Milestone in hand, Atwater star trying to help Falcons end 43-year championship drought
Atwater High senior Robert Smid already picked up one big career milestone this season, surpassing 1,000 career points.
Smid can add another huge achievement if he can help lead the Falcons to their first Central California Conference boys basketball championship since 1978.
Smid and Atwater improved to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the CCC on Thursday night with a 63-55 win over Golden Valley at Falcon Arena.
The Cougars gave the Falcons one of their toughest tests, leading for most of the first half before Atwater outscored GV 31 to 20 in the second half to pull away.
Smid played a big part, scoring 13 of his team-high 19 points in the second half.
“He took advantage,” said Golden Valley’s first-year coach Derrick Jacobs. “They had a great plan. They ran a bunch of screens to get the switches they wanted and he went to work on somebody who was less skilled than him. Kudos to him for his recognition.”
Stellar career
Smid has been one of the top Merced County players during his three-year varsity career.
He averaged 15.7 points as a sophomore, 18.1 points as a junior and so far this spring he’s averaging 21 points.
His 33 points in a win against Buhach Colony on May 18 gave him 1,003 career points.
Smid said he didn’t know he had hit the mark until after the game.
“It was really special because I’m one of the few who did in school history,” Smid said. “I think was just the second one in the last 21 years to do it.”
Smid was a freshman when Kanoa Smith took over the basketball program. Four years later, he’s the only senior who stuck with the program. Smid is one of only two seniors on the team this year.
“I didn’t have to cut anybody,” Smith said. “They all cut themselves. Robert was the only one that stuck it out. It’s a big reason why Rob scored 1,000 points. He followed through and stuck it out.”
Culture change
Smid is part of the culture change Smith has tried to instill into the program. The success hasn’t come quickly.
Atwater won only one CCC game in his first season. The Falcons only won two CCC games in his second year and four conference wins last year.
With an infusion of young talent, the Falcons are on top of the CCC standings and in the driver’s seat to win the program’s first conference championship in 43 years.
“We talk about it almost every day,” Smith said. “We talk about leaving a legacy. How do we want to be remembered? I think these guys understand what we’re trying to do. The culture is definitely different in past year.”
It’s not just Smid.
The Falcons count on sophomores Tyler Parr and Colton Dukes who both played varsity as freshmen last year.
Five of the Falcons who see regular playing time this season are freshmen and sophomores.
“When these guys came to me they were more experienced,” Smith said. “They have a higher basketball IQ. A lot of them have been playing AAU ball since they were in fifth and sixth grade.”
Smid says it feels strange being one of the few seniors on a young team.
“It feels weird,” he said “I’m used to being the young guy. Last year we had a team full of seniors.”
Smid says it would be great to end his high school career with a conference championship.
“It would be pretty special to put a number up on that wall,” Smid said. “That’s something we’ll always be able to remember. Our team has put in work waiting for the season. It would be pretty good to see something positive at the end of it.”
