Last week when Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) coach Steve Smith, 66, announced that after 37 seasons patrolling the sidelines for the Warriors he’d indeed retire, he was flooded with the customary congrats via social media.
“A lot of people reached out,” Smith said. “I was very appreciative of the love.”
The show of respect and admiration was to be expected for a coach with nine national titles, 34 McDonald’s All Americans and 36 players who went on to play in the NBA.
Currently, Smith’s 1,226 wins is the third-most in boys high school basketball history behind Dunbar's (Fort Worth, Texas) Robert Hughes (1,333 wins) and DeMatha's (Hyattsville, Md.