Smith more than meets challenge
ADAMS TWP — Vinny Smith knew taking over as the No. 1 option after two-time Butler Eagle Player of the Year Steve Cress graduated wouldn't be easy.
He just made it look that way.
Smith, the senior center for the Planets, averaged 17 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game and guided Mars to the postseason for the second consecutive season.
For his efforts, Smith was voted the Butler Eagle Boys Player of the Year by the newspaper's sports department, edging C.J. Brown of Seneca Valley. Scott Booth of Union also received consideration.
"Definitely, there was a lot of pressure," said Smith. "There were big shoes to fill with Steve leaving. We did our part. I think we did better than people thought.
"I knew it would be a lot of work. I didn't want to let anyone down,"Smith added.
"We had very high expectations for Vinny and he exceeded them," said Mars coach Rob Carmody. "He filled so many roles: scoring, rebounding, defense, screening. He became a complete basketball player.
"As a coach, it's great to see a player score a lot of points, but when he's a complete player, that's even better," Carmody added.
Smith was an Eagle third-team selection last year, averaging 11.4 points and eight rebounds per game. As a sophomore, Smith averaged 10.2 points and 9.0 rebounds and nine points as a freshman.
Carmody points to Smith's monster game against eventual WPIALClass AAA champion Hampton. The Planets defeated the Talbots 64-56 Jan. 20. Smith finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and four assists.
"Coming in every game, Plan 1 was to stop Vinny and go after him defensively," said Carmody. "We don't have a lot of size after Vinny. He was such a rock for our team. We would not have been as successful without him."
The Planets went 16-8 overall and 7-5 in the section for fourth place, including a preliminary playoff win against Elizabeth Forward before the team lost to WPIAL runner-up Chartiers Valley in the first round.
Getting back to the playoffs was a big deal to Smith, who learned from watching Cress and Tim Frye, now a walk-on at Pitt.
"Whenever we needed a bucket, we turned to those guys," said Smith, who has narrowed his college choices to Juniata or Washington & JeffersonCollege. "It felt good to be trusted. It felt good to know if we needed one shot, it was going to me.
"You couldn't take plays off. It comes by so fast. It's your senior year. You can't say 'I'll work on that next year,'" Smith added.
Just as Frye and Cress before him, Smith wants to leave a little something behind that the younger players can aspire.
"Definitely, my work ethic," Smith said. "This is the probably the hardest I've ever worked. (Junior forward) Luke Gruber and (sophomore guards) Brad Weischedel and Christian Locher worked hard every game. You can stop a great player, but not a hard worker."
That certainly was a trait not lost on Carmody.
"The scoring of points, the grabbing of rebounds, that's the stuff that shows up in the newspapers,"he said.
"We're trying to establish a strong program. Vinny came to practice every day and worked hard. He was never above the team. He exemplifies what we want as a player and a person and that's a tribute to Vinny and his family."
