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Winner
Woodstock Academy boy's basketball coach Greg Smith takes down the net at the academy after the team won the state championship. Photo courtesy of Douglas Cutler.
By Ron P. Coderre
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” is an apt cliché that can be used to describe Woodstock Academy basketball coach Greg Smith. The cliché is most appropriate with one exception, the 2012-2013 men’s basketball season.
Smith, in his 20th year on the faculty at the Academy, arrived in 1993 when he accepted a position in the History department. Self-described as “a pleaser,” he has accepted just about every assistant coaching position when he’s been asked during his two decades on staff.
Prior to being elevated to varsity basketball coach five years ago, Smith served as freshman, junior varsity, and varsity assistant for 11 seasons before even being considered for the head coaching position. During his five seasons at the helm of the Centaur hoop fortunes Smith is the holder of a 65-52 record. Entering this season, in which the Acads posted a brilliant 24-3 log, Smith and his teams were a less than spectacular 42-49.
But, what a difference a season can make. Especially one that includes an Eastern Connecticut Conference regular season Large Division title and even more impressive, a CIAC Class L Championship.
Whether he’ll admit it or not, Smith has become a bit of a celebrity in his home town and around Northeastern Connecticut. Chances are if an election was to be held in Woodstock now, Smith could easily win the First Selectman position. Despite the success, the modest and humble Smith takes very little credit for the big turnaround witnessed in Woodstock over the past winter.
“My two assistant coaches, Mike Bourgeois and Dave Magee, compliment my style of coaching perfectly. Couple that with a team of players who had a special chemistry, desire and work ethic, we had a scenario where all the pieces for success came together harmoniously,” said Coach Smith.
When first call for tryouts took place in November it was evident that this team had something special. The kids had worked together over the summer, not only on basketball, but in the weight room as well. And then there was Sullivan Gardner, the kid who skipped basketball his junior year.
“The kids on the team approached me and told me he needed this team. It sounds like stuff out of the movies, but even some players who realized they may lose playing time with him on the team were saying, ‘he needs the team and we need him’” said a pensive Smith.
Employing a technique from legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden of talking about success and taking the season one game at a time the Centaurs embarked on the magical season with a big win over a good Ellington team. They carried the winning streak to 9-0 with wins over the likes of New London, Waterford, Lyman Fitch and Suffield.
And then came what could have been a devastating one point loss to Windham. Rather the loss made the team refocus.
“Coach Bourgeois quickly noted that the loss exposed some weaknesses we had. We worked on those things and continued to take each game as it came along,” said Smith.
The team reeled off four more victories before losing to Bacon in overtime in a contest that was emotional for the winners. On that evening Bacon honored the father of two of its players who was serving in Afghanistan. Military Night was the team’s second loss.
The loss was the beginning of another winning streak, one that took them to 18-2 at the end of the regular season. It also helped them achieve a preseason goal, winning the ECC regular season Large Division crown. Looking toward the ECC Tournament, the Centaurs got by Stonington only to suffer a disappointing loss at the hands of New London a team it had beaten twice previously.
Each of our losses was a lesson,” said Smith.
The team had now lost only three times and by a mere total of five points. To some this would have been devastating but it gave this group of Centaurs the will to refocus and look ahead. Even a devastating early season loss to injury of starting forward Wil Bourgeois and the temporary loss of point guard and catalyst Chris Lowry to a thumb injury, never took away from the spirit of the other players.
Led by high scoring senior Ian Converse (20.4 ppg. and 11.8 rpg) and the “head of the snake” Chris Lowry (13 ppg., 8 apg., 3 rebounds and two steals per contest) the team prepared for the State Tournament. There were other actors in the cast also. Gardner came up big in Bourgeois’ absence, averaging 7.4 points a contest and contributing a massive 9.2 boards a game. Tristan Welch, the three-point bomber rose to the occasion with some big winning baskets from beyond the arc, while averaging 10.1 points per game.
And there were the unsung heroes, “Big” John McGinn whose presence and play off the boards doesn’t tell the story of his value to the team. And Trent Peters, the little guy off the bench who could ignite the team and crowd with his long range shooting. The pieces were in place for the run to the crown.
The tourney started with wins over North Haven and Middletown, two teams that Woodstock would have shriveled in front of in the past. Next were overtime wins against Wilton and Bunnell, the latter victory on the new wood floor that had just arrived from St. Louis.
“The floor made all the difference. It gave the team, the school and the community something to be proud of. It was a morale booster, said Smith.
As the team headed to Mohegan Sun Arena with its semifinal win in its back pocket, they remained the underdog to Number 1 seeded Trinity Catholic of Stamford. That story’s been told many times and in many places but the 52-49 victory in front of probably the largest crowd in CIAC history was the icing on the (wedding) cake.
The win provided Woodstock Academy with its first ever basketball State Championship. It also gave Coach Greg Smith the credibility to shed his title, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” Smith and his Centaurs were able to stand proud as State Champs. And for the perennial assistant coach, he had the validity of his hard work as, “Head Coach” and the man who had gone to the altar of basketball greatness off a previous season record of 9-13.