Stanford announced Monday it's hiring Kyle Smith from Washington State to be its next men's basketball coach.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello first reported the move.

Smith spent the past five seasons with the Cougars and leaves on the heels of his best year at the school. Washington State went 25-10 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008.

"The opportunity to serve as the head men's basketball coach at Stanford is a dream come true, and I want to thank Bernard Muir for entrusting me with this opportunity," Smith said in the announcement. "From my perspective, Stanford has the resources and reputation to attract the ideal student-athlete who is seeking the character development aspects of what our basketball program will offer.

"Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building. I am thrilled to try to provide that type of culture for an institution that prides itself on excellence in all areas."

Stanford is a slight step up in terms of a prestige because the Cardinal were an NCAA tournament mainstay under Mike Montgomery. The dissolution of the Pac-12 may have played a role in Smith's decision as well

Leaving the Pac-12 for the ACC might be a case of going out of the frying pan into the fire with the turmoil that's bubbling to the surface in the ACC. That still represents more stability than Washington State is facing conference-wise.

Smith inherits a major rebuilding job with the Cardinal, though.

In the 20 years since Montgomery left, Stanford has made the NCAA tournament just four times and the last of those trips came all the way back in 2014. Jerod Haase, Smith's predecessor, posted a .498 winning percentage during his eight-year run.

The Cardinal simply don't occupy the same place within men's basketball they did 20-plus years ago, and now they're entering what has historically been a better, tougher conference. That's not an ideal recipe for a new head coach.

Smith has delivered results at each of his first three stops, though, steadily turning Columbia into a winner before notching 63 victories over three seasons at San Francisco.

Stanford promises to be his biggest challenge yet given both the school's impending move to the ACC and what will probably be reasonably high expectations.