Larry Smith selected as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Alcorn State
May 8, 2008
Vicksburg, MS -- Alcorn State Athletic Director, Dr. Darren J. Hamilton introduced Larry Smith as the new head men's basketball coach at a press conference today. Thunderous applause rang throughout the room when Smith took his place behind the podium to address the audience.
“It feels good to come back home.”, Smith said
Dubbed "Mr. Mean" for his rebounding style, Smith, 50, stated his first priority would be recruiting "because there are good players out there. We just have to find them.”
He signed a four-year contract for a reported $125.000.
A four-year letterman at Alcorn State, he was part of the undefeated ’79-80’ basketball team coached by the legendary Davey L. Whitney.
He led all Division I players in rebounding as a senior with a 15.1 average and also averaged 20.1 points per game. Smith was the Southwest Athletic Conference’s (SWAC) Player and Athlete of the Year in his final two seasons, as ASU went 56-3 over that period and 24-0 in the league. He scored 1,852 points (16.7 ppg) and pulled down 1,234 rebounds (11.1 rpg) in his four years.
In 1980, he was selected as a 2nd round pick in the NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. In an NBA career that spanned 13 years, he played for the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
During his rookie year, Smith received NBA All-Rookie First Team Honors and became the first rookie since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to finish among the top three rebounders in one season, when he averaged 12.1 boards a game. At the end of his NBA playing career, Smith has posted 5,904 points, 8,125 rebounds - (3,401 offensive and 4,724 defensive), 457 blocks, 941 assists and 699 steals.
As an assistant coach, he was a part of back-to-back championships with the Houston Rockets during the 1993-1994 and 1994-1995 seasons. In his last coaching job, he was an assistant coach for the WNBA's L.A. Sparks.
Smith has an MBA from Alcorn State and played high school ball at Simmons High in Hollandale, Miss. He and his wife Belinda have three children, Larry, Jr., Tiffany and Torri.
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