by Derek ToneyGina Torres still doesn’t believe it. Whenever she’s approached about her son Kevin Smith and his abilities on the basketball court, Torres has a hard time picturing her youngest child as a star on the rise.
“He’s just Kevin,” Torres said.
And he’s arguably the best freshman in Baltimore. Smith, a 6-foot guard, is at Baltimore Freedom Academy, an innovative school located in east Baltimore. Though he played the past season in relative anonymity, Smith is more than established in local hoop circles.
“In terms of a player, it’s not even close from Carmelo [Anthony] to Melvin Scott to Tay [Lafonte Johnson], he's much better than any freshman I've ever been around,” said Baltimore Freedom Academy coach Joe Connolly. “The only freshman I've seen more polished than him at this age is Mark Karcher.”
A former assistant at Towson Catholic High and coach for local AAU programs Baltimore Blue and Team Melo, Connolly has seen his share of talent high school performers over the last two decades. With opportunities at more established and well-known schools, Smith ended up at the east Lombard Street school that has approximately 300 students.
“We haven't recruited anybody. We just deal with kids in the school,” said Connolly. “Obviously we're lucky with Kevin.”
Smith averaged 32 points and six assists a game this past season for Baltimore Freedom Academy (18-7) which won the Baltimore Innovative Athletic Conference championship. In the title game against Coppin Academy earlier this month, Smith had a game-high 42 points.
Torres said she came across Baltimore Freedom Academy and Connolly through looking at local high school basketball chat rooms. Torres wanted Smith in a stable environment to strengthen his academic background.
“I knew the school was more academic than athletics. The one thing for my son and being in the city and being exposed, academics play a part in moving on for the future,” said Torres, who lives in Parkville. “I need a pie, it's not just basketball, it's not just academics, I wanted a foundation for Kevin, and everything is working out well”
"All the teachers have been helpful, they're thinking about my future if basketball doesn't work out,” said
Smith. “It's about school work first, then basketball.”
The basketball part of Smith’s life has come easy, playing with Team Melo’s 17-under squad as a 12-year old, with the likes Donte’ Greene (Syracuse University), University of Maryland recruit Sean Mosley (St. Frances Academy) and Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech). Smith has an interesting connection to Anthony, one of the National Basketball Association’s top young stars for the Denver Nuggets.
Anthony, who starred at Syracuse University and Towson Catholic High, moved from New York City to Baltimore in fifth grade and attended Mount Royal Middle. Born in New York, Smith moved to Baltimore from Gaithersburg, and attended Mount Royal in sixth grade. Smith’s grandmother and Anthony’s mother live in the same apartment building in Red Hook, and Smith’s dad, Kevin Sr., coached Anthony as a seven-year old.
“He's a 14-year old phenom. He’s played two-guard, but with us he gets to play the 1 and the stage to showcase his skills,” said Connelly. “In some ways, it can be a negative because some of the teammates might not be on par with his talent, but for him, he's a big fish in an extremely small pond.”
Connolly isn’t naïve about Smith’s long-term prospects at Baltimore Freedom Academy with the allure of more established programs. After initial skepticism, Connolly said Smith has shown maturity beyond his young age.
“The only place to go when you're a top guy is down, he's just has to keep working hard,” said Connolly. “The intangibles like leadership, staying positive are important because this situation for him is like a test of his character. More so, people pigeon-hole kids like Kevin, but he's not a prima-donna. He's got a good mother who wants to see him do well.”
Smith said being at Baltimore Freedom Academy “is the most fun I’ve had in school.” Torres, who admits she’s still learning about the sport, is taken aback by her son's potential.
“The athletic part was just about keeping him out of trouble, it wasn't about the politics or who he knows, he came with the skill, I didn't know that,” said Torres. “I see it, but then I don’t. He’s Kevin.”