FSU coach Steve Smith joins Boston College as new coaching staff member with rich ACC experience of over 12 years

Florida State Seminoles men's basketball coach Steve Smith will depart the program to take up a job with the Boston College Eagles. For five years, he was the assistant coach under Leonard Hamilton.

ESPN analyst Pete Thamel tweeted the news of Smith's departure from Florida State:

“Sources: Boston College men's basketball is hiring Florida State assistant coach Steve Smith as an assistant coach. Smith is leaving Florida State after five seasons there and has 12 years of ACC experience as an assistant."

Steve Smith has a storied background in coaching, having started at Allen University as a student-athlete cum assistant coach and then at USC Upstate before moving to Georgia Southern.

Smith is an experienced ACC campaigner, and the Florida State Seminoles had an 87-65 record during his tenure as assistant coach culminating in a conference championship win in the 2019-20 season.

In 2019 and 2021, the program made it to March Madness as well. Smith was a recommendation to FSU coach Leonard Hamilton by former Seminoles assistant Charlton Young. With Hamilton's contract ending in 2024-25, the move to Boston College seems to be pre-emptive by Smith before the end of the Hamilton era.

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Steve Smith brings a wealth of recruiting experience

Steve Smith is being hired as a replacement for Boston Eagles coach Anthony Goins who departed for a position with the Georgia Bulldogs college basketball team.

One of Smith's biggest selling points was his recruitment nous, with the Florida State Seminoles website waxing lyrical about that.

"Smith has cemented himself as one of the top recruiters in college basketball. He was a lead recruiter for the Seminoles as the program attracted the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation in 2021.

"Smith helped recruit each one of the Seminoles' 2021 newcomers and was largely responsible for helping sign John Butler, the No. 1 recruit in the state of South Carolina and a top-50 national recruit," the website reads.

Among the prospects mentioned in Smith's resume of recruitment successes includes the 2016 ACC Most Improved Player Jaron Blossomgame who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and All-ACC First-Team selection K.J. McDaniels who played for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Smith has a pre-existing relationship with Boston College coach Earl Grant after working with him at Clemson between 2012 and 2014, where they led the program to an NIT tournament.

Steve Smith will bring a boatload of experience to the Boston College Eagles team, which includes expertise in recruitment at an elite level.