Smith to be Enshrined in the CCCMBCA Hall of Fame in 2022

In 2019, Rusty Smith capped a 46-year career in the game of basketball. His ascent in the game began as a player at El Camino College and Montana State, a seven-year professional career in Germany, and a combined 18 seasons as an assistant at Cal State Northridge (seven years), Eastern Washington (five years) and UC Riverside (six years) before being hired as the College of the Sequoias 14th men’s basketball coach in August of 2001.

As a head coach, Smith was 359-198 while at the helm of College of the Sequoias. He led the Giants to three Central Valley Conference titles and four state final eight appearances, including a final four berth in 2004 when Sequoias went 28-3 and sported the best single season winning percentage (.903) in school history. His 359 wins is a College record, surpassing Polly Wilhelmsen’s 351 victories during his 22-year career with the college.

Smith’s final team finished 22-9, placed second in the CVC and reached the state final eight before losing 70-59 against Citrus on March 14 at Ventura College. At Sequoias, Smith averaged 19.6 wins per season, winning at least 20 games nine times while bringing stability back to a program that had seen three coaches over the previous five seasons before his arrival. The program had 58 players transition to four-year universities.

Smith will be honored at the Final Eight banquet in March of 2022.