Washington hires Lamont Smith as assistant

SEATTLE (AP) -- Washington coach Lorenzo Romar has added a second new assistant coach in a week after announcing the hiring of Lamont Smith.

The school made the announcement Thursday, saying the hiring was still pending a background check. Romar also hired former Western Washington head coach Brad Jackson last week to replace Raphael Chillious, who left for Villanova.

Smith has been on the staff at Arizona State for the last four years, but his connection with Romar goes much deeper. Romar gave Smith his first job as a graduate assistant at Saint Louis in 1999.

The ability to add Smith to the staff came when assistant Paul Fortier moved to director of player personnel and player development. Fortier has been an assistant under Romar for the last seven seasons.

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