Birmingham-Southern College Men's Basketball

Chris Graves is entering his 13th year at the helm of the Panther program. He was named the 13th head coach of the Birmingham-Southern men's basketball program on June 13, 2011 after serving as an assistant coach for three seasons. The Panthers have had great success on the court during Coach Graves’ tenure. His teams have been selected to two NCAA National Tournaments, advancing to the NCAA National Tournament second round, winning three regular season conference championships, and winning a conference tournament championship. Graves has been named conference Coach of the Year three times, and twice been named the South Region District Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.   The Panthers have also produced two NABC All-Americans, four All-South Region players, four NABC All-District players, three conference Player of the Year winners, and 30 all-conference honors under Graves’ leadership. Prior to coming to BSC, Graves coached at both the high school and NCAA Division I levels. From 2006-08 at Pell City High School in Pell City, Ala., Graves was the architect of the greatest single-season turnaround in school history, going from four wins in the 2006-07 season to 24 wins during the 2007-08 campaign. That season also marked the most wins in a season in Pell City High history. For the historic turnaround, he was named County Coach of the Year in 2008. From 2003-05, Graves averaged 20-plus wins for three years at Columbia Central High School in Columbia, Tenn., where he was twice awarded District Coach of the Year honors. Graves served as an assistant coach at Division I program Tennessee State University from 2001-03, where he was responsible for on-court instruction and opponent scouting, and headed up recruiting efforts as the recruiting coordinator. He was also a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas from 1999-2001 for Basketball Hall of Fame honoree Nolan Richardson, where he worked in advanced opponent scouting and player development. In the off-season Graves directs BSC's Summer Basketball Camps, attracting thousands of young people to experience basketball and campus life on the Hilltop. A Ft. Worth, Texas, native, Graves attended Lake Country Christian High School. He went on to earn his B.S. degree in Education from John Brown University in 1999. He also earned his M.S. degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Arkansas in 2004. He and his wife, Dr. Merin Graves, have two sons, Bryce and Bo, and daughter Avery.

Jeff Smith is entering his first season as assistant coach for the Birmingham-Southern men's basketball program. Coach Smith comes to the Hilltop with 30+ years of experience as a high school basketball head coach. Smith spent three years at Red Bird High School as a teacher and assisted with junior high and high school basketball coaching. He then went to Springville High School where he spent 33 years as the head boy's basketball coach and 20 years as an administrator. Smith recently was at Pell City High School as the head boys basketball coach for two seasons. In his career as a head coach, he has won 15 county championships, 6 area championships, and finished with an overall 562-325 career record. He was inducted into the St. Clair County Coaches' Hall of Fame in 2019. Coach Smith graduated from Red Bird High School in Beverly, Ky. where he went on to begin his coaching career. He obtained his BS from Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Ky. and earned his Masters from Jacksonville State University.  Currently, Jeff Smith lives with his wife Mrs. Donna L. Smith and has three children: Lesley Jane Byrd, Bradley H. Smith, and Jeffrey Charles Smith. He also has six grandchildren. Smith is a member of the United Methodist Church in Springville, Ala.