Sean Smith is in his 10th season on the Hofstra men's basketball staff in 2025-26 and his eighth as the director of men's basketball operations. Smith served his first two years with the Pride as a graduate assistant.
Smith has been on staff for six 20-win seasons, an NCAA Tournament berth, and three NIT appearances.
Smith handles a variety of duties with the program, including team travel and numerous administrative responsibilities.
During the 2025-26 season, Smith helped Hofstra author one of the finest campaigns in program history. The Pride captured the Coastal Athletic Association Championship and earned the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since 2001 after posting 24 victories. Hofstra's success extended beyond team accomplishments, as the Pride produced three All-CAA selections, including the conference's Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Hofstra became the first institution in CAA history to claim both major awards in the same season, capping a memorable year that returned the Pride to the national stage.
Over the past five seasons, Smith has been part of a staff that has won 20 or more games in four of five seasons under the direction of Head Coach Speedy Claxton. In 2021-22, Hofstra won 21 games in Claxton’s rookie campaign and this past season the Pride won 25 games, captured the regular season Colonial Athletic Association crown, and advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament after defeating Rutgers in the first round.
During the 2023-24 season, Hofstra won 20 games, advanced to the semifinals of the CAA Championship for the fifth time in six years, and captured the Gulf Coast Showcase title.The team also saw three different student-athletes earn postseason honors from the conference.
In addition, Hofstra has recorded victories over nationally ranked opponents in three of the past six seasons.
Smith was also part of the most successful two-year stretch in program history, as Hofstra won 53 games from 2018-19 through 2019-20 and captured back-to-back CAA regular season championships.In 2019-20, the Pride won the CAA championship and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
During his time as a graduate assistant, Smith assisted the program with a variety of responsibilities, including travel arrangements and statistical analysis during practices and games. He oversaw the use of various content creation entities to assist the staff in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes and oversaw databases as it relates to recruiting. Smith also played a vital role in monitoring the academic progress of Pride student-athletes.Â
Prior to arriving at Hofstra, Smith worked as the director of basketball operations and video coordinator at Impact Basketball Academy in Sarasota, Florida. He oversaw the organization's daily schedule, worked with more than 40 high school and postgraduate student-athletes in individual workouts, and assisted in the preparation of highlight videos and game-film breakdowns.
As an undergraduate at St. John's, Smith served as a student manager with the men's basketball program for three years and supervised a staff of seven student managers.
Smith has worked at a variety of camps, including the Speedy Claxton Basketball Camp, Joe Mihalich Basketball Camp, Castleton Basketball Camp, Army Basketball Camp, Chris Mullin Basketball Camp, and Steve Lavin Basketball Camp.
Smith graduated from St. John's in 2016 with a degree in sport management and a concentration in business administration. In 2021, he earned an MBA in sport management and an M.S. in marketing from Hofstra.
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