Former BCHS student-athlete remembered
Shawn Smith killed in Alabama wreck
A former standout student-athlete at Banks County High School was killed in a car wreck Sunday in Alabama while he was driving high school basketball players he coached from a weekend camp.
Shawn Smith, a 1995 graduate of BCHS and current teacher and coach at North Oconee High School in Bogart, was killed near Oxford, Ala., when his car was hit by a jackknifed tractor-trailer. Three North Oconee High School students were traveling with Smith and were listed in stable condition at various hospitals in Alabama and Georgia earlier this week. One of the students is the son of University of Georgia women’s basketball coach, Andy Landers.
As news of the accident reached Banks County late Sunday night, friends and colleagues who knew Smith from his time as a standout Leopard athlete, remembered the person who always had a smile on his face.
“He was a great athlete and an even greater person,” said Dennis Marlow, who coached Smith at BCHS in football. “I’ve been in Banks County more than 25 years and have known the Smith family that whole time. The entire family has always been very close.”
Marlow recalled Smith being used at several positions on the football field including quarterback, running back and defensive back.
“Whether we were successful or not, he always put the team first,” Marlow said. “He was always the same. He was very polite and never had a bad thing to say about anyone. He was a good kid who grew into a fine young adult.”
A strong work ethic was also something that helped define Smith, Marlow said.
“Shawn also treated people the way he wanted to be treated,” the former BCHS football coach said.
Mike Ruth coached Smith in basketball at BCHS and has fond memories of the 1995 Leopard team which reached the Elite Eight. Smith is the team’s point guard and played a pivotal role in one of the most successful basketball seasons in school history.
“Shawn was a junior when I came to Banks County,” Ruth said. “He is probably the best point guard I’ve ever coached. I’ve always said that about him.”
Smith was the leading scorer for the Leopards both his junior and senior campaigns. During his senior season, the team posted the second most wins in school history.
In the semi-finals of the region tournament in 1995, BCHS defeated Buford in triple overtime. Smith poured in 35 points but just as impressive, Ruth said, was the fact his star player had just two turnovers.
“To do that against an athletic, pressing team like Buford in a three-overtime game is quite an accomplishment,” the BCHS coach said.
The following night, with a packed gym at Commerce High School (the host of the region tournament that year,) BCHS defeated Oglethorpe County in double overtime.
Smith later taught and coached at BCHS for approximately a year before going to North Oconee. He helped coached both boys and girls basketball.
“He always had a smile on his face,” Ruth said. “He would do anything he could for you.”
Smith was a special education teacher and Ruth said he had told his former player several times through the years that he had chosen the right field for him.
At North Oconee, Smith was an assistant varsity boys basketball coach and head junior varsity coach. He was also a varsity football assistant.
Funeral services were still be arranged as of Tuesday. Moss-Stovall-Neal Funeral Home of Toccoa is handling the arrangements.
