Craig Smith proved his coaching chops early when he took one of the most challenging small-college jobs in the country in 2004.
Mayville State in North Dakota was coming off a one-win season when he was hired. With no paid assistants and Smith having to raise money himself to fund scholarships, the Comets made the NAIA Division II tournament his first season and the championship game his third.
Fourteen years, two assistant stops and two head coaching jobs later, the 48-year-old Smith has led Utah State to three straight NCAA Tournament bids. The 11th-seeded Aggies (20-8) play No. 6 Texas Tech (17-10) on Friday in the South Region.