Kuyper College Athletic Director, Gary Bailey, is excited to announce the hiring of Terry Smith as the Head Coach of the Women's Basketball program at Kuyper. 

Smith brings a wealth of experience and an impressive list of coaching stops with him to the Cougars. Smith has experience coaching at the Division I, II, and III levels. Most recently, Smith was an Assistant Coach for the Oklahoma University Sooners Women's Basketball program, where they capped off the year with a Big 12 Championship. Prior to his time at Oklahoma, Smith contributed statistical analytics to multiple high-level NCAA Division I programs, including South Carolina, Iowa, and Arizona. He was also an Assistant Coach for Michigan State University in 2010-2011. 

The analytics support that Smith provided to these programs was extremely valuable and significant. Dawn Staley, 3x National Championship coach at South Carolina, said this of new Kuyper Head Coach Terry Smith: "Terry was a great help in accomplishing our goal of a National Championship. We are thankful for all of his help to make it happen!! We will never forget that!" The high praise does not stop there, as Lisa Bluder, Head Coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes, said of Terry, "Terry Smith has a passion for basketball. It is clear through Terry's diligent approach to film study that he is also a tireless worker. Terry takes an extremely detailed approach in his opponent and self-scouting reports. In doing so, he provides tactical information to coaching staffs that is backed by data and statistics. I have greatly enjoyed working with Terry. His knowledge and love of the game has been infectious to our entire program." 

Outside of his coaching work with high-level Division I programs, Smith was the Men's Basketball Head Coach at Grand Valley State and Lake Superior State for 13 years. Additionally, Smith has been the Head Coach at Alma College (NCAA III), and Finlandia University (NCAA III). 

Smith's coaching success has been recognized in a multitude of ways. Smith was inducted into the Crystal Falls Forest Park Achievement Hall of Fame in September of 2024. He was also inducted into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in May of 2024. Smith helped lead his programs to championships during his stints at Oklahoma, Michigan State, Grand Valley State, Lake Superior State, and Ferris State. 

Terry is a graduate of Central Michigan University and Grand Valley State University, where he earned Master's Degrees at each institution. He also has a Bachelor's Degree from Michigan State University.

Athletic Director Gary Bailey is thrilled about the addition of Terry Smith to the Kuyper Athletic Department. On the hire, Bailey said, "We are thrilled to add someone of Terry's experience to Kuyper. I have known Terry for a long time, and I know he can give our program a boost. Terry will be a great addition to the campus of Kuyper College." 

Smith and the Cougars will begin official practice in late September. The Cougars open their season at home on October 31st, where they will host Indiana University Columbus. See the Cougars full schedule here.