SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah fired men’s basketball coach Craig Smith on Monday, making assistant coach Josh Eilert an interim head coach for a second consecutive season.
Smith’s firing came a day after a 76-72 loss at Central Florida that dropped the Utes to 15-12 this season.
“He has led us to special moments and memorable victories, and Craig has poured his heart into building our current team,” athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “However, we have greater aspirations for our men’s basketball program.”
Smith was in his fourth season in charge of the program. He was 65-62 overall. The Utes are in their first season of competition in the Big 12. The team advanced to the semifinals of the NIT a season ago while in the Pac-12.
Eilert was named the interim as the school conducts a national search. Eilert is in his first season with the program, coming over from West Virginia, where he was the Mountaineers’ interim coach all of last season after the forced resignation of Bob Huggins.
Eilert finished 9-23, the most losses in one season suffered by the Mountaineers. He was hired at Utah last June, following WVU hiring Darian DeVries as its head coach.
WVU plays at Utah on March 4.
