Charmin Smith is an award-winning coach, former professional player, and active board member who has dedicated her career to progressing equity and opportunity. The true definition of a trailblazer, Smith is the first-ever Black Head Coach for the Cal women’s basketball program and is on a mission to leverage her platform to lead societal change through sports.
Fresh off her best season as head coach at Cal, Smith signed a new five-year contract in the spring of 2025 that will retain her through the 2029-30 season.
In her sixth year as head coach in 2024-25 Smith guided the Golden Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance (earning an at-large bid as an eight seed) since 2018-19, their first 25-win season which mark the most since the 2012-13 season and Cal's first AP Top 25 ranking since the 2018-19 season coming in as high as No. 18. That season also saw the Bears break the program record for home wins (16) and 3-pointers in a season (297), earn multiple victories over nationally-ranked opponents (No.19 Alabama and No. 21 NC State) resulting in the team being named the NCAA’s Team of the Week and complete their first sweep of Stanford since the 1985-86 season. For the second straight year, Smith also signed a Top 25 (ESPN) recruiting class that features Cal's first McDonald's All-American since Kristine Anigwe (2015) in No. 20 ranked Puff Morris and No.70 ranked Taylor Barnes.
In her fifth year as head coach in 2023-24, the Bears won their most overall (19) and conference (seven) games since the 2018-19 season. Smith also guided Cal into the postseason as the Bears earned an at-large bid and a No. 2 seed in the inaugural NCAA Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament. Under Smith’s guidance that season, the team also had its first weekend home and road sweeps of Pac-12 schools (both against Washington and Washington State) since 2018-19, swept Oregon for the first time since 2012-13 and set a program record for 3-pointers (282) in a season. The season sweeps of Oregon, Washington and Washington State marked the first time Cal has swept three different Pac-12 schools since 2017-18. The Bears also advanced to the quarterfinals of that season’s Pac-12 Tournament for the first time since 2019-20. Smith was named ESPN’s Coach of the Week on Jan. 8 of that season.
Smith’s unwavering dedication to empowering players to surpass their potential, her commitment to enhancing the representation of Black individuals in the sport, and her resolute drive to inspire action toward racial justice solidify her position as an influential leader in basketball and beyond.
Regarded as a 2025, 2024 and 2020 Top 100 Most Influential Figures in Women’s College Basketball (Silver Waves Media), Smith’s legacy at Cal Berkeley—beginning with her transition from Associate Head Coach to Head Coach, highlights her strategic acumen and commitment to player development. Her storied tenure includes a 2013 Final Four appearance and an impressive 10 postseason appearances.
Currently serving on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) board, Smith is renowned for her role as a Board Member and co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Her dedication extends far beyond the basketball court, as evidenced by her impactful contributions to the Cal Athletics Equity Inclusion and Diversity Task Force and her pivotal role in the Chancellor’s Counsel for Students of Color and Multicultural Engagement.
Smith experienced a number of successes in her first year as head coach, leading the Golden Bears to three upsets over higher-ranked opponents. The first came in the form of a 4-point victory over No. 20 Arkansas on November 24 and then a win over No. 13 Arizona on the road in the regular season finale. The Bears completed their second upset in the same week as just four days later, they defeated 5-seeded and No. 22-ranked Arizona State in the opening round of the 2020 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas. The win over the Sun Devils made the Golden Bears just the second 12-seed to win a game in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Smith has helped coach the Bears to the top three individual seasons in program history. In her first two years in Berkeley, Cal set then-school records for wins in a season, finishing both years with 27-7 marks before Cal pushed itself into elite status with the record-breaking 32-4 Final Four campaign in 2012-13. The Bears also recorded their best Pac-12 record (17-1) and won their first conference regular-season crown that season. Smith has helped lead the Bears to the postseason in 11 of her 13 seasons and was also part of the staff that led the Bears to the 2010 WNIT championship.
Smith’s previous roles at Stanford and Boston College allowed her to build upon impact, leading her teams to multiple NCAA appearances and historic victories. Her experience as a point guard for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm later influenced her time as an Assistant Coach for the New York Liberty.
As a standout player on the Stanford women’s basketball team, Smith was a crucial component of the team’s three NCAA Final Four Appearances and three Pac-10 Conference Championships between 1995 to 1997. Following her collegiate playing career, Smith joined the professional ranks in the ABL from 1997-98 as a member of the Portland Power and played three years in the WNBA, along with one year in the Swedish Basketball League.
Coupled with her impressive career in basketball, Smith also pursued the challenging discipline of Muay Thai martial arts. As a testament to her relentless spirit, Smith applies the lessons from her passion off the court to her coaching approach on the court.
Her leadership extends to a realm where the core values are honor and discipline, where she embodies the ethos that actions must follow words. And her steadfast commitment and achievements have set her apart to lead the future of sports.
She holds both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University.
By The Numbers:
8 – Top 25 recruiting classes
7 – WNBA draft picks coached
13 – All-Americans developed
15 – NCAA Tournament appearances
Â
