Forty-eight hours have passed and Arizona State has lost two assistant coaches.
First it was Scott Pera, who is reportedly moving closer to his hometown and taking a job with the Penn Quakers, and now this:
Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic is reporting that Arizona State assistant Lamont Smith has informed head coach Herb Sendek that he will be leaving Tempe to take a job with the Washington Huskies.
As of now, the specifics of the job are reportedly not clear.
Smith joins Lorenzo Romar’s staff after four years with the Sun Devils. He began his coaching career under Romar at St. Louis when Romar served as head coach from 1999-2002.
Smith has also held positions on staff at St. Mary’s and Santa Clara.
This now leaves Arizona State with two open assistant coaching positions, just two months away from the start of team practice in October.
“Honestly, the timing isn’t ideal, but I think it creates a great opportunity for us,” Sendek told the Arizona Republic Thursday. "... It provides us with an opportunity to bring in two very talented members for our staff, so at the end of the day, I suspect it will be a win-win for everybody involved.”
Arizona State finished last season with an overall record of 10-21, including 6-12 in the Pac-12.
Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_