John A. Smith Jr. began his tenure as the head coach of Huston-Tillotson University's men's basketball team when he was hired prior to the start of the 2024-25 season.

Little time was wasted in building the Rams into a contender as Smith guided his team back to the conference tournament in HT's final season as a member institution of the Red River Athletic Conference. The Rams won six of their final nine regular-season games – which included a four-game winning streak to end the regular season – to overtake Jarvis Christian and claim the final berth into the RRAC Tournament in Smith's first season.

A veteran coach with a wealth of coaching experience in the NCAA's Division I as well as Texas high school basketball, Smith took over one of HT's most visible programs after having served as an assistant coach at New Mexico State University during the 2023-24 season.

Smith has also served on the coaching staffs of Incarnate Word (2014-18), Texas A&M (2013-14), and his alma mater Northwestern State (La.) (2002-06). As member of each of those staffs, Smith helped guide his teams to postseason runs through the NCAA and College Basketball Invitational tournaments.

At the high school level, Smith is no stranger to the Central Texas prep hoops scene. Prior to joining the New Mexico State staff, he served as the head coach at Manor High School and Northeast Early College High School (formerly Reagan High School) in Austin. As an assistant coach, he helped guide San Antonio Wagner to a 35-5 record, a No. 2 ranking in the state, and the Class 5A state tournament final during the 2019-20 season that was abruptly halted due to the onset of the CoVID-19 pandemic.

Smith also found success as an assistant coach at Arlington's Seguin High School, Garland Lake View Centennial High School, and nearby Temple High School. His 2013 Arlington Seguin team was ranked No. 1 in the state throughout the season, reached the Class 4A Regional finals and finished with a record of 33-5. The 2010 Temple High School team finished with a 29-7 record and a No. 8 ranking in Class 5A.

As a club basketball coach, Smith's Texas Select team was the 2013 Under Armour national champion, and his team included Emmanuel Mudiay and Myles Turner, both of whom were drafted among the first 11 players taken in the 2015 NBA Draft.

A native of New Orleans, Smith is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, and the National Association for Coaching Equity and Development. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.