Cal Women's Basketball Coach Charmin Smith Lands New 5-Year Contract

Coach Charmin Smith, who has guided the Cal women’s basketball team to its winningest season in 12 years, has signed a new five-year contract through the 2029-30 season.

For Smith, in her sixth year as the Bears’ coach, this contract replaces the extension she received after the 2023-24 campaign.

Cal takes a 25-8 overall record into Sunday, when the Bears are expected to land their first NCAA tournament bid since 2019. Picked to finish 14th in their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Bears wound up seventh.

Smith is 81-88 in six seasons, including 19-15 in 2023-24, the Bears' final season in the Pac-12 Conference.

The new contract also includes a commitment from the university to provide financial resources that will allow the Bears to remain competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The contact includes “significant support” in revenue sharing with athletes, part of an NCAA settlement expected to be approved this spring and put into play at the start of the 2025-26 academic year. The new deal also calls for unspecified facility improvements.

"We are excited to make this significant commitment to Charmin and our women's basketball program,” Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton said in a statement. “The development of our program under Charmin's leadership is undeniable, and the team's accomplishments this season has our entire Cal Athletics community thrilled about the future.

“We are dedicated to giving Charmin and the program the resources needed to continue to compete at the highest level.”

Smith thanked Knowlton for having faith in her and her program.

“This agreement is a testament to our entire coaching staff that helped put together one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory,” she said in a statement released by the athletic department.

“I appreciate that Jim sees the value in investing in women’s basketball through revenue sharing and a new locker room for our program. I’m really excited about the future of our program which wouldn’t be possible without Jim’s dedication to prioritizing our needs.”