John Lawrence Smith was born in Columbia, S.C., in 1947, and moved to Lancaster with his family when he was three years old. He graduated from Lancaster HS as the school’s all-time leading scorer in 1965 and played in the North-South All-Star Game. Smith then came to Newberry on a basketball scholarship, earning a letter for four seasons and serving as co-captain in his senior season. He earned the best defensive player award in 1967.
He graduated in 1969 after being named to the S.C. Tip-Off All-Tournament Team, all-Carolinas Conference, all-District Six and all-state. John also played tennis at Newberry, and was voted as the team’s most valuable player in 1968. He began his coaching and teaching career in Great Falls under the guidance of Dr. H.C. Starnes and coach Harvey Stewart in 1969. During his tenure he has coached boys and girls varsity basketball, boys junior varsity basketball, golf, junior varsity football and was an assistant varsity football coach. He became the school’s athletic director in 1980. In his 42 years as the head boys basketball coach at Great Falls, the Red Devils have a record of 866 wins and 229 losses with 18 Upper State championships and seven state titles.
He is the winningest coach in the history of high school basketball in South Carolina and his teams at Great Falls have won more games and more state championships than any other active or retired coach in South Carolina boys basketball. He has been selected to serve as the assistant coach for the 1978 North-South All-Star game and the head coach of the 1984 High School All-Star game in Columbia. He was also selected as the co-coach of the inaugural Carolinas Classic boys basketball all-star game in 1998.
He was inducted into the S.C. Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004, the Newberry College Men’s Basketball Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2006 and the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010.
