The 2024-25 season will mark Samantha Quigley Smith’s fourth season as the SIUE women’s basketball head coach. She was named head coach in April 2021, marking the sixth head coach in program history and third at the Division I level.
Under Smith's lead, during the 2023-24 season the Cougars led the OVC in three point attempts per game (22.6) ranking 66th nationally and in three pointers per game (7.9) good for 39th in the nation. SIUE also led the OVC in free throw percentage (77.9) also good for 16th in the nation. Against conference opponents, SIUE ranked fourth in scoring averaging 68.1 points per game. Smith finished the season with a record of 5-26 during the 2023-24 season, going 2-16 against conference opponents.
Finishing with a record of 9-22 during the 2022-23 season, Smith led the Cougars back to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the eighth time in program history. The Cougars entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed and knocked off No. 7 Tennessee State to advance to the quarterfinals. Freshman Macy Silvey drained five threes from deep vs. the Golden Eagles, the most by a Cougar in OVC tournament history.
SIUE finished 7-11 in conference play, including a 82-77 victory over top-seeded Eastern Illinois on Feb. 22. Against conference opponents, SIUE ranked second in scoring offense averaging 69.22 points per game. The Cougars also saw success from behind the arc, ranking second in the league with a .310 shooting percentage. Sofie Lowis's 1.74 three-pointers made per game ranked second in the conference.
Smith coached senior forward Ajulu Thatha to five OVC Player of the Week honors, the most by a Cougar in program history. Thatha earned a selection to the First Team All-OVC, becoming the sixth player in program history to be honored with the feat. Her 281 rebounds led the conference and ranked 56th in the nation. On Feb. 9 at Lindenwood, Thatha collected 25 rebounds, the most by a Cougar in program history.
At the free throw line, SIUE ranked second in the OVC and 69th in the country in free throws made per game at 13.84.
Off the court, Sofie Lowis and Mikayla Kinnard earned Academic All-District® honors, as selected by College Sports Communicators, to recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their performance on the court and in the classroom.
On April 3, 2023, Smith was one of 12 individuals inducted into the East Suburban Catholic Conference Hall of Fame.
In her first season at SIUE, Smith finished 13-18 overall and 8-10 in Ohio Valley Conference. She celebrated her first Division I win with a victory over Illinois, the first by an SIUE women’s basketball team against a Big 10 opponent and only the second against a Power 5 school (Clemson, 2012). In the postseason, she led SIUE to its first OVC tournament appearance since the 2017-18 season. Smith also set a program record for weekly OVC awards in a single season with 10.
She came to Edwardsville after serving four years in the same position at Lewis University, a Division II institution in Romeoville, Illinois, where she amassed a record of 83-34 (.709 winning percentage). She was honored as the 2020-21 Great Lakes Valley Coach of the Year.
In four seasons at Lewis, Smith guided the Flyers to two seasons of 20-plus wins and three NCAA Division II NCAA Tournament appearances. Her 2018-19 team went 27-5 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. While at Lewis, Smith mentored three Division II All-Americans, and coached 2019-20 National Player of the Year Jessica Kelliher and 2020-21 GLVC Freshman of the Year Jenna Badali.
Prior to her Lewis tenure, Smith was the head coach at St. Francis, an NAIA school in Joliet, Illinois, where she became the youngest head coach in the nation at just 22 years old. At St. Francis, she turned a team that was 10-22 prior to her arrival into a 32-win program which made its first-ever appearance in the NAIA Final Four. She coached three NAIA All-Americans at St. Francis. The Fighting Saints were a combined 62-7 during her final two seasons as head coach and finished the 2017 season as the No. 1-ranked team in the NAIA Division II Coaches Poll.
Academics remains a priority for Smith. While at St. Francis, the program’s cumulative grade point average improved from 2.35 to 3.5.
Smith also has been a part of USA women’s basketball since 2014, including two seasons as an on-court assistant where she was part of medal-winning teams at the FIBA American and European Championships.
She currently is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Board of Directors.
As a player, Smith competed at DePaul from 2006-11. She ranked 20th in school history with 1,273 points. Her 484 career assists rank third all-time for the Blue Demons. She was a two-time All-Big East selection and an Academic All-District honoree.
A 2006 graduate of Joliet Catholic, she finished her high school career with 1,910 points.
She is 2020 inductee into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a player.
Athletics runs in the family. Her late father was a standout basketball player at St. Francis and the basketball court at St. Francis bears his name. He also is the former head tennis coach at Lewis. Her mother Chris and stepdad Don Strle also both played basketball at St. Francis, where her mother’s jersey is retired. Her uncle, Brian Michalak is the current baseball coach at St. Francis and formerly was the women’s basketball head coach at Lewis. Her sister Allie played at DePaul and currently plays in Yekaterinburg, Russia and recently won a Euroleague Championship. During the summer, she stars with the Chicago Sky of the WNBA, where she is the all-time leading scorer and a three-time WNBA All-Star.
Older brothers Ryan Quigley played professional baseball in the San Diego Padres organization and currently is the Admission Director at Joliet Catholic, as well as a football and baseball coach. Younger brother Jacob played and coached Tennis at St. Francis and currently is a tennis pro in Chicago.
Smith’s husband, Greg Smith, played basketball at St. Francis. The couple has four children, Cooper, 7; Jackson, 5; daughter Logan, 4; and Flynn 2.
What they’re saying about Samantha Quigley Smith
In Sam Quigley, SIUE hired a future coaching All-Star. As a player, Sam is one of the best captains I have ever coached in 48 years of coaching. Sam’s head coaching record at the NAIA and Division II levels speaks for itself. Sam Quigley is a special coach, because she makes the game fun for her players while also holding those same players accountable to always strive to be their best.
-Doug Bruno, DePaul women’s basketball Head Coach
Sam was one of the most competitive players I’ve ever been around, and she brings that same winning mindset as a coach. She is a proven winner at every level she’s competed, and will bring high expectations and standards of excellence with her to Edwardsville. Sam is a rising star in this profession. SIUE is getting a fantastic coach, but an even better person who will be a great mentor and role model for her student-athletes.
-Bart Brooks, Belmont women’s basketball Head Coach
First and foremost, SIUE is getting a fierce competitor. She is one of the most competitive players I have ever coached. Having coached in the league, I have no doubt she will do a great job at SIUE. She does a great job attracting talent, and she is a great coach.
-Samantha Williams, current Tennessee women’s basketball assistant coach, former Eastern Kentucky head coach
Sam Quigley was always the coach on the floor as a player. She is a proven winner and that is because she learned from the very best in our profession in Coach Doug Bruno. Coach Quigley Smith has taken that road map for success and added her authentic coaching style to maximize her team’s potential. Sam’s “why” has always revolved around growing young women on and off the floor through a game she adores and that teaches life’s lessons. SIUE just got a rising star, but more importantly an incredible mom, wife, sister, daughter and human.
-Allison Guth, Yale women's basketball Head Coach
