Staff Report
While her younger sister, Brielle, may have been the leading scorer last winter for the Mainland Regional High girls basketball team, senior Callie Smith was a true leader from her point guard position.
The team fed off her energy, smarts and toughness throughout a year that saw the Stangs win 18 games and advance to the quarterfinals of the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament and the state playoffs. Smith was an outstanding defender, averaging nearly two steals per game, but her true value came as a facilitator. She averaged nearly five assists per game, and had only one game her entire senior year in which she didn’t record an assist.
That level of consistency gave confidence to a young, rebuilding team under Bobby Edmunds, who took over for coach Scott Betson, who won two state championships during his time on the bench.
“She is a straight-A student, she leads by example on and off the court, she helps coordinate all the team dinners. She’s really the glue and the foundation of this team,” Edmunds said of Smith following the team’s loss to Toms River East in the state playoffs in early March. “We’re really going to miss her next year. We’re going to have six seniors next year, so hopefully they can take a page out of her book and see the way she reacted during difficult times.
“She’s battled through so much adversity. Last year, she had some ups and down — she split her head open, had about 28 stitches in her head, and she came back and in her first game back she led a 30-point comeback against OLMA. That’s just the type of toughness she brings to the court every time. She will be missed, dearly. She has a bright future ahead of her and we wish her nothing but success.”
After transferring from rival Ocean City, where she played varsity as a freshman and started as a sophomore, Smith had a pretty good junior year at Mainland, averaging 6.4 points per game and 2.8 assists per game. But as a senior, she improved her numbers in every offensive category. She finished her two years at Mainland with nearly 350 points and 200 assists, hit 34 threes and added 71 steals, 127 rebounds and even 20 blocked shots.
She also scored 18 goals for the Mainland girls lacrosse team her senior year, leading the Mustangs to a 16-5 record and a berth in the South Jersey Group 3 semifinals.
“She showed you don’t have to be an elite scorer or Division I recruit to impact the game,” Edmunds said. “Unluckily for me, I only had the chance to coach her for one year. I watched film on her from her junior year and said, ‘how can I put her in a position to have a better senior year?’ And she responded. She answered the call.”
— Staff Writer Dave O’Sullivan
