It’s taken Drew Smith just three years to bring the Presbyterian Christian girls’ basketball program back to competing for championships.
Smith not only guided PCS to a 33-win season but helped the Lady Bobcats reach the MAIS 6A State Championship and the MAIS Overall Championship, an accomplishment that has not occurred since 2015, which earned him the honor of Area Girls Coach of the Year for the 2022-23 season.
From 2009 to 2012, Smith had previously been an assistant coach under longtime coach Missy Bilderback and not only knew but saw that PCS could compete at the highest level.
“PCS girl’s basketball is a sleeping giant,” Smith said. “Coach Bilderback showed the giant that it could be. I thought that if she could do it, then it could be done again. It’s taken a few years, but we’ve gotten it back to where we want it to be. We were right there.
“That’s the standard for this program in my mind. It should always be the best girls’ basketball program in the Pine Belt area. We have it back to that level, but now we just have to get over the hump.”
Smith’s quick improvement on each season record certainly proves his point – in his first year, he went 17-14, then 27-12, and most recently 33-6. Smith doesn’t take all the credit, as he was quick to mention that his coaching staff had been critical for the turnaround.
“I think a coach is only as good as the people around them, and Kris Booker and Phil Smith have been great for me,” Smith said. “They are my two assistants, and Josh Sherer helped with a lot of advice and tips.”
Heading into this season, Smith knew his team had a chance to make a championship run after returning loads of talent from a team that reached the Overall tournament.
“I knew that off of last year’s success, especially towards the end of the year, that this team that we had coming back could be special,” Smith said. “I think that that that playoff run we had last year kind of set us up for that gave us some valuable experience.
“Once you reach that point, you know, your kids want to get back there.”
Of PCS’ six losses, two came from the MHSAA’s power Class 6A programs Harrison Central and Hancock, and in those games, the Lady Bobcats either led or were down one possession at the half. The third loss came from Brookhaven Academy, which PCS got revenge for later.
However, three losses came from Madison-Ridgeland Academy, one in the MAIS 6A state championship and the Overall Championship. Despite the losses, PCS beat the Patriots on the road in their first meeting, which gave Smith confidence in his team.
“That was the moment that it really just sank in; I had this suspicion before Christmas that we could be really special,” Smith said.
The Lady Bobcats’ biggest season highlight came in the Overall Tournament state semifinals against Brookhaven Academy. With 27 seconds left, PCS was down by six in a game where points were hard to come by and yet somehow pulled off the unlikely comeback to reach the Overall State Championship game.
“That’s probably the pinnacle of our season,” Smith said. “Just the most incredible situation; I don’t know that you could watch a basketball game the rest of your life and see a team down six points with 27 seconds left and win as we did, and win in regulation.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my kids. I think they made some great plays down the stretch.”
For PCS, much less any team in MAIS, reaching the Overall tournament is a definite signal of being the top two teams in the state.
It’s pretty dang special to win a state championship in whatever classification you’re in, whether it’s 1A or 6A, and that goes for public or private,” Smith said. But when you make it to that state championship game in the overall championship, that means you’re one of the top two teams in the entire state.
“I can be actually the best team in the whole state, not just the best team in the state of my classification. We definitely believe that we were in the top two in the whole state, not just our class.”
Looking to the future, Smith returns a strong core for next season, and given how close PCS was to winning a championship, the expectations are high heading to next season.
“My message to them for next year is, obviously, to keep working, keep improving, because we haven’t reached where we want to be,” Smith said. “We’re close, but we’re not there yet, and until we get that championship, you know, we haven’t done it.”
PREVIOUS COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS:
2021-22: Jay Lofton – Lumberton
2020-21: Matt O’Keefe – Sacred Heart
2019-20: Matt O’Keefe – Sacred Heart
