University of the Pacific Men's Basketball

Widely regarded as the most successful Canadian college basketball coach of all time, Dave Smart was named Head Coach of the Pacific men's basketball program in March 2024.   Smart arrived at Pacific after serving as Assistant Coach at Texas Tech this past season. He previously amassed 656 victories as the head coach at Carleton University over 18 seasons.   Smart's background comes from a country that has represented the most NBA players outside the U.S. for 10 consecutive seasons, per basketballnews.com. Furthermore, Canada ranked top-five in last year's final FIBA World Rankings.   At the collegiate level, 135 Canadians were on Division I rosters this season and 21 competed in the NCAA Tournament. It included NCAA Naismith Player of the Year Zach Edey (Purdue), a native of Toronto, Ontario.   Last season at Texas Tech, Smart helped the Red Raiders advance to the NCAA Tournament and finish 23-11 overall and 11-7 in a loaded Big 12 Conference. It came after Texas Tech ended 16-16 overall and 5-13 in conference the year prior to his arrival.   At Carleton, Smart racked up a 591-48 record against U SPORTS (the primary governing body for collegiate athletics in Canada) competition during that time and earned the Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy as U SPORTS Coach of the Year a record 10 times.     Smart guided Carleton to 13 U SPORTS Men's Basketball National Championships in 2003-07, 2009, 2011-15, 2017 and 2019. It included 11 OUA Conference Championships, the most by any coach in conference history.   Smart's Carleton teams recorded wins during summer tours against numerous top NCAA programs including Wisconsin, Baylor, Wichita State, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Providence, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Memphis, TCU, Siena, South Dakota State, Northeastern and Northern Colorado.   Prior to the 2019-20 season, Smart moved into the role of Director of Basketball Operations at Carleton. He helped the Ravens win another national championship that season.   Along with collegiate coaching experience, Smart was named the assistant coach of the Canadian Senior Men's Basketball National team by head coach Jay Triano. In June 2013, The Development Men's National Team (DMNT) completed a sweep of the Four Nations' International Invitational Tournament with a perfect 9-0 record in registering three victories over each of the United States, Latvia and host-nation China.   Smart was also the assistant coach of the Senior Canadian Men's National Basketball team that finished third at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City. Smart helped Canada to 8-2 record, including a one-point victory over Mexico in the bronze medal game. At the 2016 FIBA Rio Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, Philippines, coach Smart continued in his role as assistant coach of the SMNT. He has a record for producing pro-level talent with his collegiate players transitioning to professional basketball, including: Paul Larmand, Josh Poirier, Osvaldo Jeanty, Aaron Doornekamp, Stu Turnbull, Ryan Bell, Kevin McCleery, Willy Manigat, Tyson Hinz, Thomas Scrubb, Philip Scrubb, Guillaume Payen Boucard, Kaza Kajami-Keane, Connor Wood, Ryan Ejim and Joe Rocca. Smart was named recipient of the Pat O'Brien Award as Ravens' Coach of the Year on six occasions (2003, 2005, 2008-2009, 2015 & 2019). A graduate of Queen's University, Smart was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. He was also a coaching consultant for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League, focusing on defensive mindsets and player attitude, and was the general manager of the Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Basketball League.   What They're Saying "Dave Smart is one of the greatest coaches in all of basketball. Coach Smart's ability to win speaks for itself but his understanding of how to help people grow is what separates him." – Grant McCasland, Texas Tech Head Coach   "Dave is one of the best basketball coaches in the world. His experience with FIBA basketball and his success at Carleton University give him a diverse and unique background. I have the utmost respect for Dave and his teaching of the game." – Mick Cronin, UCLA Head Coach   "Dave Smart is as bright as anyone I've met in our business. His defensive philosophy and techniques have been helpful to us. We always look for opportunities to learn from Dave." – Jay Wright, former Villanova Head Coach   "One of the best basketball minds I have encountered. His players are always the most prepared and always execute the exact game plan. He has been a most valued assistant for me, and a huge part of our National Team for years." – Jay Triano, NBA Coach/Canadian Senior Men's National Team "One of the most forward thinking coaches I have ever been around. He challenges everyone around him to think beyond their own boundaries and beliefs." – Bryan Gates, Sacramento Kings Assistant Coach "During my 10 years at Lakehead University, my greatest learning experiences were the time spent watching film preparing to matchup with Dave Smart and the Carleton Ravens. His success as a coach is matched only by his knowledge and innovation on the court." – Scott Morrison, Boston Celtics Assistant Coach "Dave Smart has one of the most brilliant and innovative minds in all of basketball and his coaching is respected internationally. I have known Coach Smart for decades, and competed against his teams many times. In doing so, I always learn something about the game and come away a better coach. His defensive system is extremely well thought out, and is designed to exploit the other team's weaknesses and minimize its strengths. From concept to detail, his system is as good as I have seen, and without a doubt a main reason for his unprecedented success throughout the years," – Bill Coen, Northeastern University Head Coach   "I hadn't succeeded in Division I like I thought I would. Dave knows how to help you push past the limits you set on yourself. Before I got to Carleton, I thought I worked hard, but I was barely scratching the surface. Dave makes a player understand how to always do the right thing on the basketball court in any given moment. I don't understand why he doesn't get any recognition – he's the best college coach in North America." – Kaza Keone, former player at Carleton

Garrett Bridges was hired as Assistant Coach with the Pacific men's basketball program in May 2024.   Bridges spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach at North Carolina Central. He previously spent three years at Houston and was a part of two NCAA Tournament appearances including a Sweet 16 run.   Over the last three years at NCCU, he helped the Eagles go 27-14 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) including a pair of second-place finishes. It came after Bridges assisted NCCU to the MEAC regular season title in 2019-20 with a 13-3 mark and the top seed in the conference tournament before it was canceled due to COVID-19. Prior to NCCU, Bridges served as a graduate assistant in internal operations at Houston from 2016-19. While there, he mentored student-athletes and worked on developing scouting reports for the Cougars as they went on to nab three 20-plus win seasons leading to an NIT appearance and two NCAA Tournament berths that resulted in a Sweet 16 run in the 2018-19 season.    Bridges began his coaching career as a varsity men's basketball assistant coach with Walter Williams High School in Burlington, North Carolina. Bridges earned his bachelor's degree in broadcast communication with a minor in public relations from Saint Augustine's University in 2010, and his master's degree in sports administration from North Carolina Central in 2017.

Aiki Kitamoto was hired as Director of Video Analysis and Scouting with the Pacific men's basketball program in July 2024.  Kitamoto worked with head coach Dave Smart previously after spending the previous season at Texas Tech. Kitamoto worked as a graduate assistant with the Red Raiders and was part of a program that advanced to the NCAA Tournament after posting a 23-11 record.   Prior to Texas Tech, Kitamoto spent four years at Long Beach State and was the Head Manager of the men's basketball team. He oversaw team scouting films and was part of the team that won the 2021-22 Big West Regular Season crown.   Kitamoto earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Long Beach State in May 2023.