Chippewa Valley Times

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Head Men's Basketball Coach Zach Malvik has completed his coaching staff by announcing the addition of Adam Smith as an assistant coach.

Malvik, entering his first season as head coach of the Blugolds, has recruited a coach from the highest levels of college basketball. Smith joins Eau Claire from the University of Wisconsin.

"I'm really excited to be adding Coach Smith to our staff," Malvik said. "He brings important qualities that I was looking for in an assistant when putting my staff together. Adam is great at building relationships and really cares about the development of our student-athletes both on and off the court."

Smith joins UW-Eau Claire after three seasons with the University of Wisconsin. He was a graduate assistant with the Badgers from 2021-2023 before serving as the program's Video and Operations Analyst in the 2023-24 campaign. He was part of Wisconsin's 2022 Big Ten Conference regular season championship and the Badgers' NCAA Tournament teams in 2022 and 2024.

Smith's stint with the Badgers was preceded by one year as a student assistant at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Kaukauna, Wisconsin native played for the Bulldogs from 2017-20 before moving into an assistant role for the 2020-21 season. He graduated from Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2021 and later earned a Master of Science degree at Wisconsin.

"I'm thrilled to join Coach Malvik's staff at UW-Eau Claire and to have the opportunity to contribute to such a storied basketball program," Smith said. "I'm especially excited for the new challenges that lie ahead in the coming months, and to work closely with all those involved in Blugold Basketball in the past, present, and future. Further, I'm grateful for the chance to establish myself in the coaching profession at such a great university, in an incredible city, in my home state of Wisconsin. Coach Malvik's vision for the program left me with no doubt that Blugold Basketball is going to have some very special seasons in the near future and I'm appreciative to play a role in it. Go Blugolds!"

"Coach Smith is someone who I have followed for a long time," Malvik said. "From his playing career at Kaukauna High School, winning a state championship and then playing for a really successful program at Minnesota Duluth, he is a winner! He was tough as nails as a player and is the same way every day in the office, on the recruiting trail and on the court. He was part of the program at University of Wisconsin these past three years and has gained valuable experience that will help him really elevate our program here."

The Blugolds will begin their historic 2023-24 season this November. UW-Eau Claire's men's and women's basketball teams will start playing in their new state-of-the-art Sonnentag Event Center this winter.