San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Ex-Cal aide is successor to Gottlieb
Cal hired Charmin Smith as the head women’s basketball coach Friday, bringing stability to a program during an offseason of flux.
Lindsay Gottlieb, the head coach for the past eight seasons, left June 12 for an assistant job with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers on the heels of the graduations of all-time leading scorer Kristine Anigwe and four-year starting point guard Asha Thomas.
Starting guard Kianna Smith has transferred, and McDonald’s All-America freshman McKenzie Forbes has toyed with the notion. Heck, even Smith left ... for a while.
Smith was hired as an assistant with the WNBA’s New York Liberty in April, but she returns to a program she helped turn into a perennial 20-game winner. Smith was an assistant at Boston College (2003-04) and Stanford (2004-07) before joining Cal’s staff under
Joanne Boyle in 2007.
In 2012-13, Gottlieb promoted Smith to associate head coach in Berkeley, and she helped the team advance to the program’s first-ever Final Four.
“I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to lead this program and the amazing young women in it,” Smith said in a statement. “... Berkeley has been my home for the last 12 years and has made a lasting mark on my life. I am incredibly proud of what this program has already accomplished under the direction of both Joanne and Lindsay, and I am thrilled to continue the work of preparing our student-athletes for success both on the court and beyond.”
A St. Louis native who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford, Smith played in the American Basketball League (1997-98) and WNBA (19992001, 2003) after a standout career for the Cardinal. She’s widely respected for both game-planning and player development.
She’s been instrumental in the careers of WNBA All-Star Layshia Clarendon, Brittany Boyd and Anigwe, who was the 2019 National Defensive Player of the Year. Of the 14 McDonald’s All-Americans to play at Cal, Smith helped recruit 12.
Smith will be introduced as the 10th head coach in Cal women’s basketball history at a Tuesday news conference.
“I am extremely excited that Charmin has agreed to lead our women’s basketball program,” athletic director Jim Knowlton said. “... She has played an integral role in the most successful seasons in our history, including trips to multiple NCAA Tournaments, a Final Four and a Pac-12 championship. Charmin is committed to supporting student-athletes in all aspects of their lives, helping them thrive academically, athletically and personally, and she has a clear vision that builds upon the foundation already established here in Berkeley.
“Charmin has prepared her entire career for this opportunity, and I believe she is ready to lead our program to even greater heights.”