Former Bobcat Creel Smith Joins MSU Men's Tennis Staff
10/28/2021 12:37:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Smith brings deep tennis roots to MSU program
BOZEMAN, Montana – Tennis has been a part of Creel Smith's life "for as long as I can remember," he says, but the former member of the Bobcat men's team never seriously considered the prospect of coaching the sport he loves for a living.
Until recently.
After one semester working with the Bobcat women's team under head coach Jon Reeves, Smith has joined the MSU men's team as Trey Morris' assistant coach. "I am extremely excited to announce that Creel Smith will be joining my staff as the assistant men's tennis coach," said Morris, now in his third season as Montana State's head coach. "Creel played here at MSU and has a deep passion and understanding for the Bobcat Tennis program. He will immediately have a huge impact on our programs success on and off the court."
Morris indicated that Smith, a 2019 MSU graduate, fills a wide range of roles in the program. A native of Jackson, Wyoming, Smith's assignments include both on-court and administrative roles, including areas such as recruiting and team travel.
While Smith's entry into the coaching profession came suddenly, his preparation has deep roots. "I think what's drawn me to coaching and put me in this position is that I've been all over the U.S. and have worked with a lot of high-level coaches," he said. That began in Jackson's youth programs with Dave Luebbe, now "entrenched in the tennis community here" in Bozeman, and extends to work with Jeff Wilson at the Alpharetta Tennis Academy in Georgia and Tim Blenkiron at the Mike Agassi No Quit Academy in Las Vegas. "Obviously I was coached by Jared (Burnham, MSU's former head coach), I've been under Trey's wing, under Jon's wing, Dave, Sharon (Cleland), so I've learned from a number of high-level coaches that help me see the game in different lights."
Still, when Smith earned his degree from MSU in fish and wildlife biology he was planning to become a scientist like his parents, Roger Smith and Margaret Creel. "I came from an outdoorsy family," he said. "Both my parents were biologists. My dad played DI hockey and soccer, my mom played DI field hockey, but it was not necessarily a tennis family."
It was a family that emphasized education, however, which influenced Smith's commitment to learning and the sharing his knowledge. While growing up in Jackson he helped run a local junior tennis program, and served as an instructor in his different academy settings. An invitation from Reeves changed all that. "I didn't think I was going to get back into coaching," Smith said. "I had a Fish and Wildlife Biology degree, I was doing field work, and Jon gave me the opportunity to get back into it. A month in I felt this was my calling. I love this sport, and I love helping people improve and get better."
Working with Morris and helping implement his vision for the Bobcat program is one of the strong draws to this position, Smith said. "To be able to work under Trey and see what he's doing with this program, I loved my semester with Jon and to see the direction Trey is taking this program is something I knew I wanted to be a part of. I wanted to help see his vision come to fruition. Obviously I love Bozeman, but (working with Morris) is one of the biggest pulls. Watching how hard Trey works and how dedicated he is to make this program better, I want to be part of that. I want to help push this program to new heights."
Morris indicated that Smith has begun in his new role, and Smith has enjoyed jumping in with both feet. "To be able to use my skills and my passion as an educator and combine my passion as an educator with the game that I love has been a perfect combination."
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