Terry Smith is entering his first season on the Ave Maria women's basketball staff, and brings a successful coaching history to the Gyrene bench. Smith has formerly served as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level, and has led men's programs at the NCAA Division II and Division III levels.
His Division I experience came at Michigan State University, where he was an assistant coach for the Spartans' women's basketball program during the 2010-2011 season. During that season, the Spartans went 27-6 and earned an outright Big Ten championship. He also helped the Spartans to a second round appearance in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
In addition to his year at Michigan State, Smith has amassed 19 years of collegiate head coaching experience. He has served as the head coach of the men's programs at Lake Superior State University (1991-1997), Grand Valley State University (1997-2004), Alma College (2007-2010), and Finlandia University (2011-2014).
His coaching experience also includes time in professional basketball, as Smith served as the head coach of the Holland Blast of the International Basketball League. He has also served as head coach at several high schools and with several AAU programs during his lengthy coaching career.
Smith, who holds a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and master's degrees from Central Michigan University and Grand Valley State University, has also served as an assistant coach at Lake Superior State University and Ferris State University.Â
