But strategically, Smith was most associated with his implementation of John McLendon's four corners offense, a strategy for stalling with a lead near the end of the game. Smith's teams executed the four corners set so effectively that in 1985 the NCAA instituted a shot clock to speed up play and minimize ball-control offense. Although fellow Kansas alum John McLendon actually invented the four corners offense, Smith got credit for utilizing it in games. Smith was also the author of "Basketball: Multiple Offense and Defense", which is the best-selling technical basketball book in history.