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WSU Men's Basketball

WSU coach Kyle Smith says he’s ‘waiting to see what they’re presenting’ on contract extension

Washington State head coach Kyle Smith watches as his team beats 79-62  Stanford at the Pac-12 basketball tournament game on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Greg Woods gregw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5587

OMAHA, Neb. – Kyle Smith may have his Washington State in new territory, playing Drake on Thursday in the Cougars’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008, but he’s also thinking about his future at the school.

Smith, who has guided WSU to one of its best seasons in school history, said Wednesday he’s “waiting to see” what kinds of numbers WSU brass present him on a possible contract extension.

Smith’s current contract, including an extension he signed in September 2021, runs through the 2026-2027 season.

“I’m just waiting to see what they’re presenting and that stuff. We’ll figure it out,” Smith said. “We have a good program. We need to be treated as such. Those things will handle themselves.”

At the beginning of the month, Smith said he and the school had “tabled” contract extension discussion until the end of the season.

“They want me here, and that’s awesome,” Smith said then. “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.”

As head coaching jobs around the country open up, Smith’s name has surfaced, including for the position at Washington, which recently fired head coach Mike Hopkins. Smith appeared on a Seattle radio show earlier this week, saying, “We’re working on,” a potential extension.

“They’re putting something together, and want to make sure that we can still sustain this level – obviously, going through the transition, but that’s OK,” Smith said, according to Seattle Sports. “We love Pullman. … We love living here and it’s been great for our family. Once a Coug, always a Coug, so we’re working on it.”

WSU is playing its last season in the Pac-12 as we know it, heading to the West Coast Conference next season as part of a two-year scheduling agreement while WSU and Oregon State attempt to rebuild the conference. Smith previously coached in the WCC, guiding San Francisco from 2016-2019.

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

When Smith was hired, ahead of the 2019 season, he signed a deal through the 2024-25 season. Two years later, 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.