Seimone Augustus, Charles Smith get the call to join Naismith Hall of Fame

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Seimone Augustus and Charles Smith

There are 450 members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., founded in 1959. Thirteen more will be enshrined Aug. 16-17.

Two will be Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members.

Seimone Augustus, the Baton Rouge native and LSU great entering the LSHOF during the Class of 2024 Induction Celebration June 20-22, is joined by Alexandria’s Charles Smith, boys basketball coach at Peabody Magnet for 40 years and a 2019 LSHOF inductee.

Only eight Louisiana natives – Leon Barmore, Joe Dumars, Elvin Hayes, Karl Malone, Kim Mulkey, Robert Parish, Bob Pettit and Willis Reed – have previously been enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. All are in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Three more LSU luminaries who are not Louisiana natives, but are LSHOF inductees, Sue Gunter, Pete Maravich and Shaquille O’Neal, are also in the Naismith Basketball Hall. So is Pineland, Texas native and Lady Techster great Teresa Weatherspoon.

Barmore and Parish were inducted in the Springfield Hall together in the Class of 2003.

Augustus reflected on the impact of her latest honor. Already this year, along with her upcoming LSHOF induction, she will be enshrined April 27 in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., and on Monday night, in the new East Baton Rouge Parish School System Hall of Fame alongside Pettit and other LSHOF members Eddie Robinson, Billy Cannon, Doug Williams and Danielle Scott.

There’s no doubt that the Basketball Hall enshrinement is the ultimate recognition.

Also among the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 2024 Class: Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, retired Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, and as contributors, Doug Collins, Herb Simon and Jerry West.

Scanning the list of previous Basketball Hall inductees are superstars like Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant, Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Bob Cousy, Rebecca Lobo, Nancy Lieberman, Lisa Leslie, and Teresa Edwards – not to mention the game’s greatest coaches from all levels, like Red Auerbach, Pat Summitt, Tara Van Derveer, Pat Riley, Lenny Wilkins, Adolph Rupp and John Wooden.

The inductees are chosen after a multi-tiered process that culminates with finalists being considered by a 24-person Honors Committee, with at least 18 affirmative votes required for induction.

As women’s basketball has soared into mainstream sports conversation in the last couple of years, Augustus was especially gratified at her first-ballot selection announced Saturday at the men’s NCAA Final Four in Phoenix.

“It means so much, to be a trailblazer of the game to get it where it is now – the elevation of it, the visibility of it. And also, for the people I went on this journey with – it’s been a long, hard journey, but very gratifying journey now that it’s been stamped with the Hall of Fame foundation and going into the Hall in 2024,” she said. “It’s been an amazing journey and career that ended with a cherry on top.”

Her thoughts immediately went to the people who raised her.

“Obviously, my parents. We’ve been on this journey since the age of 5. Just seeing the sacrifice they’ve had to make to in order to make this possible, from buying my first pair of sneakers, to taking me to basketball camp, to basketball practices, and showing me what perseverance and strength is, collaboration and hard work is,” said Augustus. “No better people than I want to share it with than my parents.”

Augustus laughed describing how she learned of her selection – by voice mail. She missed the call on Monday, then after listening to the message, made calls to confirm it.

Her credentials left very little doubt.

She played point guard/forward while starring at high school, college and professional levels and was part of three gold medal-winning Olympic teams and four WNBA title teams. Augustus was on the national scene not long after becoming a teenager, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Women as a high school freshman.

LSU unveiled a statue in her honor in January 2023 for her magnificent four seasons with the Tigers.. Augustus led Baton Rouge’s Capitol High to a 138-7 record. The Lions won Class 4A titles in 2001 and 2002 and were runners-up in 1999 as she scored 3,600 points, had 1,728 rebounds and 869 assists. A four-time Class 4A MVP and Miss Basketball in 2001 and 2002, Augustus played in the first McDonald’s Girls All-America game, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

At LSU, Augustus scored 2,702 career points, averaging 19.3 points. 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists over four seasons while leading the Tigers to a 114-17 record and three Final Fours. Augustus was the USBWA National Freshman of the Year in 2003 and swept National Player of the Year awards (Wade, Naismith, Wooden and Honda) in 2005 and 2006.

Augustus was the WNBA’s No. 1 draft pick in 2006 by the Minnesota Lynx and was its Rookie of the Year in 2006. She won WNBA titles with the Lynx in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, was the 2011 finals MVP, first-team All-WNBA in 2012 and made the All-WNBA second-team five teams. She was an eight-time WNBA all-star who made the WNBA’s 20th anniversary and 25th anniversary teams. Augustus scored 6,005 career points (tied for 13th in WNBA history), averaging 15.9 points a game for the Lynx and 15.4 overall.

Overseas, Augustus was the Euro Cup MVP in 2009 and led her teams to Euro Cup titles in 2008 and 2009. She was a member of the U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning teams in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Smith, little-known outside of Louisiana, was a bit skeptical when he was told in February he was a finalist for the highest honor the game affords its elite.

It also came in his first year of consideration. He’s a high school basketball coach, a subset that had only four representatives among the 450 people enshrined since 1959.

“I didn’t know if it was true or not. When I got the call I was a finalist, I had to pinch myself,” he said after the 13-member Basketball Hall class was announced.

Again, pardon him for being skeptical.

“When I did get the call that I had been (chosen to be) inducted … it was April Fool’s Day,” he said.

It was no joke. Smith was told to please keep it quiet – which was no problem for the low-key 74-year-old Rapides Parish native. Arrangements were made for him and his wife to fly to Phoenix, where the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 class was introduced Saturday during halftime of the Purdue-North Carolina State game in the NCAA Final Four.

Smith’s credentials are unquestionably among the best ever among high school coaches. He has 1,208 career wins, fifth in national high school history, and his teams have won nine state championships – the latest just last month in an overtime victory over Madison Prep at the Marsh Madness LHSAA Final Four in Lake Charles. He has won 85 percent of the games he’s coached, losing only 214.

He was ESPN’s National High School Coach of the Year in 2010, when his Warhorses went 41-0. He was a head coach in the 2021 McDonald’s High School All-Star Game.

He came to Peabody in 1974 as a math teacher – and remains in that role. He was an assistant coach, helping the Warhorses win the first state title in school history, before taking over the head coaching role in 1984.

Saturday, in Phoenix, his thoughts raced back home.

“It’s a thrill to be here, to represent my school, Peabody High School. I’ve been there for 50 years, teaching and coaching. I’ve had some wonderful guys to play basketball for me. This is an honor not only for me, but for all high school basketball coaches,” he said.

“I’m from a little small town, Taylor Hill. I want to give credit to my parents. My father was a World War II veteran. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge with General Patton. My mother was a teacher,” said Smith. “I have an outstanding family. My wife and I have been married for 50 years, this year. My son is my associate head coach, and my daughter is a vice president at Southern University-New Orleans.”

He noted that a high school coach’s success depends on a lot of other people – administration, faculty, supporters, assistant coaches, but most of all, teen-aged boys.

“It’s been a great ride,” said Smith, “and I want to thank my players for allowing me to be in this position.”

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