Former Kentucky Wildcats head coach Orlando “Tubby” Smith has been named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2026, University of Kentucky Athletics announced.

Career Highlights

Smith coached Kentucky to its seventh national championship in his inaugural season in 1998, winning 35 games on his way to the title. He led the Wildcats to 22 or more victories in all 10 of his seasons at the helm from 1998 to 2007, winning five Southeastern Conference regular season crowns and five SEC Tournament championships.

Smith finished his tenure at Kentucky with a 263-83 record, leading the program to four Elite Eight appearances and 10 NCAA Tournament berths, UK reported. His career record across seven programs stands at 642-370. He is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to lead five different programs to the NCAA Tournament.

Smith is joined in the class by fellow coaches Jay Wright and Ted Owens, BYU standout Danny Ainge, Michigan’s Glen Rice and the late UCLA legend Walt Hazzard.

Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.