CV Star Strives To Become A Quarterback On The Court
GSL boys basketball preview
Ryan Smith gave up football in seventh grade when, as a quarterback, he got sacked and some fingers were broken.
“I didn’t want to get hurt for basketball,” he said, smiling at the memory.
After Central Valley’s State 4A football championship last Saturday, he’s having second thoughts. Of course, when the Bears tip off their basketball season Saturday he may feel like a quarterback again.
Six Bears just started full-speed drills on Tuesday.
“It sets us back a little bit, at practice we had to go back over all the things they didn’t learn that we learned, but they bring that tough mentality,” Smith said. “They bring back enthusiasm, though. All of them are my friends. I like to see them back.”
If Smith, a 5-foot-10 point guard who was a first-team All-Greater Spokane League pick last year, plays like coach Rick Sloan expects him to, it might not take long for the Bears to get going.
“One year makes a huge difference,” Sloan said. “Ryan is coming in with a lot of leadership. He was a good point guard last year but he’s starting to understand it better, that his job isn’t necessarily to score all the points, just to make us a better team.
“Last year, I think sometimes he felt like, if he didn’t score, we weren’t going to score. This year, he realizes we have a pretty good supporting cast and his job is to just make us better. And so far he’s doing that.”
Smith is the top returning scorer in the league, finishing fourth with a 13.3 average in league games.
“I can shoot and drive,” he said. “This year, I want to assist more. Coach Sloan wants me to be more of a point guard. Last year, I was sometimes more of an off guard. Sometimes, I didn’t get my teammates the ball when I should have. I’m still looking to score but I’m also looking to make my teammates better.”
Smith transferred from East Valley before his sophomore year, a parting that was unpleasant but not widely understood. He admits basketball and the chance to play for Terry Irwin played a part, but the big reason was he was being harassed by older kids.
Irwin retired before last season but Smith knows he made the right decision.
“I’m ingrained,” he said. “I like it here, I like the atmosphere here, the kids are nice.”
Now he is ready for a big finish.
“His strengths are his quickness and his ability to handle the ball,” Sloan said. “One big worry for a coach is not being able to get the ball up the floor and get into the offense. It’s nice that we have a guy that can handle the pressure like he can and do it with the confidence he has.”
The Bears are among the league favorites with Ferris and Mead. Their goals are still the same, although winning the league title may be difficult until the football players round into form.
“I think the jury is still out on what the benefits of going to state will be in basketball,” Sloan said. “I know the memories those kids have and the experience they have is something that is going to last them a lifetime.
“That’s the way it is, the hand we got dealt. We’ve got to play it. There’s no question they’re going to bring confidence to the basketball program. It’s a matter of when we’re going to get them in basketball condition, when they come together and mesh with the rest of the players.”
The GSL opens Friday but CV’s game with North Central was moved to Saturday. Then the Bears, who had their preseason games canceled, face Ferris on Tuesday. In a balanced league, a slow start may rule out contending for a league title.
“It might start putting a little pressure on us because we’re expected to win the league, but I don’t think it will affect us too much,” Smith said. “We’ll keep on playing hard every night, but once we get these guys back in playing form we’ll start connecting.”
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