"I coach them no different than I coach the NBA guys": Former NBA coach Keith Smart opens up on coaching AJ Dybantsa's Utah Prep

Modified Feb 18, 2025 22:55 GMT

Popular basketball YouTuber Cullen recently visited Utah Prep as part of his campus tour documentary series. In the video, which he posted on February 9, he spent 48 hours on the Utah Prep campus, exploring the basketball facilities and interacting with No. 1 ranked prospect AJ Dybantsa and former NBA coach Keith Smart.

In one of the interactions, Smart, who took over the program at Utah Prep in January, spoke on his transition from NBA to high school coaching, emphasizing that his approach to coaching remains the same:

"...never thought I'd ever be in high school but here I am and uh I've enjoyed it. As I told the players that uh I coached them no different than I coached the NBA guys. You know cuz they all want to get better." (11:37-11:46)

When asked how his experience at the highest levels of basketball translates to coaching and recruiting at the high school level, he responded saying:

"…every kid wants to go to D1, gain scholarship, or go to College and then obviously they're fortunate enough to get a chance to go to the next level. So every level these young men are trying to hit I've been on so I'm able to teach them based on my experience, and I couldn't get there until I had experience." (12:07-12:22)

"…when I share those stories with them about being cut from a team, having to come back and work hard, you have to work hard because when you get to College they are a hardworking group. If you are lazy in your approach you're going to have problems at the next level." (12:34-12:47)

"That's amazing cuz I get a chance to coach him": Former NBA Coach Keith Smart on Choosing Utah Prep

In the interview, head coach Keith Smart explained why he chose Utah Prep, expressing that the chance to coach AJ Dybantsa was a key reason. When asked what made Utah Prep special enough to leave the Arkansas NBA ranks, he responded saying:

"I had no idea what Utah Prep was. Now I had seen AJ before when he was in the top 100 and I made my report on him about what he can do and what he will be able to do but he was only a freshman. Then we couldn't talk to him, and so when I found that he was here I said wow that's amazing cuz I get a chance to coach him as he gets ready to um finish up here and then be on the next Journey." (13:09-13:30)

Smart spent over 19 years in the NBA and served as an assistant coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks from 2021 to 2024. Hopefully, this wealth of experience will soon translate into better results, as the team has struggled with five losses in seven games under his leadership, with the latest game on Feb. 14 ending in a 66-57 loss to Dynamic Prep.