Jaime Smith is in his third season as an assistant coach at UIC and serves as the program's director of player development, joining the Flames' staff in April 2024. He leads player-development operations and serves as the program's primary liaison to campus housing and its apparel provider, adidas/Game One. Smith also contributes to offensive strategic planning, recruiting, video coordination and strength training.
Smith has helped support a UIC program that continued to make strides in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2025-26. The Flames finished 19-16 and tied for third in the MVC standings, advancing to the MVC Tournament (Arch Madness) championship game and earning a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), marking the program's first postseason appearance since 2018 and first NIT selection since 2003.
The '25-26 season featured notable individual development and recognition across the roster. Elijah Crawford earned All-MVC Second Team and MVC All-Newcomer Team honors, while Andy Johnson was selected to the MVC All-Freshman Team. Crawford and Rashund Washington Jr. also earned MVC All-Tournament Team recognition after helping UIC reach the conference championship game.
During his first season at UIC (2024-25), the Flames finished with a 17-14 record and tied for fifth place in the MVC. UIC also registered its best regular-season winning percentage (.567) since 2004 and picked up four Quad 1 & 2 wins (second-best in the Valley). What's more, the Flames posted five wins over teams that competed in the postseason, including victories over Drake, Yale, Bradley and Illinois State, and produced the program's second-highest scoring offense (76.0 ppg. – fourth in MVC) in the past 30 years.
An accomplished player at the collegiate and professional levels, Smith began his coaching career in 2023-24 as director of player development at Longwood University. In his lone season with the Lancers, he helped the program win 21 games, capture the Big South Conference Tournament championship and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Smith also worked with second-team All-Big South guard and conference tournament MVP Walyn Napper and Big South All-Freshman Team selection Emanuel Richards.
Smith's coaching career followed nine seasons as a professional player in Europe, with stops in France, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine, Belgium, Switzerland and Portugal. During his professional career, he won the FIBA Europe Cup, qualified for the Basketball Champions League, reached multiple league and European Cup finals and earned three all-league selections.
As a collegiate player at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Smith helped lead the Chargers to four consecutive Gulf South Conference championships, a GSC Tournament title, four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and two trips to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. He was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches All-American and GSC Player of the Year in 2012-13, earned three all-conference selections and was named to the GSC All-Decade First Team for 2010-11 through 2019-20. In 2026, he was chosen by his alma mater for induction into the UAH Athletics Hall of Fame, joining his brothers, Jason and Joe, as Hall of Fame members.
Smith has also worked with J Smith Hoops since 2008 as a head coach, trainer and camp director, helping players develop their basketball skills.
