SMU Athletics

Yaphett King completed his third season (2021-22) as an assistant coach at SMU. King joined the Mustangs after three seasons at Louisiana Tech, where the Bulldogs had two 20-win seasons.

In his three seasons at SMU, the Mustangs went 54-26 with a 38-5 record at Moody Coliseum. In that span, the SMU recorded three AP top-20 wins, won the 2019-20 Southwestern Showdown Championship, made the NIT in 2021 and 2022, had seven All-American Athletic Conference selections, and Kendric Davis was named AAC Player of the Year (2021-22).

At Louisiana Tech, the team registered two 20-win seasons with a high of 23 victories. His time with the Bulldogs included winning the 2017-18 Cancun Challenge and the New Orleans Shootout. Five players earned C-USA postseason awards during his time in Ruston.

Prior to Louisiana Tech, King was an assistant coach at Texas A&M--Corpus Christi for four seasons (2012-16). The team improved dramatically during his time, winning 20 games in 2014-15 and 25 games in 2015-16. The Islanders earned a CIT bid in each of his last three seasons.

Prior to joining the Islanders, King spent four years (2008-12) as head coach at Redlands Community College where he led the squad to 72 wins during his tenure, highlighted by a 21-win season and a trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament in 2010-11.

King started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Redlands in 2006-07, when the team went 31-2 en route to the regional final. 

The following year (2007-08) he joined Cowley College as an assistant coach, assisting the team to a 31-2 overall mark and an appearance in the regional championship game.

On the court, King was an All-American as a freshman at Redlands in 2001-02 while leading the team to the NJCAA Division II national title. He went on to play at Cal State Fullerton where he helped the Titans to postseason play for the first time in 15 years, advancing to the Round of 16 in the National Invitation Tournament. 

He went on to play professionally in Austria for two years.

King is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida. He and his wife, Charlena, have two kids, Caydance and Yarrah.