Frank Smith Hometown: Alexandria, VA Last College: Dayton Position: Assistant Head Coach Experience: 20 years Alma Mater: Old Dominion '88

Frank Smith concluded his sixth season as assistant head coach for the Clemson men's basketball program in 2008-09. Smith began his full-time coaching career prior to the 1990-91 season at Radford under Oliver Purnell, and has been a member of his coaching staff at three other universities since that time.

The teams on which Smith has served as Purnell's assistant have recorded a 351-233 record, with five NCAA Tournament appearances and eight NIT appearances. Included in his assistant coaching achievements are the 24-6 record held by the 2002-03 Dayton Flyers, Purnell's last team at the school which also won the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Smith has also been instrumental in coaching the Tiger program to a school-record 72 wins over the past three seasons.

Smith has helped the Tigers to a consistent improvement in each of his six seasons with the program. In 2003-04 he helped the Tigers to four wins over NCAA Tournament teams, including wins over longtime top 20 rivals North Carolina and N.C. State. In 2004-05, Smith helped the Tigers to 16 wins and a three-game season sweep of Maryland. In 2005-06, Smith helped Clemson to a 19-13 overall record (7-9 ACC).

The team's improvement continued in 2006-07, where Clemson tied a school record with a 17-0 start to the season and 25 overall victories. The Tigers were the nation's last remaining unbeaten team, and advanced to the NIT championship game for the second time in school history. In 2007-08, Clemson made the NCAA Tournament field for the first time in 10 years and advanced to the school's second-ever ACC Tournament championship game appearance with a win over seventh-ranked Duke.

Last season, the Tigers again were invited to the NCAA Tournament following an overall record of 23-9. It was the fifth straight year Clemson improved its winning percentage, and the third straight 20-win season for the program (school record). Smith helped coach the Tigers to an historic 74-47 win over #3 Duke, the school's largest margin of victory ever versus a ranked opponent.

A former point guard, Smith had a great impact on four-year starter Cliff Hammonds, who he helped bring to Clemson. Hammonds was a third-team All-ACC guard last season. Hammonds broke four school records under Smith's guidance, and ranks among the top 10 in Clemson history in several other statistical categories. He also helped mentor former point guard Vernon Hamilton (2003-07), who finished his career sixth in ACC history in steals.

Smith played a big role in the recruitment of Milton Jennings to Clemson. The 2009 high school senior was a McDonald's All-American, the first such prospect to sign with the Tiger program since Sharone Wright in 1991. Jennings, a product of Summerville, SC, was a second-team Parade All-American as well.

Purnell will be the first person to document the importance Smith has had on his coaching career. He has worked with Purnell at four different schools during most of his 21 years as a Division I head coach. In their time together, the duo has been a part of 13 postseason tournament teams and 10 teams that have won at least 20 games.

Smith began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Old Dominion in 1988-89 under Tom Young. Smith then worked in corporate real estate for a year before joining Purnell's staff at Radford for the 1990-91 season.

Smith was part of a magical season at Radford his first year, helping Purnell guide the program to a 22-7 record, including a 12-2 mark in the Big South. Radford made a 15-game improvement from the previous season. One of the players Smith worked with at Radford was guard Doug Day, who went on to make a then NCAA career record 401 career three-point goals.

After the 1990-91 season, Purnell accepted the head coaching position at Old Dominion, and Smith joined him as an assistant coach on the Monarchs' staff. The ODU graduates combined to lead the Monarchs to a 57-33 record the next three seasons.

During that period, Old Dominion advanced to postseason play each year, including the 1991-92 season when the Monarchs won the Colonial and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament against Kentucky. In 1992-93 and 1993-94, Smith helped ODU to 21 victories and the regular season co-championship each season.

In April of 1994, Purnell became the head coach at Dayton and once again asked Smith to join him on his staff. Smith was a big reason the Flyers won 155 games during a nine-year stretch. The program advanced to postseason play five of its last six years, winning at least 20 games each season.

The 1999-00 and 2002-03 teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The 1999-00 team won 22 games, including a 68-66 victory over a #12 Kentucky team. The 2000-01 team won 21 games, including victories over 12th-ranked UCONN and sixth-ranked Maryland at neutral sites.

In Smith's final year at Dayton, the Flyers won 24 games and finished the regular season ranked 16th in the Associated Press poll. Dayton won the Atlantic-10 regular season with a 14-2 record, and captured the conference tournament, earning a bid to the NCAAs as a #4 seed.

A native of Alexandria, VA, Smith was an all-star in football and basketball at Mt. Vernon High School. He quarterbacked Mt. Vernon to the 1983 state championship, and he was heavily recruited to play Division I football in addition to college basketball.

Smith accepted a basketball scholarship to Old Dominion where he became one of the top guards in Monarch history. He still ranks first in school history in career assists with 883, a figure that still ranks in the top 20 in NCAA history. He was a model of consistency, averaging 8.1 or 8.2 assists per game three years in a row. He was the conference assist champion each of his final three years. He is still first in Old Dominion history in that category, and in 2006 Smith was named to ODU's All-Time Team along with Purnell.

Smith is also first on the school's career steals chart with 295, 80 more than any other player in ODU history. A veteran of 120 games, he was a three-year starter over his career, including the 1985-86 season when ODU had a 23-8 record. That team is still the only Old Dominion team in history to defeat three top 20 teams in the same season, and is the only ODU team to rank in the top 25 of the AP poll during the course of a season.

As a senior, Smith was named Most Valuable Player and was an honorable mention All-American, leading the team to an 18-12 record and a berth in the NIT. Smith earned his undergraduate degree in Business from Old Dominion in 1988.