Tubby Smith: Focus on what's important

October 7, 2016

When he took the stage in front of hundreds of students from the Upstate Monday night as the speaker at the Coaches 4 Character event., Tubby Smith had plenty of experiences from which he could share insight and encouragement

Smith is just weeks away from his first season at the helm of men's basketball at the University of Memphis. The Tigers are the sixth program for a coach who has taken each of the previous five to the NCAA tournament. He won a national title as the head coach at Kentucky.

In more than 25 years of coaching, Smith has worked with a lot of young people. He said little has really changed about young people.

"They all want to be successful,: he said before the program at Redemption Church. "They all want to play. They all want to be cared for. They want to be led the right way. I don't know that there's much of a change. The only thing I see are the distractions and the things they have to live with today in our society." Those distractions include social networks, media scrutiny, and sometimes even family. 

As he spoke to the students Smith drew as  much from his life growing up as he did from his career. He particularly spoke of what his parents taught him and his 16 siblings. May of those things deal with the basics.

"When you have a vision and a passion for something, great things can happen." Smith said. "And dreams are based on opportunities, and opportunities are based on relationships." 

He encouraged the students to set goals and "to focus in on the things that are important."

Smith joined a long line of major college coaches to participate in the Coaches 4 Character program. Monday, that program recognized two middle school students - Aydin Virga and Dylan Swain -- for their efforts at school and in their community.

"These gutys were chosen out of 300 eighth graders for their servant leadership attitude," said Kellie Farma, Virga's and Swain's principal at Hillcrest Middle School. "They're collaborative. They're cooperative. They stand up for what is right. They're always looking for opportunities to serve others."

By: Myron Hosea -- Greenville Online 

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