\/p>\n
After Derek\u2019s passing, Nolan continued to attend Bullets practices. Over the next six years, he remained a staple at home games. In high school Smith transferred to Oak Hill Academy, where he won a national championship alongside future NBA players Michael Beasley and Ty Lawson.<\/p>\n
Smith signed with Duke in his junior year, forming a bond with Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski that remains strong to this day. \u201cHe\u2019s the best. He\u2019s always been an amazing human being, \u201d Smith said. \u201cHe always remembers Father\u2019s Day. Never forgets a birthday. Always asks about the family. It was so many little things that I could pick out that made him such a special person.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Duke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Smith-and-Seth-Curry.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Nolan Smith stands beside Seth Curry during the West regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA Tournament<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Smith started 21 times in his sophomore season. Off the court, Duke was building championship chemistry. \u201cI was always just a sponge of the game, and to be around guys like Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler,\u201d said Smith. \u201cWe were more than just competitors, we were all obsessed with the game of basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2010, Duke won the ACC, then captured the NCAA championship. As a senior, Smith led the conference with 20.6 points per game and earned First-Team All-ACC honors. He was drafted by the Trailblazers, but harbored thoughts of returning to Duke. \u201cThere definitely was a thought in the back of my mind, man, one day, how cool would it be to be a coach here?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know when that would come.\u201d<\/p>\n
During two seasons with the Blazers, Smith played in 84 games, with four starts, and averaged 3.3 points in 9.9 minutes. He spent the next two years playing in the G League and abroad in Croatia and Turkey. In 2014, he tore his ACL. For a kid who had grown up on the Bullets\u2019 floor, facing the end of his playing career was heartbreak.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t really ready to stop playing,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBut I hurt my knee after a full year of rehab.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when Krzyzewski called and offered Smith an assistant position. \u201cCoach K was like, \u2018you\u2019re ready for this,\u201d Smith recalled. \u201cI took some time to really think about it. Didn\u2019t take long, because the opportunity being offered by Coach K was very, very enticing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coaching under Krzyzewski \u201cwas different,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe was so masterful with his style of motivation, his style of giving confidence. Everything was planned out.\u201d<\/p>\n
In six seasons, Smith climbed from Director of Basketball Operations to assistant coach. As Krzyzewski prepared to retire, Nolan thought of home. \u201cThere was always something in me that wanted to go back to the city of Louisville,\u201d he said. That thought became reality at the end of the 2021-22 season, when Kenny Payne became Louisville\u2019s Head Coach. Payne and Derek Smith were former teammates at Louisville and best friends. Hiring Nolan was a natural move, but the Cardinals managed just 12 wins across two disastrous seasons. Needless to say, it was a far cry from his experiences in Durham. \u201cI learned how to show up every single day,\u201d said Smith. \u201cThose are lessons that I would have never gotten at Duke.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Smith](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Nolan-Smith-Final-4.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Smith takes center stage at the 2022 Duke Basketball banquet, flanked by Amile Jefferson, Chris Carrawell, Coach K, and Jon Scheyer (left to right)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Just 12 hours after Louisville\u2019s first round exit from the 2024 ACC Tournament, Payne was axed. For the first time in his life, Smith was out of basketball. \u201cIt was definitely a very unique situation to be in,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou get back and you sit in the room, and the AD comes in and lets you know that the head coach is being let go. And that means you\u2019re being let go as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Payne down and Krzyzewski out, Smith was at a crossroads. \u201cIt\u2019s a very weird time trying to get out of your office and get out of the way,\u201d he said. \u201cYou start searching for the next thing.\u201d That came in the form of a conversation with Hardaway. He had tried to hire Smith as an assistant for Memphis in 2020, but Smith declined so he could work for Krzyzewski through his retirement. This time, Smith was ready to listen. Smith signed with Hardaway a month and a half before the beginning of non-conference play. \u201cCoach Hardaway\u2019s style of coaching was an NBA mindset,\u201d he said. \u201cThat free-flowing playstyle, teaching guys how to play while being aggressive defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Smith riding shotgun, the Tigers drove through the AAC and scored a bid to the NCAA Tournament. \u201cI love everything that I learned under Coach K, but going to Coach Hardaway was refreshing,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI love being aggressive, I love stressing, I love mixing it up defensively and making teams uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith went into the summer assuming he would be back at Memphis for a second season. Shortly after Collins resigned in June to join the Grizzlies, Smith\u2019s agent gave him a call. He was introduced as head coach of Tennessee State on July 21. \u201cI wanted to do some special things,\u201d Smith said. \u201c(I thought) about the history, the city, the athletic director and president, their vision for the program and for the school, and bringing it back to excellence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With two months until tip-off, Smith is under pressure to teach his guys to play basketball the way he learned it. He has been pleased with the effort they have put in so far. \u201cWe have a lot of good players, good guards, good wings,\u201d said Smith. \u201cSeven returners from last year\u2019s ten that lost the semifinals. All those guys have the hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n
TSU returns quality guards in 6-foot-5 senior Brandon Weston and 6-foot-1 senior Justus Jackson, but suffers from a lack of forwards and a late start in the portal. New to the lineup is 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Khalil London, who demonstrated great vision on limited minutes last season. \u201cIf you have a really good guard, you\u2019re going to have a chance to win some games,\u201d Smith said. Though TSU reached the Ohio Valley Conference semifinal last year, the Tigers averaged 15.3 turnovers, the fifth highest rate in Division I. \u201cI think our biggest thing is taking care of the ball and playing selfless,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
![\"Smith](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Khalil-London.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Smith was excited to sign sophomore guard Khalil London, who displayed tremendous potential with the College of Charleston last season<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Though practice starts early September, Smith has yet to fill his front office. Like Hardaway, he\u2019s got a contact book full of guys \u201csearching for the next thing.\u201d \u201cThe guys that I will pick out here, I\u2019ve had in mind for a long, long time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Smith has optimism riding high in Nashville. Time will tell whether that will last once the games begin, but though this is Smith\u2019s first head coaching job, he has spent his entire life preparing for this opportunity. \u201cI\u2019m bringing back excellence,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that I\u2019ve been a part of my whole life. The colors just happened to be the icing on the cake. I\u2019m back in blue, and excited for the opportunity to do something great.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore Like This<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nolan Smith was the only toddler setting screens on NBA paint. Born to Louisville legend and Sacramento shooting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98648,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[402,398,400,401,99],"class_list":["post-98647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-basketball","tag-basketball","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-basketball","tag-ncaabasketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}