Warren Smith (seated, center) became the Georgia Northwestern Bobcats’ newest player when he signed with the team on Wednesday. On hand for the ceremony at Dade County High School were parents Keith Smith and Sonya Holmes (seated) and (back row) Alan Morris, Glen Hicks, David Stephenson, Ryan Smith, Josh Ingle, Matt Woods, Buddy Durham, and Rick Mabry
photo by GNW Athletics
Throughout the history of the Georgia Northwestern men’s basketball program, there have been several constants — former Dade County High School players being among them.
On Wednesday, 6-foot-3 wing/post Warren Smith added his name to a list that includes Ben Patton, Jesse Moore and ex-player-turned-GNTC-assistant-coach Matt Woods when he signed on to be a Bobcat.
“This day means a lot to me,” Smith said during a ceremony in the DCHS media center. “I’ve always looked forward to this.
Looking at the people before me that played at Dade and signed with Georgia Northwestern, I’m very thankful for the opportunity.
“I looked up to those guys and kept up with what they were doing in the paper. Some of them have kind of told me what to expect, but a bunch of them have told me that the way we’ve played under (Dade County head) Coach (Glen) Hicks sets us up very well for Georgia Northwestern. I just hope I can contribute.”
Smith averaged close to 10 points per game for the Wolverines, who went 16-10 this past season and 7-5 in Region 7-AA.
“I think his strong suit is shooting the basketball,” Hicks said. “We weren’t the biggest team in the world, so he was our trailing post a lot of the time when we ran the floor. He gave us a look so we could spread the floor some and he shot the ball really well.”
The veteran coach added that Smith had “a lot of untapped potential”.
“He’s a tremendous offensive player and we’ve been working with him on his defense,” he explained. “He’s a great team player and comes from a great family. He’s a kid that’s going to come to practice every day and work hard. I think his best basketball is still in front of him.”
Bobcat head coach David Stephenson, who scouted Smith during the season, got an even closer look at his new recruit during the program’s exposure clinic in March and came away impressed with what he saw.
“Warren is a guy that can be very versatile for us,” Stephenson said. “He’s a ‘tweener guy’ like a bunch of the guys we get. He’s not too big in the post, but overly big for a guard. I really like his effort and hustle. He did everything we thought he could do at the exposure clinic. He played a big role for Dade as a post, so he’s used to battling against bigger guys down low. I really like his work ethic and I think we’ve got a pretty good kid.”
Stephenson added that Smith came highly recommended.
“Coach Hicks and I have a great relationship and (Hicks) says thinks he’ll be a good fit for us,” he continued. “Matt, who also played for Hicks here at Dade, and played for me (at Georgia Northwestern), has recommended and spoken highly of Warren since December, so between those two and the clinic, he has three big positives in his favor.”
“From what I’ve seen, I like the team,” Smith added. “They seem like fun to be around and I think chemistry is good for a team. I think I can bring defense and rebounding to the team and I’ll play hard. I’ve grown a lot and been working on outside shooting. It’s taken a lot of work, but it’s paid off.
“I’ve also played just about every position except point guard so I’m fine with just about whatever position (Georgia Northwestern) needs me to play.”
Smith says he is leaning toward HVAC as a possible field of study this fall.