While not listed on the Staff or Roster pages, there has been someone added to the Texas Athletics Phone Directory with the title of Director of Operations (Blair's job): Christy Smith, Director of Operations.
A very common name, a Christy Smith did play under Vic at Arkansas and was most recently the head coach at Incarnate Word (2016-2019).
Her HC hiring announcement from UIW:
Christy Smith became the seventh head women's basketball coach in UIW history on April 13, 2016.
In her inaugural campaign with the Cardinals, Smith led UIW to seven Southland Conference victories, equaling the number of league wins the program had over the previous three seasons combined. The team finished 9-20 overall, with a 7-11 mark in SLC play.
Smith led the Cardinals to the first victories in program history over Houston Baptist, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Sam Houston, while also turning in the first season-sweep of Nicholls.
Smith coached senior Celia Garcia Paunero to an All-Defensive Team selection and Second Team All-Southland honors, while freshman guard Imani Robinson was named the league’s Freshman of the Year.
Smith was a women’s basketball Division I assistant coach since 2008 and a high school coach before that. She began her collegiate coaching career at Valparaiso University in 2008 and was there for three years. Smith served as the program’s recruiting coordinator, prepared team travel, scouted opponents and worked on individual player development.
In the summer of 2011, Smith took a position at Purdue and helped guide the Boilermakers to a 77-27 record. They won a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons. Smith served in a similar role at Valparaiso, while also coordinating academic plans for players, representing the program at athletic director’s meeting and representing the department at fundraising and speaking events.
Smith made the move to her alma mater, Arkansas, in 2014. She helped the program reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and was a key recruiter for the program. Smith remained involved in fundraising and speaking events while arranging player involvement in the JDRF OneWalk community service event.
Prior to her stint at Valparaiso, Smith was the head varsity girls’ basketball coach at Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Ind., and before that served as an assistant coach at Lafayette Jefferson High School and Lake Country Christian School in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Oxford, Ind. native led Team USA to gold at the World University Games, Arkansas to the NCAA Final Four and the Charlotte Sting into the WNBA playoffs.
A four-time honorable mention All-American as a point guard for the Razorbacks, Smith was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times and earned first team All-SEC as a senior after twice being named second team All-SEC. In 1995, she earned SEC Freshman of the Year recognition.
Smith competed for the United States at the World University Games in Italy in 1997, winning a gold medal for her country. She also represented the North on the 1995 Olympic Festival Team.
Smith was drafted No. 17 overall by the Charlotte Sting in 1998, where she played two seasons for the WNBA franchise.
She became the fifth women’s basketball player in school history to be inducted into the Arkansas Hall of Honor, receiving the recognition in 2005. Smith was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Smith has two degrees from Arkansas. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 1998 and went on to earn a master’s degree in biomechanics in 2001. Smith has three children, Dayton, Tyson and Crew, and is married to Tommy Cook.
