The Les Schwab Invitational 2015Dec 29, 2015 by Brett Pickert
1-on-1 with Oak Hill Academy Head Coach Steve Smith
1-on-1 with Oak Hill Academy Head Coach Steve Smith
The interview was taken before Oak Hill’s matchup against West Linn in the Les Schwab Invitational Semifinals.We caught up with the head coach of the Oak Hi
The interview was taken before Oak Hill’s matchup against West Linn in the Les Schwab Invitational Semifinals.
We caught up with the head coach of the Oak Hill Academy Warriors, Steve Smith. Smith has constructed some of the best teams to hit the hardwood. Some of his former players include NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Brandon Jennings and many others.
FloHoops: Of all the teams you’ve coached, how does this compare to your previous squads?
Coach Smith: Well, I thought this was the most talented team we’ve ever had. We’ve had some injuries with Harry Giles (Duke) and Joe Hampton (Penn St.), both tearing their ACLs and knocking them out for the season. They’re both starters, but we have a lot of depth, and our guards are really good. With Harry, it would be a lot easier. I felt that we had to try to lose with them in.
What are Hampton and Giles’ status on their injuries?
They both had surgery around the same time. About a week apart in November. Starting their rehab process now and they’re both going to be fine. They will be rehabbing all this year leading into the summer to get ready for their freshman years of college.
How are their thoughts? Are they reacting to it well?
This is Joe’s [Hampton] first major injury. Harry tore his ACL in his left knee two years ago. He’s gone through this before. This time, it was his right knee, not as bad as the previous injury. He knows what he needs to do to get back to where he was. They’ll both be fine.
With their absence, has it been hard for the team to adjust?
Coach Smith: A little bit, we’ve played without them the whole year. Harry tore his ACL in the first game. He was in practice, so we had to make an adjustment there. Joe tore his in late September. We changed our style of play a bit. Started taking a few more threes. We don’t have as much of an inside game as we did with Harry. We’re doing a great job. As long as we’re making shots, we’re a pretty effective team offensively.
You have been dominating each game thus far. How do you stack up against West Linn?
It's going to be a great game tonight. I like West Linn. I’ve seen them in the past, and they’re well-coached. They got five guys that can spread you out, shoot the ball well and can grind it out. Pritchard is a big-time guard and their bigs can shoot the three, so you got to guard them. It's going to be an interesting matchup for us.
Oak Hill is mainly known for their elite basketball teams. Could you tell us more about Oak Hill Academy from an Academic standpoint?
We’re a private boarding school, located in southwest Virginia. About 150 students, co-ed. The school has been around since 1878. It's not something that started with a basketball team. We’re a school first. Our basketball program is an extension of our school. We have kids from over 21 states and 9 foreign countries attend our school. Oak Hill has a diverse student body and it’s a very unique place. Most kids come for the academics, 12-15 come for basketball. The school makes sure they’re qualified academically before they can play. This is my 33rd year, 31st as a head coach and I spent two as an assistant. I’m from Kentucky, but I’ve been at Oak Hill for so long, it's now my home. I love my school and I’m proud of it.
Oak Hill has been in the national spotlight for so long, but with schools like Montverde, DeMatha and others becoming nationally prominent, has it been harder to recruit and prepare your team?
In the 80s, when kids wanted to transfer to perfect their academic and basketball skills, they would come to Oak Hill. Now there are tons of schools out there who do what we’ve been doing. More kids now move more than they use to. To say whether that’s bad or good, that’s not for me to say. Great-skilled players want to play against the best competition nationally, that’s why they go to schools like Oak Hill and DeMatha.
Do you see yourself going anywhere besides Oak Hill?
I just turned 60. I’m trying to coach a few more years then retire. I want to play more golf than I play already - 10, 15, 20 years ago I had some options to leave. I’m glad I stayed where I did. I raised my family there, I had a great career and I have no regrets.
We caught up with the head coach of the Oak Hill Academy Warriors, Steve Smith. Smith has constructed some of the best teams to hit the hardwood. Some of his former players include NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Brandon Jennings and many others.
FloHoops: Of all the teams you’ve coached, how does this compare to your previous squads?
Coach Smith: Well, I thought this was the most talented team we’ve ever had. We’ve had some injuries with Harry Giles (Duke) and Joe Hampton (Penn St.), both tearing their ACLs and knocking them out for the season. They’re both starters, but we have a lot of depth, and our guards are really good. With Harry, it would be a lot easier. I felt that we had to try to lose with them in.
What are Hampton and Giles’ status on their injuries?
They both had surgery around the same time. About a week apart in November. Starting their rehab process now and they’re both going to be fine. They will be rehabbing all this year leading into the summer to get ready for their freshman years of college.
How are their thoughts? Are they reacting to it well?
This is Joe’s [Hampton] first major injury. Harry tore his ACL in his left knee two years ago. He’s gone through this before. This time, it was his right knee, not as bad as the previous injury. He knows what he needs to do to get back to where he was. They’ll both be fine.
With their absence, has it been hard for the team to adjust?
Coach Smith: A little bit, we’ve played without them the whole year. Harry tore his ACL in the first game. He was in practice, so we had to make an adjustment there. Joe tore his in late September. We changed our style of play a bit. Started taking a few more threes. We don’t have as much of an inside game as we did with Harry. We’re doing a great job. As long as we’re making shots, we’re a pretty effective team offensively.
You have been dominating each game thus far. How do you stack up against West Linn?
It's going to be a great game tonight. I like West Linn. I’ve seen them in the past, and they’re well-coached. They got five guys that can spread you out, shoot the ball well and can grind it out. Pritchard is a big-time guard and their bigs can shoot the three, so you got to guard them. It's going to be an interesting matchup for us.
Oak Hill is mainly known for their elite basketball teams. Could you tell us more about Oak Hill Academy from an Academic standpoint?
We’re a private boarding school, located in southwest Virginia. About 150 students, co-ed. The school has been around since 1878. It's not something that started with a basketball team. We’re a school first. Our basketball program is an extension of our school. We have kids from over 21 states and 9 foreign countries attend our school. Oak Hill has a diverse student body and it’s a very unique place. Most kids come for the academics, 12-15 come for basketball. The school makes sure they’re qualified academically before they can play. This is my 33rd year, 31st as a head coach and I spent two as an assistant. I’m from Kentucky, but I’ve been at Oak Hill for so long, it's now my home. I love my school and I’m proud of it.
Oak Hill has been in the national spotlight for so long, but with schools like Montverde, DeMatha and others becoming nationally prominent, has it been harder to recruit and prepare your team?
In the 80s, when kids wanted to transfer to perfect their academic and basketball skills, they would come to Oak Hill. Now there are tons of schools out there who do what we’ve been doing. More kids now move more than they use to. To say whether that’s bad or good, that’s not for me to say. Great-skilled players want to play against the best competition nationally, that’s why they go to schools like Oak Hill and DeMatha.
Do you see yourself going anywhere besides Oak Hill?
I just turned 60. I’m trying to coach a few more years then retire. I want to play more golf than I play already - 10, 15, 20 years ago I had some options to leave. I’m glad I stayed where I did. I raised my family there, I had a great career and I have no regrets.