Dressed in his trademark red sweater, Coe-Brown boys’ basketball coach Dave Smith’s color scheme didn’t quite match the rest of his family on Friday. That’s because his coaching son and his grandson were clad in their home whites while representing the John Stark squad.
Last Monday’s Monitor sports page featured a story about a grandfather and grandson who played on the same team in the Black Ice Pond Hockey tournament. This week’s scene of family ties was a bit different. Josh Smith splashed a three-pointer during Stark’s third-quarter rally, much to his grandfather’s dismay.
Mike Smith, who has led the Stark program for 26 years, said the game reflected a season defined by growth more than results. His team, still learning how to compete for four full quarters, showed progress even when shots wouldn’t fall in the loss to his father’s Bears, 63-44.
“We’re super young,” Mike Smith said. “But I like the effort and the energy. Earlier in the year, when we weren’t scoring, it affected us defensively. Tonight, we stayed tough.”
That toughness, he said, was evident in how his team battled through scoring droughts and closed the third quarter with a late run, signs of a group beginning to understand how to compete at a higher level.
Coaching against his father is no longer unusual, but it remains meaningful. The two know each other’s tendencies and philosophies well enough that strategy often takes a back seat to execution.
“It’s fun coaching against him, because it’s fun coaching against not just your dad, but because he’s been doing it forever and is just an amazing coach.”
Much of the son’s coaching philosophy comes directly from those years spent learning from his father. He said it took nearly a decade of coaching for him to fully appreciate that influence.
“You work with a lot of kids who don’t have stable families,” Mike Smith said as his eyes welled up as he appreciated how his parents raised him. “If we can try to be that as much as we can for them, be there and be good role models, that’s what we try to do.”
For Dave Smith, the night carried significance beyond the result. With his son coaching and his grandson on the court, the game served as a reminder of what lasts longest.
“Who wins and who loses is really irrelevant in the big picture,” he said. “I’m proud of my son, and I’m proud of my grandson.”
He said he has been pleased with his own team’s development, particularly as younger players begin to settle into their roles and the group starts to establish an identity.
The grandson, Josh, a junior, has grown up in gyms like this one. Facing his grandfather’s team adds a different kind of intensity, but also familiarity.
“It’s always really competitive,” he said. “It just feels different. I know the players, so it’s fun.”
Away from game nights, he continues to learn from both generations. His father works with him regularly on skill development and mindset, emphasizing patience and consistency. His grandfather, through camps and years of example, has helped shape his understanding of the game.
“He’s helped me see the game better,” the junior said. “And not get too frustrated when it’s not my night.”
On a night when three generations shared the same court, basketball served its usual role — not just as a competition, but as a connection, passed down and still unfolding.