Stephen A. Smith, a proud HBCU alumnus, frequently uses his platform to champion his alma mater, Winston-Salem State University, and other HBCUs nationwide. He recently made a notable appearance with Grant Hill and Bryan Custer during the special TNT/NBA TV and ESPN broadcast of the NBA HBCU Classic at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. The Virginia Union Panthers faced off against the Winston-Salem State Rams in the game in a clash of CIAA competitors.
During his appearance, Hill asked Smith about what it was like being coached by legendary coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines at Winston-Salem State.
“It ended up being heaven but it started out being nightmarish. Because you walk on campus and I came there and I was hurt. I had tendonitis then I cracked my kneecap in half a couple of months in and all that stuff. And my career was basically as a practice player from that point forward because I was never healthy enough to continuously do more. But, every day I was in his [Gaines’s] office and we were talking and he was teaching me about life and holding me accountable for the things that I did as a young man, as a student-athlete not just an athlete. So I look at it from that standpoint.”
Smith then explained how his association with Clarence “Big House” Gaines expanded his basketball knowledge, saying, “One of the biggest advantages that I had is [as] somebody that came in his office periodically, is the late great John McClendon who learned the game under James Naismith himself. And so, when you talk about me with basketball, my knowledge of basketball started with them. And so, I ultimately come in the business and I’m covering John Cheyney at Temple covering college sports I covered Larry Brown with the Sixers….and because of that, it was the Dean Smith’s, the Mike Krzyzewski's and others that embraced [me]. And, whenever we had conversations about basketball, they never hesitated because they knew what my background was which was learning from those great ones.”
Smith was a member of Winston-Salem's basketball team from 1987 to 1991 and recently hosted a live edition of First Take from the campus in November. He also talks extensively about his time at the HBCU in his book Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes.
Smith's remarks exemplify the excellence of an HBCU education and how the varied experiences at these institutions can enhance your personal life and career goals after graduation.