University of North Carolina Athletics
Smith Named New Head Coach At Elon
June 22, 2011 | Women's Basketball
June 22, 2011
ELON, N.C. --- Former National Player of the Year and longtime North Carolina assistant coach Charlotte Smith was named the new head coach of the Elon women's basketball program, Elon Director of Athletics Dave Blank announced in a press conference Wednesday. Smith, who coached nine seasons in Chapel Hill and helped guide the Tar Heels to four ACC titles and Final Four appearances in 2006 and 2007 as an assistant under Sylvia Hatchell, replaces Karen Barefoot, who left earlier this month for Old Dominion.
Smith, who starred as a player for the Tar Heels from 1992-95, is one of only two UNC women's basketball players to have had her jersey retired. The 6-foot forward who wore No. 23 was named National Player of the Year by ESPN in 1995 following a career in which she scored 2,094 points (fifth all-time at UNC) and grabbed 1,200 rebounds (second all-time at UNC).
She is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1994 NCAA Championship game, when her buzzer-beating three-pointer gave UNC the national crown with a 60-59 win over Louisiana Tech. She also had a championship-record 23 rebounds in the game and was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.
"I am just so proud of Charlotte," Hatchell said. "She has been an incredible asset to Carolina women's basketball for two decades. Our program owes so much of its success to her hard work both as a player and a coach and she will be greatly missed. That said, I couldn't be happier for Charlotte to begin her career at an up-and-coming program like Elon. Not only are they getting an outstanding coach, but they are getting an even better person, and we wish her nothing but the best of luck."
"Charlotte is an exceptional individual with strong values and a determination for success," UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour said. "I am confident she will not only be successful, but that she will develop that success in a first class way. We wish her all the best at Elon."
The Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year in 1992, Smith earned All-ACC and ACC Tournament MVP honors in her junior and senior seasons as the Tar Heels claimed back-to-back conference crowns.
As a senior, she was named All-America by Kodak, the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. In 2002, she was named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary team as one of the top players in conference history. She also was honored as the 10th-best female athlete in the history of the league. Early in her senior season, she became just the second collegiate women's player to dunk in a game when she did so against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 4, 1994.
