Smart never fathomed he would be here, back in college as an assistant coach at Arkansas, watching everything rewind and fast-forward at the same time. The former Golden State and Sacramento NBA head coach is back in a region that his family still calls home, back in the city where he beat cancer six years ago. The former basketball nomad is back with another well-traveled friend, Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman, whom he has played for and coached with at several stops.
Smart coached in the NBA for two decades before he joined Musselman’s staff last May. Ten years ago, Musselman took the same career turn, leaving more than 20 years in the pros for college. After working as an assistant at Arizona State and LSU, Musselman served four seasons in the top job at Nevada before he came to Arkansas in 2019. He has redefined his career, shifting from a twice-fired NBA coach to a college coach/program-marketing maven with a .750 NCAA winning percentage.
“Keith is not a phone person,” Carol said, laughing. “He used to just leave it somewhere for hours. He had to learn to be on the phone.”In January, when Musselman was recovering from shoulder surgery, Smart led the team for a few games, starting with one against LSU. It offered a chance for him to go home to Baton Rouge and see his mother for the first time since the pandemic began two years ago. Arkansas, which had been having some midseason struggles, won the game.