LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Siena Women's Basketball program and head coach
Ali Jaques have announced the hiring of Antonia Smith as director of basketball operations.
Smith brings a wealth of basketball experience and familiarity to Siena, as she was a point guard at fellow MAAC opponent Saint Peter's from 2011-15. She was a team captain, averaging 10 points per game for the Peacocks. She was also an assistant coach at Saint Peter's for the last three years, as well as an assistant coach at The Dwight School Girls' Varsity Basketball team in New York for a year from 2015-16.
"Toni Smith is a great addition to our staff," said Jaques. "She brings tremendous experience to us having played and worked for one of the best coaches in women's basketball, Patty Coyle. Because of her time in the MAAC she understands our conference and how competitive it is. We are lucky to have her join the Siena family."
In addition to her recent coaching experience, Smith was a head coach at New Heights NYC, a non-profit organization where she was a mentor and helped student athletes grow through individual and group skill development. She also worked with Dribbl, a partner of the Brooklyn Nets, which was a weekend program for kids grades K-5, teaching the rules and fundamentals of basketball.
Smith was also a personal trainer at the New York Sports Club, and outside of coaching was an intern in the sports information department at Saint Peter's during the summer of 2014. On a volunteer basis, Smith helped at Saint Peter's basketball clinics, the Junkyard Dogs Street Cleaning program, and tutored and provided homework assistance for middle school youth at NJIT.
The Siena Women's Basketball program opens their regular season on Saturday, Nov. 10 when they face Penn in the ARC at 2 p.m.