Canada Basketball’s next move? Get Smart.

As Neate Sager noted this morning, the 91-89 loss to Panama that officially finished the Canadian men's basketball's team's chances of qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics is going to have significant reverberations for years to come. One of those impacts has already been felt with Thursday's resignation of head coach Leo Rautins. That leaves Canada Basketball CEO Wayne Parrish and his team searching for a new leader, and there's one name that should be at the top of their list: Dave Smart.

Yes, Smart's name may not be known to those who only follow NCAA or NBA basketball, but he's proven to be one of the best basketball minds this country has. After an impressive CIS career at Queen's University, where he led Canada in scoring with a 29.3 points-per-game average in 1992-93, Smart started his coaching career as an assistant with the Carleton Ravens' men's basketball team in 1997. He took over the program in 1999 when head coach Paul Armstrong was promoted, and he's since turned the Ravens into one of the most dominant university programs in any sport, comparable only to the likes of football's Laval Rouge et Or. Since 1999, Smart's Ravens have won seven national titles, including five straight from 2003 to 2007 and single championships in 2009 and 2011. That's actually one more championship than Laval, which has claimed the Vanier Cup six times during that period. His Ravens also won 88 straight regular-season and playoff games from 2002 to 2005.

It's not like Smart was stepping into a powerhouse of an athletic program, either; his 2003 title was the first national championship for the Ravens in any sport. Smart's teams also haven't just gotten hot at the right time; they're usually the top-ranked basketball program week-in and week-out, and their semi-final losses in 2008 and 2010 (the game Smart's seen coaching in above) were both significant upsets against Acadia and Saskatchewan. Smart has perfectly balanced recruiting, developing young players and getting the most out of veterans, and he's created an incredible program that's achieved some very impressive results against NCAA schools in exhibitions, too, including decisive wins over the likes of Saint Louis University and Illinois State and an 84-83 loss against defending national champions Kansas in 2008.

Yes, the challenges of running the national team are notably different than that of running a CIS program. The Canadian national team coach is not only going to have to have a great tactical mind, but he'll also have to be able to persuade top players to suit up for the red and white and then integrate the team quickly during their limited practice opportunities. However, there's no reason to believe Smart can't meet all of those criteria.

Smart has shown his tactical mastery during his time at Carleton, where he's also proven to be a fantastic recruiter and someone who can get the most out of the players he has. Smart's path to CIS dominance has frequently involved melding and integrating, giving young players some time in their first years and then counting on them more and more as veterans graduate, while simultaneously bringing in and developing new crops of rookies. Moreover, he's used to working with (and keeping happy) talented groups of players all looking for court time, an essential skill for the national coach. It's also worth noting that he has experience with the national team, and has worked with them as an assistant before.

One of the remaining questions is if Smart would take the job if Canada Basketball's wise enough to offer it to him. If they asked him to leave Carleton, the guess from this corner is probably not. The job security with the national team isn't exactly good, and I doubt Smart wants to abandon the powerhouse he's spent so much time building. However, it's quite possible that he can do both jobs.

The role of national basketball coach is not typically a full-time job, as the tournaments the team plays in are quite limited (and most players are with their NCAA, NBA or European teams most of the year); Rautins also worked as a Toronto Raptors' colour analyst while he held the main job. Moreover, several NCAA coaches also run national teams, including Mike Krzyzewski (Duke, U.S. national program) and John Calipari (Kentucky, Dominican Republic national program). When you add up all the factors (and consider that the list of top candidates for the job isn't all that long), there's a pretty compelling case for Canada Basketball to get Smart. He may not have shoe phones or invisible walls, but he's got the right resume for this job.