Rahe, Weber hire new assistant coach


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OGDEN — Weber State men's basketball head coach Randy Rahe has named Steve Smiley as a new assistant coach with the Wildcats. Smiley joins Weber State after serving the past six seasons as the head coach at Sheridan College.

"We couldn't be more excited to have Steve join our program and we are fortunate to have him here," Rahe said. "We really believe he is a perfect fit for how we do things at Weber State. He is a high character person with great values and is definitely someone who will fit in the culture we've developed here. Steve has a lot of experience, is extremely bright and is very energetic and positive. He's won a lot of basketball games as a head coach and has a great future in this business. He has great experience in all areas of coaching and will come here and hit the ground running."


Smiley replaces Phil Beckner who left Weber State after seven years to become an assistant coach with the NBA D-League team of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Smiley spent the past six years as the head coach at national junior college powerhouse Sheridan College in Sheridan, Wyo. In the six years with the Generals, Smiley posted a 153-43 (.780) overall record and led Sheridan to four North Sub-Region 9 titles and two runner-up finishes. His teams also advanced to the Region 9 Final Four four times and appeared in two championship games. Smiley was twice named the North Region Coach of the Year.

During his time at Sheridan, Smiley had 21 players sign to play NCAA Division I basketball and a total of 38 players moved on to the four-year level. He coached two players who earned NJCAA All-American honors and nine players who earned All-Region honors. Several players wen on to play professional basketball across the world.

In addition to head coach, Smiley also worked as the Athletics Director at Sheridan.

"I'm really excited for the opportunity to coach with the Weber State men's basketball program," Smiley said. "This is a chance for me to work with a great staff, beginning with coach Rahe. Weber State has been a winning program forever and this is a place where they do it the right way. It's also a great place to raise a family and I'm honored for the opportunity."

Prior to his time at Sheridan, Smiley spent two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D., where he worked under the winningest coach in NCAA history, Don Meyer. During his time at NSU, the Wolves posted a 50-12 record. Smiley was also the head assistant coach at Black Hills State University during the 2005-06 season.

A native of Denver, Smiley graduated from Northern State in 2004. He was a three-year starter with the Wolves and led the Northern Sun league in assists for three straight seasons. He ranks second in NSU history in career assists with 537. As a senior he was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year and the league tournament MVP. He helped lead the team to a 24-7 record and a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

He played high school basketball at Pomona High School in Arvada, Colo, where he was a four-year starter and earned All-State honors twice. He also led the state of Colorado in assists during his junior season.

Smiley and his wife Nikki have been married 10 years. The couple has two children, Madden, 7, and Avery, 5.

Smiley replaces Phil Beckner who left Weber State after seven years to become an assistant coach with the NBA D-League team of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Paul Grua, Weber State Athletics

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