NJP_KenSmith_DRecord..

DatAr REARD
It'solloboutthe
kids,forSmith
BVATIryNMMES
SPECIAL TO MORRISTOWN THIS WEEK
'f 7en Smith,51,of
tl'Hfi:lf:ffif#:f*"
raised him on her own.
.Ye!,he helps kids stay on the
collegecoursethrough coaching
and actinglike the father he
never had as a child.
Smith is afirll-time material
handler at the Morris County
Municipal Utilities Authority
and works part-time in the sporting goodsdeparhnent of the
Wal-Mart in CedarKnolls. His
free time, which he carvesout of
eveningsand weekends,is spent
coaching,haining, and mentoring kials.
His goal?"Getting them into
collegeis what it's all about."
Five minutes into a conversation with Smith revealsexacfly
what he's beensayingfor more
than 33years.Mentoring young
student athletesis his passion.
Smitfi, known to everyoneas
Kenny has receivedseveral
awardsfor his community serv'
ice. Wal-Mart proudly displays
many of the testimonials to his
volunteerism on the employees'
break room wall, including
plaquesfrom Volunteer
ManagementCentersInc., as
well as the Urban Leagueof
Morris Cnunty and Prosecutors
Ofhce of Morris County for his
"Service and Dedicationto the
Afr ican-American Communifit
He has severalcoachingawards
from theMorristown
NeighborhoodHouse.
After graduationfrom
Morristown High Schoolin 1976,
he consideredjoining the military then changedhis mind and
decidedto startworking with
kids. He had grown up playing
middle schoolbasketballat
LafayetteSchooland "Night
Nabe" basketballat the
NeighborhoodHouse;the
Morristown nonprofit that
offers after-sdtool care and athletics to children.
"It's not all about basketball," he says."It doesn'tmatter if you're black, white,
Hispanic or whatever.It's really about the friendship and
growing up together in life."
Smith has many friends, and
has continued to help others
form fr iendshipstlroqghout
the years,either at the
NeighborhoodHouseor vohurteering with AAU basketball
teams.such as the Morris
CountyBulls,whichhe
coachedftom 1998to 2001.Now
he volunteersas coachwith
Dormie Forster for the l7-yearSPECIAL TO MORRISTOWNTHIS WEEK
old New JerseyPanthers.
He revealsafolder shrffed
Ken Smith of Morristownhas been helpingstudentathletes
with clippings. Someof the kids achievetheir goalsfor more than 30 years.
on his previous rosters have
grown up to flutd successin the
Family Services),"referring to
professionalworld, including
dude."
Smith's positive energy has a two adolesientboys in Smith's
Bob McCann,who playedin the
residual effect in the community neighborhoodwho were
NBA for the Dal}asMavericks.
removedftom their home for
WashingtonWizardsand others to the extent that most of his
placementwith foster parents.
athletesreturn to their roots to
during thq late 'B0sand early
give somethingback. Jason
"TWoboys,one maybe14and
'90s.
the other a little younger."He
Thorpe, senior at Voorhees
Another of Smith's trainees,
Jamar Thorpe, playedbasketball Collegein Denmark, S.C.,puts it waveshis hand toward their
this way: "Coachhelpedme, and steet. "Parents weren't around.
for the University of Houston
the boys were staylng up all
now I comebackandhelp him
until graduation in 2006and
night. ..."
went overseasto play profession- workout withthe kids someHis voice tails off, as he conal ball in Germany during 2007. times."
Oneof Smith's players,Jyles sidersthe disappointnent. This
"You can't ask for a better
is exacfly what he's working to
Tuckeu,joined the NFT,rn?Jlf'7
coach,"saysRobThomas,aZW
graduateof Mendham High
as outsidelinebacker for the San prevent.
Smith has threechildren of
Diego Chargers.He returned to
Schoolwho playedguardfor
his own, two daughters,Kendra,
Bucknell University's basketball Morristown last February to
27,and Antinesha, 17,and a son,
speakto FYelinghuysenMiddle
team and graduatedlast May
Kerury 25.His hobbies,fishing
Schoolstudentsabout keeping
"With CoachSmith, it's
alwaysbeenaboutthe kids ... He up their gradesand making sac- andbowling, are true to his
nature, relaxed and easy-going.
getsthe point across,and he
rifices, such as stayinghome
at local
knows how to getthrough to you insteadof going out, so they can He enjoysroller-skating
rinks. br-line skates?*No," he
be successfl:I.
without yelling."
On a sunny day inJuly Smith sayswith an easysmile, "I still
Thomas,who is planning to
relaxesin a neighborhoodpark, use the four wheels."
attend professionalfyouts in
Argentina this summer and the sayinghello to everyonewho
passes.
Krnw a *LocnlHero"from
National Basketball
Morristown,Monis Townshipor
"You know." he laments. "we
Developmentlcague tryouts in
MprrisPlains?hntnrt Jark
lost a coupleto DYFS
October,keepsin touch with
or at mnBowieat (973)428-6ffi2
Smith. and describeshis coach- (Deparhnentof Children and
Families'Division of Youth and [email protected].
turned-friend as "just a great .