Buzz: Former Duke star Nolan Smith reportedly close to finalizing move as coach for NCAA Division I program 

Former Duke Blue Devils star Nolan Smith was on coach Penny Hardaway's team last season as the Memphis Tigers won the AAC regular-season and tournament championships. Smith has been an assistant coach at various programs since retiring from professional basketball in 2015.

On Tuesday, CSB Sports analyst Jon Rothstein revealed on X that Smith was in talks to become the new Tennessee State Tigers head coach.

“Sources: Memphis’ Nolan Smith is finalizing a deal to be the next head coach at Tennessee State,” Rothstein tweeted. “Nothing is officially done, but the two sides are working towards an agreement.”

Nolan Smith will replace Brian "Penny Collins who resigned on June 30 to become an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies.

After a four-year career at Duke, Smith was drafted No. 21 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2011 NBA draft. He played in the NBA for two seasons before playing in Europe, retiring in 2015 and embarking on his coaching career.

---

Nolan Smith has had a stellar career

Nolan Smith was a four-star prospect and the No. 39 player in the country in the class of 2007, according to ESPN. He committed to coach Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils and was an immediate starter as a freshman.

During his Duke career, the Blue Devils went 125-23, and he was a consensus First Team All-American and was also a finalist for the Wooden Award. He led the Blue Devils to four conference titles and the national championship in 2010 and was named the ACC Player of the Year in 2011.

Smith became a special assistant under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in 2016 after retiring from professional basketball, before taking over the Blue Devils' director of basketball operations & player development role for two years. In 2021, he was named an assistant coach under Coach K.

A year later, he became an assistant coach for the Louisville Cardinals under coach Kenny Payne although the entire staff was fired after two years during which the team went 12-52. Smith was then hired by Memphis Tigers coach Penny Hardaway and during his introduction, the Tigers coach lavished praise on his new assistant coach.

“Nolan is a grit-and-grind guy and is one of the brightest young coaches in college basketball,” Hardaway said. “He works hard and has a passion for the game that is unmatched."

During Nolan Smith's tenure as an assistant coach, the Tigers went 29-6 overall and won the regular-season and tournament AAC titles and clinched the No. 5 seed at the NCAA Tournament.