School: Norristown
Basketball
Favorite athlete: Dwight Howard
Favorite sports team: North Carolina
Favorite memory competing in sports: “The only two points I scored won the Penn Wood (district title) game.”
Most embarrassing/funniest moment while competing in sports: “When I got rejected twice at the rim in the same game.”
Music on iPod: Gospel Music (“Broken But I’m Healed”)
Future plans: Get a degree in criminal justice
Favorite motto/words to live by: “No weapons formed against me shall prosper.”
One goal before turning 30: “Giving back to my community.”
One thing people don’t know about me: “I almost died when I was in third grade.”
Tom Smith could safely be called the ‘X’ factor on Norristown’s district championship squad.
The junior forward doesn’t start, and he’s not the star on a team that features Temple-bound Khalif Wyatt. Teams don’t game plan to stop Smith, but perhaps they should since few players have had more impact in the Eagles’ post-season success.
In Norristown’s 60-53 district semifinal win over Pennsbury, it was Smith who came off the bench to score all eight of his points in the second half, effectively thwarting any Falcon comeback attempt.
Three days later, Smith – who was hampered with foul problems the entire night – scored the basket that gave Norristown a lead it would not lose (50-49) with 1:17 remaining in its dramatic district title win over Penn Wood at Villanova University. It was Smith’s only basket of the night in the Eagles’ 52-49 win.
In Saturday’s state tournament opener, Smith came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points, helping propel the Eagles to a 68-60 win over Elizabethtown.
“He just brings that energy off the bench,” Norristown coach Mike Evans said. “We know when we put Tom in he’s going to take us to the next level and get the guys ready to go.
“Any way he can, he gives us a spark whenever he gets in the game – a key rebound, a key point. He’s a motivator out there. He works hard, and it shows on the floor.”
Making Smith’s story even more remarkable is the fact that he didn’t finish the season with the team last year, leaving the squad after districts since he needed to work more hours.
“He sacrificed basketball to help his family out last year, which was hard for him to do,” Evans said. “He helps around the house, he works, he does it all. He’s a great kid.”
As a sophomore, Smith saw most of his action at the junior varsity level and only limited minutes at the varsity level. He had no intention of going out for the squad this year and credits senior James Ramsey for talking him into trying out.
“A lot of people told me that I wasn’t going to make the team for the simple fact that I left the team last year right after districts,” Smith said. “James was the one that kept saying, ‘Tom, no, you’re too good at this to waste your talent.’
“In the Bible, it talks about a person that has talent and doesn’t use it, and it’s not good that a person that has the talent does not use it.”
Smith is not only using his talents, he’s enjoying every minute of a special season.
“I’m just ecstatic,” he said. “James is the one that pushed me so far, so much. For my whole high school career, James is the one who’s been holding me up.”
Growing up, there was absolutely nothing to suggest that Smith would have a high school career in sports. When he was in third grade, Smith – who was held back a year - went through a life-threatening bout of asthma.
“I almost died,” he said of a disease he still battles today.
He and twin brother Tim did not become involved in any sports until they were 13 years old.
“My uncle Gene (Richet) got us into playing sports,” Tom said of his uncle who is the Deputy Chief of Police in Norristown. “We played in the PAL Center, and we just took off from that.
“We never played competitively. We were always in the house or on our steps. Our mom kept a close eye on us.”
Once they started playing sports, they never stopped.
“We didn’t want to get out of the game,” Tom said. “We just wanted to play sports and play and play more. We loved it right away.”
Tom and his twin brother were separated when – before Tom’s sophomore year – Tim went to live with his aunt and uncle and enrolled in Methacton.
“It was really difficult for me to let my brother go,” Tom said. “I always had a grudge since then, but when you grow up and mature, you have to let things go.”
The two have smoothed things over and see each other regularly.
“It’s the hardest this year because my brother leaves for college in a few months, and I’m going to still be here in Norristown,” Tom said.
The twin brothers work together at William Penn Inn where both are chefs, following in the footsteps of their father who is also a chef.
“I love it,” Tom said of his job.
His brother Tim is planning to forego sports to pursue the culinary arts in college. Tom – inspired by his Uncle Gene - plans to major in criminal justice.
Tom continues to have a rigorous schedule this year as he juggles work with school and basketball.
“There are times I go to work right after practice,” he said. “There are times when my coaches allow me to miss practice on Saturdays and allow me to go to work, and I’ll be working eight, nine, 10 hours a day.”
Smith is trying to put into practice what he learned from last year’s seniors.
“Last year, I knew I wasn’t going to see the floor because we have too many people in front of me,” he said. “I was there to support the team.
“This year I’m trying to hold up what they instilled in me, especially Vonte Shippen and Quentin Watson and how they helped me out. They pushed me when I was tired, when I wanted to quit, when I wanted to go home and go to sleep. They said, ‘Tom, you have to push yourself past all of this.’
“I truly thank the players from last year. Maurice Briggs would tell me, ‘Don’t just settle for the layup. Go dunk the ball.’ They always instilled in me to go after it, to go beyond the expectations everyone had for me.”
Smith has certainly gone well beyond the expectations of most, and he’s not only developed his skills, he has increased his strength by working tirelessly in the weight room.
“My coaches want me to be the strongest big man in the area,” the Eagles’ 6-3 forward said. “I might not have the height, but I have the strength.”
That strength goes beyond the muscles Smith has developed. The junior forward is mentally tough and possesses an unwavering faith.
“That’s so important to me,” he said. “As long as I keep God first and I give him the honor, glory and praise first. We do that as a team. We try to encourage each other spiritually and emotionally.”
Smith, who leads the team prayer before every game, admits there have been some hard times along the way.
“I just have to stay positive,” he said. “That’s why I talk to James every day. He’s the one encouraging me on the team, telling me ‘Don’t look at all the negatives. Look at the positive side. Always think that the cup is full.’”
“Tom has grown a lot,” Evans said. “His non-stop work ethic carries over into the games. He is a true example of what hard work can do for you.
“Some nights I have to put him out of the gym because he wants to stay and work. He listens, he works hard. He’s such a great kid and a pleasure to be around.”
