The basketball coaching journey has taken Corey Schmidt to multiple stops and multiple roles including at SMCC where he was an assistant for the past two seasons. Now the Nashville native gets his chance to lead a team as he was recently named the Bears' men's head coach.
"I was very excited (when I found out) and it's an honor to be in charge of a program and there's no better place that I want to do that than here at Southwest," Schmidt said. "For the last two years, this has been home to me, and the people have welcomed me with open arms. It is a place that I feel comfortable at and am happy to continue to call home going forward."
Schmidt — who was the Bears' lead assistant last season — takes over for Bryan Bender who left SMCC for the head coaching job at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa.
Prior to his two years in Summit, Schmidt had multiple stops at Division I programs. He started out his career at his alma matter Belmont University. There he worked under Hall of Fame Coach Rick Byrd as a manager and graduate assistant. He helped the Bruins to a 150-53 mark.
From 2015-19, he was at the University of New Orleans where he helped lead the Privateers to three-consecutive postseason berths including a 2017 Southland Conference Tournament Championship and the teams' first NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 years.
Following a year with Wake Forest University in North Carolina working under Coach Danny Manning, Schmidt landed in Summit.
Schmidt said that he is looking to pick up where Coach Bender left off and add his own style.
"There's a lot of things that I'm not expecting to change because a very good foundation was built, going all the way to back to Coach Thomas Gray before Coach Bender as well," he said. "It is a very good program, and it was in good hands previously, so it is not like we are taking over and starting from scratch. The one thing that I'd like to do is compete for more championships. I think that this is a program that is capable of doing that on a consistent basis. But in the terms of our track record, getting guys to the next level, what we do in the community, what we do in the classroom, a lot of those things will remain the same."
Joining Schmidt on the sidelines this fall will be Coach Matt Riley who is coming off of his first year with the Bears last season. With Coach Darius Tomlin moving on, Schmidt is now tasked with having to fill two assistant positions to join Riley.
When it comes to recruiting, which he is no stranger to, Schmidt has certain criteria that he wants to imply.
"What we are mainly looking for is not only talented players but kids of high character," he said. "We want have a high standard for our program and take the responsibility of representing the college very seriously, so we will expect our players to live up to that standard on a daily basis."
Being that Schmidt has years of experience coaching in the Division I College ranks, he will instill his knowledge to his players and motivate them in an effort to better prepare them for what they will endure at four-year schools.
"That is a big piece of how we are going to run our program," he said. "Being on the Division I level for 11 years, myself, everything that we are going to do on the day-to-day basis and the philosophies of our program will be run like a Division I. For guys to see that and know that, it just helps them understand, this is a place that can help them get to that next level that they aspire to."
Schmidt said that the last few days for him have been hectic since he was officially announced as the new Head Coach of the Bears. He adds that he is greatly appreciative of the large amount of positive feedback he has received from friends, colleagues and well-wishers.
"It has been very humbling to have so many people reach out and wish me well on this head coaching journey," he said. "It really is a fraternity in this business and there have been so many people along the way that have helped me get to this point. I especially want to thank Coach Bender for giving me the opportunity to be an assistant coach here these last two years, Coach Manning for believing in me, that I can help a program at the highest level of college basketball, (UNO) Coach (Mark) Slessinger for giving me my first full-time job and start in the business and Coach Byrd for instilling in me my foundation and the values I carry with me to this day."
Even before he was officially hired, Schmidt partnered up with Riley working on post-season tasks and preparing for next year.
"As soon as Coach Bender left, we continued to work and try to move the program forward," Schmidt said. "We couldn't afford to take three weeks or a month off, waiting to see who would be hired. We've been working this entire time through the process."
Schmidt also wanted to give thanks to SMCC President Dr. Steve Bishop, SMCC Athletics Director Bill Wallace and Vice President of Student Affairs Blake Brewer who hired him, as well as the entire Board of Supervisors.
In addition, Schmidt also wanted to give special thanks his family and in particular, fiancé Jiovany.
"She was ecstatic, she's been with me for my entire coaching journey. We started dating in high school," he said. "She's been with me from the beginning and seen everything, the ups and the downs and has been by my side through it all. I wouldn't be here without her."
