Freshman Haley Smith leads Liberty Ranch to SVC championship; sports is family affair

Scoring more than 400 points in a season and winning a conference championship is no easy task for any shooting guard.

Haley Smith achieved both feats as a freshman as Liberty Ranch High School defeated visiting Rosemont 55-42 on Tuesday to clinch the Sierra Valley Conference crown in a regular-season finale.

Smith’s impact was immediate. She scored seven points and collected four rebounds in the eight-minute first quarter and went on to finish with 17 points. She has been described as funny, silly, spirited and prolific. She averages 17 points and 10 rebounds for the 21-3 Hawks, who are enjoying their finest season since the Galt school opened in 2009.

And Smith seemed destined to play ball as her mother and father were both athletes at Cal. Her mother, Janet, was a 5-foot-10 basketball star and her father, Corey, was a 6-5 tight end. Her brother, Cody Smith, was a Bee All-Metro tight end for the Hawks in 2022 and signed a full scholarship package to play football at Ball State. Brother and sister compare transcripts at home and on social media.

Smith has played basketball since she could hold a ball and says she wants to continue that into college and beyond.

“I want to play Division I and follow in my mom’s footsteps,” she said.

Smith already matches her mother in height. Her work ethic on and off the court has rewarded her well. Smith is a 4.0 student and wants to not only be a sports star but also the class valedictorian. If she doesn’t reach the WNBA, she said she wants to be a nurse practitioner.

“I strive to succeed in everything I do.” Smith said. “I want to be valedictorian, and I also want to be the best basketball player and teammate I can possibly be.”

Smith’s enthusiasm for sports and school contributes to her success on the court, Liberty Ranch coach Sean Duryee said. He is confident Smith will play college basketball and has a clear reason why.

“It’s her work ethic.” Duryee said, “You know, she’s not the fastest kid right now. But I know her work ethic has got her where she is, and she’s going to continue to improve wherever her weaknesses are. She takes constructive criticism. I mean, she wants to be valedictorian, get perfect grades, and she’s gonna do whatever it takes. That’s her goal.”

Duryee later emphasized: “I have no doubt she’s gonna get there.”

True to her humble nature, Smith gave credit to her teammates for her 407 points this season. She said the league championship was the result of everyone doing their jobs.

“I love it so much,” she said. “But I really couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches. I’m really happy they gave me the opportunity to do that.”

Duryee said that Smith has scored because she is fundamentally sound and has an “incredible” court sense — where to go off the ball, how to fight for rebounds.

The Hawks now focus on the playoffs. They have not advanced past the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, which start next week. Duryee noted the important part that Smith will play in their playoff push.

“She’s critical,” he said. “Getting the rebounds and putbacks and just helping us. She’s multifaceted. She can score inside and she can score outside. She’s just so critical to everything we do.”

Duryee also said that Smith has been responsible for keeping up morale by getting everybody motivated and directed. The Hawks lost star senior assist leader Skylar Jordet to injury but never missed a beat.

Rosemont coach Cervantes Edwards announced his retirement from coaching after Tuesday’s game. This was his fifth season at Rosemont and his 25th overall in coaching. Mibell Gammage led the Wolverines with 13 points.

This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 1:12 PM.