Founder and Boys Head Coach
Coach Eric Smith
Building complete basketball players through disciplined development, competitive preparation, detailed scouting, recruiting exposure and a standard designed to prepare athletes for college basketball opportunities.
Coach Profile
Built Through Basketball
Coach Smith’s background combines the competitive basketball culture of Kinston, North Carolina, experience in Atlanta and a commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for athletes through Wyoming Premier Hoops.
Coach Eric Smith is the founder and boys head coach of Wyoming Premier Hoops, a competitive travel basketball program based in Riverton and serving committed players from communities throughout Wyoming.
Originally from Kinston, North Carolina, Coach Smith grew up surrounded by a community with a deep basketball tradition and a strong competitive culture. Basketball in Kinston is built around toughness, confidence, skill, preparation and pride.
That environment helped shape his understanding of what players must bring to the court every day in order to compete at a high level.
“The goal is to turn high school players into legitimate college prospects and help those prospects become college basketball players.”
Coach Smith played high school basketball at Kinston High School in North Carolina and Southwest DeKalb High School in Atlanta, Georgia.
His experiences in two competitive basketball environments helped form a coaching style centered on accountability, toughness, team play, preparation and complete player development.
Official Coaching Biography
Coach Eric Smith Official Bio
View or share the official PDF biography featuring Coach Smith’s background, coaching philosophy, program development and player advancement.
Coaching Philosophy
Five Threats. One Unit.
The Wyoming Premier Hoops approach is development-first, aggressive, disciplined and matchup-driven. Every player must understand the game, communicate and contribute on both ends.
All Five Players Are a Threat
The offense is not designed for one or two players to control every possession while everyone else stands and watches. Every player must remain active and force the defense to guard the entire floor.
- Identify defensive weaknesses
- Exploit favorable matchups
- Maintain purposeful floor spacing
- Move the ball when help defense arrives
- Cut when defenders lose vision
- Create paint touches and quality opportunities
- Communicate throughout every possession
- Make intelligent and unselfish decisions
Hard-Nosed, In-Your-Face Defense
Players are expected to pressure the basketball, compete physically, communicate constantly, help one another and finish defensive possessions together with rebounds.
- Aggressive on-ball pressure
- Hard-nosed physical play
- Constant defensive communication
- Disciplined help positioning
- Strong and controlled closeouts
- Individual matchup accountability
- Understanding opposing personnel
- Gang rebounding and finishing possessions
Player Preparation
Develop. Prepare. Advance.
Player development extends beyond individual skill work. Athletes are challenged to improve their basketball intelligence, communication, leadership, decision-making and ability to contribute within a team.
Complete Player Development
Wyoming Premier Hoops uses structured training, film study, scouting preparation, competitive games and team accountability to help players continue progressing beyond their school seasons.
- Ball handling, passing and decision-making
- Shooting, finishing and offensive footwork
- Individual and team defense
- Rebounding and physical positioning
- Basketball IQ and film study
- Communication and leadership
- Conditioning and mental toughness
- College-level habits and expectations
Recruiting and Exposure
Eligible prospects build visibility through game film, player profiles, photography, video, website features, social-media promotion, tournament exposure and communication with appropriate college programs.
- Individual recruiting profiles
- Full-game and highlight film
- Player photography and video
- Website and social-media promotion
- Tournament exposure
- Performance evaluation
- College communication support
- Guidance on becoming recruitable and coachable
Championship Experience
2024 Mountain West Champions
Wyoming Premier Hoops captured the 2024 GTE Summer Slam Mountain West Championship in Denver, marking an important step in the program’s development and demonstrating its ability to compete successfully outside Wyoming.
Championship experiences give players a chance to perform under pressure, respond to adversity, play through demanding tournament conditions and learn what it takes to finish as a team.
Competitive Experience
Competition With a Purpose
Wyoming Premier Hoops competes in regional travel basketball events designed to challenge players against unfamiliar opponents, different styles of play and stronger levels of competition.
The program also competes through established basketball platforms such as Prep Hoops and RecruitLook Hoops, giving players opportunities to face regional competition, build quality game film and gain greater recruiting visibility.
Additional high-level tournament opportunities are also being developed as the program continues expanding its competitive reach.
- Adjust to different playing styles
- Compete against unfamiliar personnel
- Perform under pressure
- Improve decision-making
- Respond to adversity
- Build useful game film
- Gain regional exposure
- Represent the program with discipline and confidence
Player Recognition
Recognized Achievement
Players coached through Wyoming Premier Hoops have earned conference, state and all-star recognition while continuing to grow through competitive basketball.
Malachi Smith
2025 Class 4A West All-Conference
Eric Smith Jr.
2026 Class 4A West All-Conference
Cody Bomengen
2025 Class 2A West Player of the Year
Cooper Cannon
2026 Wyoming Coaches Foundation North All-Star
Joshua Sauers
2026 Class 3A West All-Conference
Nate Hinkle
2025 Class 1A All-State
Nate Hinkle — Eastern Wyoming College
Nate Hinkle is a former Wyoming Premier Hoops player from Dubois High School who continued his basketball career at Eastern Wyoming College. His advancement represents the type of pathway the program is working to create for its players.
Program Structure
Two Boys Pathways
Wyoming Premier Hoops provides development and competitive opportunities for experienced high-school players as well as younger athletes preparing for higher levels.
Experienced Players
Select
Competitive basketball, leadership development, game film, player promotion and recruiting exposure for experienced high-school and unsigned players preparing for next-level opportunities.
Development Pathway
16U Gold
Skill development, basketball IQ, confidence, communication, team responsibility and meaningful competition for younger players preparing to compete at stronger varsity and travel basketball levels.
The Program Standard
Prepared When Opportunity Arrives
Wyoming Premier Hoops is built to develop complete basketball players and prepare them for opportunities at the next level. The program combines competitive travel basketball, individual skill development, detailed scouting, game preparation, player promotion, recruiting visibility, media coverage and college preparation.
Coach Smith’s objective is to develop players who are skilled, disciplined, confident, coachable, intelligent and prepared. Players are expected to compete, communicate, accept accountability, support their teammates and continue working on weaknesses instead of avoiding them.
The standard is measured by how players prepare, how they respond to coaching, how they represent the program and whether they leave Wyoming Premier Hoops as more complete players than when they entered.
Connect With the Program
Wyoming Premier Hoops
Contact the coaching staff for player opportunities, program information, recruiting questions, partnerships and support. Coach Smith’s official biography is also available to view or share as a PDF.