Craig Smith will be looking for a new No. 1 assistant coach as he embarks on his second year as the University of Utah’s basketball coach.
The University of South Dakota announced Tuesday afternoon that it will hire Utes assistant Eric Peterson as its new head basketball coach.
Peterson, who came to Salt Lake City from Logan with Smith after the duo worked together at Utah State, was also with Smith at South Dakota when Smith was directing the Coyotes from 2014-18.
Peterson was the head coach and athletic director at Williston State College from 2012-14. He is from West Salem, Wisconsin, and graduated from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2006.
Peterson and his wife, Lindsey, have a daughter and three sons.
At Utah this past season, Peterson helped coach post players such as Branden Carlson and Lahat Thioune. The Utes went 11-20 overall, 4-16 in the Pac-12, and were eliminated 82-70 by No. 6 seed Washington in the Pac-12 tournament last week in Las Vegas.
Utah’s other assistant coaches are Tim Morris and DeMarlo Slocum, who is in his second stint coaching the Utes, having served on former coach Larry Krystkowiak’s staff from 2011 to 2019.
Other Utah basketball news
• In other Utah men’s basketball news, senior forward Riley Battin has reportedly entered the transfer portal. Battin was honored on Senior Night two weeks ago, along with UNLV transfer David Jenkins Jr., so his portal entrance does not come as a surprise.
Battin entered the portal last year after Krystkowiak was fired, but chose to come back to Utah after meeting with Smith.
• Meanwhile, senior wing Marco Anthony will return to Utah for his final season of eligibility. The Virginia and Utah State transfer announced it on a social media account over the weekend, and confirmed it on ESPN700 radio Tuesday afternoon.