He started his coaching career immediately following his playing days, his first job was as a graduate assistant at Delta State.
While at Western Kentucky, Small recruited Courtney Lee, who was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year[1] eventual 2008 first round NBA draft pick by the Orlando Magic.
He was part of the Racers’ 2011–12 season in which they spent 13 weeks in the national polls and rose as high as 10th, while becoming the last undefeated team at 23-0.
He is credited with being the lead recruiter for Murray State on Cameron Payne, who was a first-round NBA Draft pick.
When Steve Prohm was hired as the head coach at Iowa State, he took Small with him to serve as an assistant.