These days college coaches are not very interested in the word potential. It’s a word that has gotten a lot of talented coaches fired. It’s a word that too many kids do not understand. It’s a word that means you have not fulfilled expectations. But it also is a word that means what could be and Sophie Smith could be special one day.
SOPHIE SMITH is now in her sophomore year at RBC. She is 6’2” and blessed with tons of ability. Last summer Sophie Smith grew up. She went from a player with potential to a player flashing her mega talent, quickness and length against real competition in front of tons of college coaches. She showed every skill set a young player needs to be successful. She developed a real ability to score in the lane with either hand. She ran the floor like no young post player in the state. Her ability to block shots and defend were all things she flashed in a major way. She developed a real mental toughness and learned how to get up when she was knocked down. So much that D1 schools started calling and making offers. It was a great time for Sophie Smith. She had squeezed her potential. She went from gonna be good to she is really good. She was showcasing her talent, developing and even dominating at times. In other words she was balling.
SOPHIE SMITH is quiet and sensitive. She is a high IQ player that doesn’t need all the yelling and screaming as motivation. She works hard and is a sponge. It’s why she has developed into one of the best young players in the state. Last year as a freshman at RBC, she got lots of minutes as a role player. But she was never in the meat of the game in meaningful games. It’s why she was so excited about this season. After a strong summer and excellent fall she was expecting a breakout season. But things don’t always go that way you expect. They also don’t go on your time table. You don’t know when your moment will arrive. But when it does arrive doing it against the best of the best is always nice.
I don’t believe kids should ever be gifted playing time based on potential. But every coach has their opinion and philosophy about this. Sophie Smith was struggling in a big way this season in games against competitive teams this year. In fact it was clear she had lost some of the confidence she had gained from this past summer. But her Coach Joe Montano believed in Sophie and ran her out there, time and time again in RBC’s most important games. He knew if his team was going to get over the big game hump or win a SCT. Then Sophie Smith would have to play a major role. His belief in the 6’2” Smith finally paid off this weekend.
Luhi has big time players, going to big time schools. They’re ranked #3 in the country. When there frontline start to impose their will on RBC, coach Montano turned to his talented sophomore. Nobody knew what to expect. That is everyone except Sophie Smith. That because she came in the game right away and went to work. She scored a bucket. Played outstanding defense and ran the floor. She cleaned up the glass. In a lot of ways she was the secret sauce for RBC. Rather than force things in the post she passed the ball out to open teammates. Rather than put the ball on the floor in the post she looked and read her defenders. Sophie Smith was simply outstanding. The box score will not show her impact. When RBC and Luhi were tied at the half, Sophie Smith was a major reason why. She was cool, clam and impressive on a big stage against big time players. Sophie Smith “EARNED” her minutes. Yes, RBC rotates player in at certain times in games. But this was different. Sophie Smith was rotated in because they needed her and she did not disappoint.
I’m always worried about who gets in a kids ear. I know they don’t always get truth. It kills their development in the long run. Sophie Smith was part of the best freshman class in recent Shore history. But she knows there’s work still to be done. Too often kids get overloaded with information. Too often they lose focus and worry about things that really don’t matter. Too often kids get wrapped in themselves and not their teams. Sophie Smith I believed is locked in to her team. Now she has a chance to clear her head with a fresh new start in a lot of ways and finish the season in grand fashion. This weekend Sophie Smith was the player Coach Montano knows she can be, not the one he hopes she can be. This past weekend nobody was talking about Sophie Smith’s potential. They were talking about her game. The game that had college coaches drooling this summer. The game that could put RBC over the top. Sophie Smith has just taken a little longer than she liked to get where she is today. A place that is getting ready to see her talent explode all over the SCT AND STATE TOURNAMENT!