Ryan 'Bubba' Smith will take over as Lee University's men's basketball coach after being introduced this morning, April 8.CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- After rebuilding the men's basketball program at NCAA Division III member Sewanee, former Furman University captain Ryan "Bubba" Smith now takes over at Division II Lee University.
Smith was introduced this morning at a news conference on the Lee campus as the ninth coach in program history and said it was "a humbling experience" for him and his family.
"It did not take long when we got here to see this was a special place," Smith said. "We knew coming in what the university stood for, its values, and those were closely aligned with the values of our family."
He has paid more attention to Lee in recent years than he otherwise might have because his niece, Shelby Brown, is a mainstay on the Lee women's team.
Smith said he is looking forward to competing in the Gulf South Conference, where he already has coaching friendships.
He was one of more than 250 applicants for the Flames job, according to Lee athletic director Larry Carpenter.
Lee's president, Dr. Paul Conn, said Smith "is clearly an outstanding young coach, and I am confident he has the right stuff to lead our men's basketball program into the top echelon of NCAA D2 teams in our conference and nationally."
Sewanee won 99 games in Smith's eight years there, after 94 wins in five seasons as Hampden-Sydney's head coach. The 2015-16 Tigers went 20-8, Sewanee's best record since 20-6 in 1997-98, and reached the Southern Athletic Association tournament final.
"Bubba has completed a remarkable tenure as Sewanee's head men's basketball coach," Sewanee athletic director Mark Webb said in a release. "He has been an outstanding representative of the university and has developed Sewanee basketball into a conference contender in the competitive Southern Athletic Association. I remain sincerely grateful to Coach Smith for his many contributions to the university and offer our best wishes to Bubba and his family in their move to Lee University."
Webb moved quickly to replace Smith. He named Bradley Pierson, Smith's assistant for the last five years and a former Tigers captain (class of 2009), as the 22nd men's coach at Sewanee.
"The administration there has been unbelievable to us over the last eight years," Smith said. "Mark Webb has allowed us to run our program in a first-class way and has given us everything we needed to be successful.
"It's been a great place to raise a family, and we think this will be a great place to raise a family, too."