Devon Smith enters his first season as an assistant coach with the Alcorn State men's basketball program. He joins the Braves staff after serving as the player development specialist at UT Arlington.

Smith most recently helped Link Academy, under head coach Rodney Perry (formerly of Kansas State), to a 34-2 record during the 2021–22 season, including a hard-fought National Championship game appearance at GEICO Nationals, where they narrowly lost to Montverde Academy.

While at Link, Smith coached two McDonald’s All-Americans—Julian Phillips (Chicago Bulls) and Jordan Walsh (Boston Celtics)—as well as future McDonald’s All-American Omaha Biliew (Wake Forest). Phillips and Walsh were also selected, alongside Tarris Reed (UConn) and Coach Perry, to the Jordan Brand Classic All-America Team.

Over the course of his career, Smith has contributed to the development of 14 NBA players, including Houston Rockets All-Star guard Fred VanVleet, Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers), Landry Shamet (New York Knicks), Julian Phillips, and Jordan Walsh.

Smith has worked with and learned from elite college coaches such as Jim O’Brien (Ohio State), Greg Kampe (Oakland), Rick Pitino (Louisville), and Gregg Marshall (Wichita State). He has been part of two Final Four teams, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 17 NCAA Tournament wins as a player and coach.

At Wichita State, Smith was part of the most successful era in school history, highlighted by the 2011 NIT Championship, a 2013 Final Four run, seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, five Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles, and two MVC Tournament championships.

Before Wichita State, Smith worked at Champions Academy in Indianapolis under Ed Schilling, providing individual skill development to college and professional players, including 2010 NBA lottery picks Gordon Hayward and Patrick Patterson.

Previously, he served as the top assistant coach under former Louisville standout Wiley Brown at Indiana Southeast, helping the team to back-to-back conference championships and national tournament appearances.
During his time at the University of Louisville under Rick Pitino, Smith helped the Cardinals finish second in the Big East and reach the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

At Oakland University (MI), Smith helped lead the Grizzlies to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and victory under Coach Greg Kampe. He also played a role in landing the top recruiting class in the conference according to HoopScoop.com. Oakland won the 2005 Mid-Continent Tournament Championship and the NCAA Tournament opening-round game that season.

As a player at The Ohio State University under Jim O’Brien, Smith helped the Buckeyes achieve the nation’s best turnaround during the 1998–99 season, finishing 27-9 and reaching the Final Four. The following year, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten Championship and rose as high as No. 4 in the AP Top 25 rankings. During his time on the Ohio State coaching staff, the Buckeyes advanced to the Big Ten Championship game in 2003.

Smith holds a degree in communications and has worked as on-air talent for both ESPN and Fox Sports Net.
He began his coaching journey with the legendary Howard Garfinkel at the Five-Star Basketball Camps, known for producing more than 300 college and NBA coaches. Smith also coached at the prestigious ABCD Camps with Sonny Vaccaro and at Duke University’s basketball camps under Mike Krzyzewski.

Smith is a graduate of Fork Union Military Academy (VA), where he played under coaching legend Fletcher Arritt. He helped lead his 1994–95 squad to a 25-4 record.