Danah Smith Named to Take Reigns of Women's Basketball Program

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Allan Hancock College Director of Athletics, Kim Ensing, has announced that Danah Smith will take the reigns as the next head coach of the women's basketball program. She will serve in a management role within the department while holding the official title of Director of Women's Basketball/Event Manager. 

"Our women's basketball program has had some great success in recent years and we are eager to see how Coach Smith continues to expand the success of this program for seasons to come. Her time as a coach and a former student-athlete at the community college level gives her a real understanding of what is necessary for our student-athletes to compete at this level and to move on to the four-year level when their time here is over," Ensing shared. "Coach Smith is a student of the game and an excellent teacher on the court with a vast experience in both men's and women's basketball. We are very excited to see the program continue to grow under her leadership." 

Smith, a native of Las Vegas, has spent the past two seasons on the sideline with the Bulldogs as an assistant coach. During her tenure, the program has held an overall record of 39-21 while making back-to-back playoff appearances. The Bulldogs have also developed six All-Conference selections, two All-State honorees, and had one player sign to continue competing at an NCAA institution since 2021.

"This has been a long time coming for me and I am extremely blessed and grateful for the opportunity to lead the program," Smith shared. "I have a passion for developing these student-athletes and helping them find success, both on and off the court. I'm really looking forward to this new journey and continuing to build this program's reputation across the state." 

Prior to joining Hancock, Smith spent two seasons as the Associate Head Women's Basketball Coach at Victor Valley College and as a Classroom Intervention Aide at Pathways to College K8. During the 2019-20 season, Smith guided the Rams to a 16-12 showing on the season while posting an 8-4 finish in league play. The Rams placed five players on the All-Conference squad and closed the season in a three-way tie for second place in the Inland Empire. She has also made coaching stops at Bartow Community College and with the High Desert Phenoms.

Smith earned her master's degree in Coaching & Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine and holds a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science from Cal Poly Pomona.