Audra Smith out as Clemson women's basketball coach

TigerNet Staff by

Audra Smith will not be retained as Clemson’s women’s basketball coach, Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich announced in a news release Tuesday.

Smith coached her fifth season as Clemson’s head coach in 2017-18 and went 11-19 overall and 1-15 in the Atlantic Coast Conference play. Over the length of her tenure, Smith went 52-99 and 9-70 in the ACC.

“We appreciate everything that Coach Smith and her staff have done for our women's basketball program and for our student-athletes, but the on-court results made this decision necessary,” Radakovich said in a statement. "We have high expectations for all our athletic programs and we need a new direction and fresh perspective in women's basketball. We wish Audra all the best moving forward as we begin a national search for our new head coach."

Before last season, Smith was given a contract extension through the 2020-21 season, coming off of a 15-16 campaign where the team improved its record by 11 wins year-to-year (15-16).

Smith is the mother of Clemson men's basketball freshman guard A.J. Oliver, who - contributing more as the season went on - averaged 7.2 minutes and 2.1 points a game.

Before coming to Clemson, Smith went 138-138 at UAB after a 10-year run as an assistant at Virginia, where she played.