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WSU Men's Basketball

WSU coach Kyle Smith on potential contract extension: ‘Tabled till the end of this year’

Washington State head coach Kyle Smith claps for his Cougars during the first half of Saturday’s Pac-12 Conference game against UCLA in Pullman. (Geoff Crimmins/For The Spokesman-Review)
By Greg Woods gregw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5587

PULLMAN – Kyle Smith is staying mum on a potential contract extension.

Washington State’s head coach, whose current contract runs through the 2026-2027 season, said Tuesday he’s waiting until the end of the year to discuss his future at WSU with school brass, saying he has “tabled” the topic until the end of the season.

“They want me here, and that’s awesome,” Smith said. “It’s a great feeling, comforting. That’s been since Day One. After my first year, they extended me, and it’s always been like, ‘We’d love to have you here, what you’re about.’ It’s great.”

More detailed terms of Smith’s current contract, including his buyout, were not immediately available.

The No. 18 Cougars, 24-7 overall and 15-5 in the Pac-12, are enjoying their best season in more than a decade. Headed into Thursday’s regular-season finale against rival Washington, WSU is one-half game back of first place in the conference, and the team is a lock for the NCAA Tournament, which it hasn’t reached since 2008.

When Smith was hired ahead of the 2019 season, he signed a deal through the 2024-25 season. In September 2021, after guiding the Cougs to a 14-13 record, their first winning season in nine years, he signed an extension through the 2026-27 season.

Smith has ushered in a revival at Washington State, which suffered several down years before his arrival, including two consecutive losing seasons in the final years of former coach Ken Bone’s tenure and five consecutive losing years in the Ernie Kent era.

The 2024 Cougars will go down as one of the best teams in program history. They have set a program record for conference wins in a season (14), with a chance to break it on Thursday. Redshirt freshman guard Myles Rice has won a record seven Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards, and the development of players such as Isaac Jones (Idaho transfer) and Jaylen Wells (Division II Sonoma State transfer) speaks to the way Smith has helped his players improve – and his eye for talent in the first place.