Smith named big blue's new head coach

Reprinted with permission from Millikin University Sports Information.

DECATUR, Ill. -- Millikin University is proud to announce that Marc Smith has accepted the position of Head Men’s Basketball Coach.

Smith, a native of Springfield ( Ill.), returns to Millikin after five years as the head coach at Keystone College in La Plume, Penn. Keystone, a campus of 1,700 students, was founded in 1868 and competes in 13 Division III sports. Prior to his years at Keystone, Smith served as an assistant coach for Millikin’s Big Blue (1998 to 2002) and has also held assistant coaching positions at Mount Union College ( Ohio), Martin Methodist College ( Tenn.) and Ashland University ( Ohio).

“We are extremely pleased that Marc Smith is returning to Millikin University and the Big Blue Basketball program. Coach Smith brings an up-tempo, pressure defensive style of play that will infuse excitement into the team, the fans and indeed the program,” Athletic Director Lori Kerans said. “Coach Smith has a firm commitment to the Division III philosophy of the student-athlete experience. He will recruit a disciplined, unselfish athlete who will excel not only within the basketball program, but also academically and socially. His experience as a head coach, athletic administrator and faculty member will be valuable as he shapes the program into one that will be competitive within the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), arguably the toughest in the country.”

“It is a privilege and an honor to be selected as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Millikin University,” Smith said. “There is no better feeling than the thought of coming home and coaching basketball at a university that I highly respect. My family is very excited about the opportunities that this position offers. We are anxious to meet and begin working with all of the people who are important to the program, including the student-athletes, campus community, the alumni and the Decatur community. The expectations for the men’s basketball program are high and we will work diligently to meet those expectations.”

At Keystone, Smith’s teams posted an 88-50 record while transitioning the program to NCAA Division III. His best record as a head coach came in 2003-04 when the team finished 24-4 with a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) conference and tournament championship. His 2004-05 squad followed up with back-to-back conference and tournament championships (22-7) but for the second year in a row was unable to advance into the NCAA Tournament due to the rules of its transition.

In addition to his coaching duties at Keystone, Smith also served as the Associate Athletic Director (2005-07) and an academic advisor and faculty member (2002-05). As the Associate Athletic Director, he was responsible for several different areas including scheduling athletic events, fundraising, training and education programs for the athletic staff and developing alumni and parent programs.

As a college player, Smith was the 1990 and 1991 Defensive Player of the Year at Black Hawk Community College. During his two years there, he was also a team captain (1990), Coaches Award recipient (1990), Most Valuable Player (1991), first-team all-conference (1991) and NJCAA all-region (1991). He capped his career with two years at Lincoln Memorial where he was again named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year (1992, 1993), a team captain (1992) and winner of the Frank B. Turner Award (1993).

Smith is believed to be the first African American full-time head men’s basketball coach in Millikin history and one of a small number of African American head coaches in the history of the CCIW.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from Lincoln Memorial University ( Tenn.) in 1993 and completed his Masters of Education degree in Sport Science at Ashland University in 1996. He is a 1987 graduate of Springfield Lanphier High School.

Located in Decatur, Illinois, Millikin University is a coed, independent university with approximately 2,400 full-time students from 33 states and 13 foreign countries. The University awards degrees in Bachelor of Arts, Science, Fine Arts, Music, Science in Nursing and also offers a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Nursing.

The Millikin community enjoys a broad and successful athletics program. The Big Blue compete in 20 NCAA colligate sports at the Division III level. The University’s teams and individuals have earned national recognition in nearly every sport offered at Millikin.