Why did you decide to coach at BHS?
“There were a couple of stories in the newspapers that reflected a community that was kind of hurt, and I just relate really well to kids and I hear their stories, and when I read that– I’m not coming there to fix it, but it drew me in. It was the only school I applied for, it was the only job I applied for, it wasn’t like I was looking to leave Peak to Peak but I had just heard such good things about the community, and when I came over here for a soccer game, a football game, it just kind of sucked me in. And when I got the head coaching job… it’s been one of the coolest places I’ve ever worked at.”
Could you describe your experience coaching at Boulder High?
“It’s unique! It’s unique in the way that there are so many diverse people here. Everybody has their own story, their own unique view on everything, so it drives a little bit more for how to interact with people. It’s been nutty but it’s been a great time.”
What do you love about your sport?
“I think that basketball is one of the greatest ways to learn how to be a better teammate later on in life. There are so many parallels in the game of basketball to the professional world. I work at Ball Aerospace, I constantly am in teams, I have to understand how to work in teams, and all of that goes back to my time as a player. I think that basketball is one of the greatest sports that you can possibly play…I love the lessons that a sport can teach a kid, and if there’s any way I can help out to make a road a little easier for a kid, that’s what I’m there for.”
How many years have you been coaching?
“A head coach for varsity level eleven years. Before that, I had two years of coaching for middle school, and then I was a freshman coach, and I don’t even know how many years of rec and club. Probably ten or eleven years of that as well. So I’ve probably been coaching for fifteen years, somewhere around there.”
Why do you continue to coach?
“To be quite honest with you, it has nothing to do with basketball. It’s the kids, it’s the connections, it’s the relationships. That first team I head coached I was able to coach that team as freshmen and I came back and coached them as seniors when they were on varsity, so I still talk to most of those kids to this day. I’ve had kids come job shadow me, I’ve been to get-togethers and Christmas parties and it’s just… it’s the lifelong connections and mentorship. My guys leave here knowing that they are loved, that they’re cared for, they always have somebody they can lean on, and if you ever need a job reference, I’m there. So that’s why I keep coaching. The rigor of coaching is unbelievably stressful. But when you’re done with the season and you’re still talking to a kid from ten years ago, you know you’ve impacted a life, and that’s what matters.”
As Boulder’s basketball season draws to a close, we thank Coach Smith for another incredible season and many more to look forward to! Go Panthers!
