By Rubin E. Grant
The first thing John David Smelser did three years ago when he learned about the Vestavia Hills girls basketball coaching job opening was to watch video of the Lady Rebels.
He didn’t know anything about the players on the team.
But after watching the video and seeing then-freshman Emma Smith play, Smelser immediately applied for the job.
“I loved the way she played,” Smelser said. “I figured it would be fun to coach a kid like that.”
Smelser’s admiration for Smith has grown exponentially in the three seasons he has coached her.
“She plays the game the right way,” Smelser said. “She plays hard and she not only scores, but she does all kinds of things for us. She guards, she rebounds and she’s relentless.
“She’s also brilliant outside of basketball. A lot of people only see her play and that’s all they know, but she’s a smart kid and an all-around great person.”
Smith was at her relentless best Monday morning in the Class 7A Northeast Regional final at Jacksonville State. She had 16 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals to lead the Lady Rebels (31-2) to a 49-43 victory over Hewitt-Trussville (25-7). She was named the 7A girls regional MVP.
The 5-foot-7 senior guard recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five steals in the Lady Rebels’ 65-32 victory against Huntsville last week in the regional semifinals.
She would like nothing better than to end her career playing in the state tournament after their past two seasons ended with close losses in the regional final.
“It would mean the world to me, to represent Vestavia in the Final Four,” Smith said. “If we make it, all glory to God.”
During this season, Smith became the all-time leading scorer in Vestavia Hills basketball history. She had scored 1,959 points and collected 1,024 rebounds entering Monday’s regional final. She was averaging 15.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.2 steals this season.
“This season has been everything I could ask for in a senior year,” Smith said. “But it’s also kind of bittersweet because of the close relationships I have with my teammates and coaches and this is my last year.”
Smith and her twin sister, Ally Smith, have played on the Lady Rebels’ varsity since they were in the eighth grade. They began playing basketball when they were 8 years old.
“Both of our older brothers played, so we were always around the game,” Emma Smith said. “Our parents signed us up and we loved it from the get-go.”
The two share a bond on and off the court, and their familiarity with each other can be clearly seen whenever they are playing a game.
“We are incredibly close,” Emma Smith said. “She’s my best friend. She can do something on the court or say something and I get exactly what she’s saying. It’s been a blessing playing with her for five years.
“It’s crazy how fast these five years have gone by. I can’t believe, at max, we have only three games left.”
Neither twin plans to play college basketball, so this week and/or next week has special meaning.
Ally Smith is headed to Auburn and Emma Smith – who is a top-notch student, scoring 34 on the ACT and carrying a 4.5 grade-point average – plans to attend the University of Denver and study finance.
“I want to do something different with the next chapter in my life,” Emma Smith said.
