Luke Smith // Bruin Alumni ’21

Last November, Knoxville Catholic High School announced Luke Smith as the next head basketball coach of the Fighting Irish following the retirement of Coach Michael Hutchens after the 2021-2022 basketball season.

Smith is a 2017 graduate of Knoxville Catholic and played under Coach Hutchens from 2014-17, where he was a TSSAA 2017 Mr. Basketball Finalist, a member of the 2017 All-State Team and the captain of the Fighting Irish 2017 State Runner-Up Team. Smith signed with Sewanee: The University of the South, where he led the Tigers to become the 2019 Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament Champions and advanced the team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. He was also the 2019 SAA Tournament MVP.

Luke’s success at Sewanee led him to Belmont University. He was named to the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team, was a two-time Academic All-American, and was honored as the 2021 DC Paradise Jam MVP. Luke served as Team Captain of the Bruins in his final season at Belmont (2021-22).

He also serves as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player Development Coalition, a diverse collection of Division I men’s basketball student-athletes that provides valuable perspective and feedback on college basketball issues. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Luke Smith as the next head coach of men’s basketball at Knoxville Catholic,” said KCHS President Dickie Sompayrac. “Luke is not just committed to Catholic’s passion for excellence in athletics and academics, he has lived it. He has been a student-athlete, a team captain and champion. Luke is prepared and committed to drive the continued tradition of our basketball program.”

Smith officially took over the reins of the Fighting Irish men’s basketball program following Hutchens retirement from the game. “I feel extremely honored and fortunate to follow in the footsteps of Coach Hutchens and the incredible foundation that’s been laid. I appreciate all the confidence Knoxville Catholic has in me, and I will be ready to get to work when the time comes. I couldn’t be more excited to work with the players, students, and community at Knoxville Catholic,” said Smith.