Stanford Basketball Loses Top Assistant, Hiring Another Coach to Staff

The Stanford Cardinal are locked in ahead of their inaugural trip to the College Basketball Crown, but in the midst of the start of the tournament, sweeping changes are coming to their coaching staff.

Earlier this week, Stanford basketball assistant coach, Brett MacConnell was hired to be the new head coach at Dartmouth, ending his one season tenure on The Farm. After MacConnell's departure was announced, Stanford head coach Kyle Smith hired former Columbia assistant, Matt Elkin, to take his place.

MacConnell, who joined Stanford after over a decade as an assistant coach at Princeton, essentially served as Smith's right hand man this season, working closely with each player and playing a pivotal role in developing talent, particularly Stanford freshman, Ebuka Okorie.

At Princeton, MacConnell's impact was huge, including being an architect in building Princeton's 2023 Sweet Sixteen team.

A veteran in the Ivy League, Dartmouth was impressed with MacConnel in a lot of ways, mainly his transformational leadership that is pivotal in this era of college basketball. A developmental wizard, MacConnell has coached multiple Ivy League Players of the Year and nearly 20 professional players, leading the way in the recruitment of future NBA players Devin Cannady and Tosan Evbuomwan.

Now, MacConnell will be tasked with bringing that same skillset to a Dartmouth team that has not made the NCAA tournament since 1959 and has finished with a record above .500 in conference play only once since 1999.

Known for his relentless recruiting, MacConnell has some head coaching experience, albeit minimal, serving as Princeton's acting head coaching on four occasions, and holding a 3-1 record. Overall during his time at Princeton/the Ivy League, MacConnell has won four Ivy League championships, two Ivy tournament titles and has been a part of six 20-win seasons.

New addition for the Cardinal

The same day that MacConnell took the Dartmouth job, Smith hired Elkin to join his staff. The former assistant recruiting coordinator for the Cardinal basketball program last season, Elkin is back like he never left.

But this time, he will join the Cardinal on the bench during games. Understanding the culture at Stanford and what Cardinal basketball, especially under Smith is all about, Elkin's hiring was a no-brainer for Smith, who is also a former Ivy League coach himself.

Elkin spent this past season at Columbia and has extensive experience in the Ivy League as well, working as the Director of Basketball Operations at Yale from 2020-24. While returning to the Power Four, Stanford's academic standards and overall culture are very much like an Ivy League school, making the transition a smooth one for Elkin.

The Cardinal have a lot to prove next season and will be eager to return to March Madness for the first time in over a decade, no matter what their roster ends up looking like. And while a lot of work needs to be done for that to happen, the confidence is high within the Cardinal program that next year is going to be their year.

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