Casey Smith believed in Anthony Carlyle.
After leading the Velma Jackson High School boys basketball team to four state titles in five seasons, Carlyle had instant credibility when he became boys basketball coach at Columbus High.
Carlyle’s arrival created an opportunity for Smith, who already was one of the state’s best point guards, to hone his skills under one of the state’s top coaches while playing in the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s biggest classification.
When Smith decided to transfer from West Lowndes High, a Class 1A school, to Columbus High, a Class 6A school, he hoped playing for Carlyle would make him a better player and help him attract offers to play in college.
Following 27 victories and a Class 6A State championship, Smith’s decision came full circle Friday morning when he signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville.
“I took Jones because I felt like it was home to me,” Smith said. “Everybody showed good character, and I liked the campus. It was a good ride. I am blessed to have played on this team. I am glad I transferred, and I couldn’t have asked for a better coach.”
Smith, Aaron Johnson and RJ DeLoach (Holmes Community College), and Denijay Harris (Southwest Mississippi C.C.) finalized their decisions Friday morning in a signing ceremony in the Columbus High gym.
Smith, Johnson, DeLoach, and Harris will join classmate Robert Woodard II, who will play basketball at Mississippi State, at the next level.
All five were key contributors in Columbus’ run to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A State championship. The championship was the second in three years for Columbus, which finished 27-6 under Carlyle, who was in his first season as head coach at the school.
Carlyle said Smith’s maturation as a point guard showed college coaches he could control the game. He said the college coaches knew Smith, who is 5-foot-8, could score, but he said they needed to see Smith lead a team, manage the tempo, and get his teammates involved.
Carlyle also said Smith’s dedication to improving his conditioning played an important role in him getting an opportunity to play basketball in college.
That work started in the offseason when Smith said he lost 17 pounds. He said it didn’t take him long to discover that losing the weight helped him feel better prepared to be one of the state’s top point guards.
“There are things I can do so much easier (without the 17 pounds),” Smith said during the season. “When I met coach Carlyle and saw the workouts we were doing, I realized immediately I could lose that much weight. About the third week, I got in the mirror and realized coach turned me into what he wanted me to be.”
Smith continued to become that player during the season. He had one of his best games of the season in a 15-point effort in a 64-37 victory against New Hope in the final game of the 21st-annual Joe Horne Christmas Classic at Columbus High.
Smith averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 steals. He led the team with 37 3-pointers and was second to DeLoach in assists with 99.
In all, Smith had nine double-figure scoring games, including a season high of 16 points. He also had 11 points in a 44-34 victory against Starkville in the Final Four on March 7 in Jackson.
“Coach Carlyle has really pushed me through everything,” Smith said. “He got everything he wanted out of me. He has shown me the tools I need to be prepared for college.”
Smith credited his mother, Teayon, for keeping him focused, on track, and locked in on his academics because it is crucial to be a good student first to be involved in athletics.
Smith said this season was like another first step for him in that he raised his preparation and commitment to another level. He hopes everything he learned will help prepare him for the next steps he makes.
“Coach Carlyle let us know what our goal was to reach,” Smith said. “Starting off in August, I did have some weight on me. Coach every day said, ‘Casey, you’re my point guard. I am going to need you to do this. I am going to need you to do that.’ He pushed me to be the best I can be. I had to get in my head that coach really sees something in me, so there must be something inside me I need to see myself. I took on the role, took it hard, and stayed after it every day. I made sure I made my teammates better. They made me better. Adversity came, but we fought through it and at the end of the day we had to stick together and get the championship.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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