In her freshman and sophomore years at Live Oak High, senior Grace Smith encountered a unique set of circumstances whenever the Acorns played Leland. The coach on the other sideline was none other than her dad, Terry, who has been instrumental in helping Grace develop into a well-rounded student-athlete.
“It was definitely a little strange at first,” said Grace, a 5-foot-7 guard who is averaging a team-high 18 points per game for Live Oak, which entered the week at 17-5 overall and 7-1 in the Blossom Valley League’s Santa Teresa East Division. “My mom (Julie) definitely set a lot of rules in the house about trash talking and being good sports so she wouldn’t have to deal with it. We each won a couple of games against each other. It was a really cool experience, not just for me but for many of my teammates, too. He had coached some of them growing up as well, so there was a lot of connection.”
Smith has the advantage of having a supportive dad who is a longtime coach; hours a 55-43 win over Oak Grove in a showdown for first place on Feb. 2, Terry was giving Grace pointers on her shooting form.
“Having someone so educated and passionate about basketball has helped me develop my own passion and growth in my basketball career,” Grace said. “I fell in love with the game at a really young age, and it’s been great I’ve been able to connect with my dad through basketball.”
In beating Oak Grove, the Acorns avenged an earlier loss to the Eagles. They did it in impressive fashion, trailing 19-7 after the first quarter before outscoring the Eagles 48-24 the rest of the way. Hours before the game, Smith said the team was ready to exact payback.
“We’re all seeking revenge, fired up and happy to have a second chance to play them,” she said. “We’ve all been watching film and going over adjustments we need to make. Since the first time we played them, we’ve made vast improvements. All of the girls have been working so hard, and we’re ready to finish league strong.”
Live Oak’s success is largely predicated on its willingness to embrace a team mentality. Each summer, the girls spend a week in Lake Tahoe playing basketball and doing other activities.
“That is our huge team bonding experience,” Smith said. “I love all these girls so much. The energy is always so positive, and that’s great because we spend such long hours together. It’s not torture as it might be for some other teams because we all want to be there and support each other on and on off the court. It’s really a family.”
Smith enjoyed a great moment with her teammates in the aftermath of a win over Lincoln on Jan. 19. In the fourth quarter, Smith surpassed 1,000 career points.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” she said.
Speaking of meaningful games, Live Oak thoroughly enjoyed its 42-37 win over crosstown rival Sobrato on Dec. 21. Smith said while it was nice to win the game, she viewed the contest as everything that is right about basketball in Morgan Hill.
“It’s like a family reunion, especially this year since the game was around the holidays and we had a lot of old teammates here,” she said. “There was a lot of good emotions and good energy going on.”
Smith and Sobrato junior Kianna Maldia happen to be good friends, as they are teammates on the West Valley travel team.
“Last summer we spent literally every second together: in the gym, in the car on road trips, on planes and sharing hotel rooms,” Smith said. “We keep each other accountable.”
On the first day of league play, Smith texted Maldia with these words: “Alright, it’s our time to dominate. We’re going to do our thing and be awesome.”
And that’s exactly what the two have done, as Maldia has helped lead Sobrato to the top of the BVAL’s Mount Hamilton Division standings. Smith scores her points in a variety of ways, depending on the opposing team’s defense. Smith can take smaller players inside while having the ability to blow by taller defenders off the dribble.
In addition to her basketball accomplishments, Smith is a high achiever off the court as well. Smith carries a 4.27 GPA, is the ASB president and volunteers as a way of showing love and giving back to people. Smith said she is proud of the fact that the team’s average GPA is above 4.0, a remarkable accomplishment.
It’s a huge accomplishment for all of us,” she said. “To achieve that is really awesome.”
Smith said her favorite volunteer event is to go to a nursing home and talk with the people there.
“A lot of the people at nursing homes just need a friend and someone to talk to,” she said. “It’s such a minimal thing, but they’re a forgotten generation. I’ve lived with my grandparents over half my life, and have such an appreciation for them. Working in a nursing home helps me to realize how many grandparents don’t have family around them. I really like to have conversations with them because they have so many awesome stories to tell, and they like to hear what’s going on in my life.”
Smith plans on being a CEO in the future, for the simple fact that she loves to be in charge with the purpose of helping others to achieve their potential. She’s already doing that on the basketball court.
