Kyle Smith was formally introduced on Wednesday as the newest head coach of the Stanford Cardinal. The Cardinal obviously believe in what Smith could do to help turn around the program. But before he even gets to call the shots in his first game with Stanford, Smith showed so much emotion for reasons beyond basketball.
New Stanford Cardinal Head Coach Kyle Smith Fights Back Tears During Introductory Conference
During the press conference, Smith opened up about how his move to Stanford will greatly help his son, Bo, who has autism.
And he put us in touch, I think it’s, I don’t want to say it right, it’s Antonio Cardan, who’s a Stanford Autism Center. I said it, hard not to cry, but to have that opportunity for our family my son to have maybe more resources did… just honored and thankful and you all get to know Bp soon enough. And and also we’ll have another part of our family to mention that is a very special caregiver now. She’s gonna move down here and Emily who and so and there’s no chance not crying. So you guys know you guys know and it is a joyous cry. I promise you.
That was as real as it gets for Smith, who has come over to Palo Alto after coaching the Washington State Cougars for five seasons. His stint with the Cougars ended in a loss to the Iowa State Cyclones in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament last Saturday.
Kyle Smith Looks to Revive Stanford Basketball
Stanford has not been part of the March Madness since 2014. They have also not posted an above-.500 record in a season since putting together a mediocre 14-13 record in the 2020-21 college basketball campaign.
With Stanford parting ways with Jerod Haase and welcoming Smith to the program, the hope is that the latter will be able to spark a major turnaround, perhaps beginning in the 2024-25 season when the Cardinal make their debut in the ACC.
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