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"It is amazing to see so many things have come to fruition with our program," Smith said. "A lot of that starts with the way we talk and think about the program. My thing is, you win in your mind before you win in real life. Then she took over at Elon, and had winning records her first five years. But everything came together last season, when the Phoenix went 27-7. As the North Carolina Sports Hall of Famer tells her players, "You win in your mind before you win in real life." [applause] Her incredible performance of 23 rebounds and 20 points and her buzzer-beating three-point shot led UNC to victory in the 1994 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.
NCAA Season Stats - Per Game
In the offseason, the Hawks traded Smith in a 4 player trade to the Portland Trail Blazers alongside Ed Gray in exchange for Jim Jackson and Isaiah Rider. She had to make a college roster to learn from women who played at a high level, and travel overseas to build a professional career. Now, people can see women's pro leagues and women's college games more often, and an incredible talent like Cooper is far less likely to fall under the radar. In the national semifinal round, Smith and UNC made light work of Purdue for an victory. The next day the Tar Heels would take on a Louisiana Tech team on a 25-game win streak. According to Smith, the game was one of the most demanding of her basketball career.
Charlotte Smith’s legendary title-winning buzzer-beater came after anxious moments, uncertainty
"I'm blessed to have so many stories to draw from to help give them the encouragement they need to be the players they can be." "She is one of those players that has so much potential, and I don't think she can understand how good she can be," Smith said of White. Elon's campus in North Carolina is often listed as one of the most beautiful in the country. But not much looked prettier to coach Charlotte Smith than seeing "Elon" pop up on the NCAA tournament bracket last season. Like her uncle and cousin NC State Hoop stars David Thompson and Dereck Whittenburg, Charlotte could really jump.
Charlotte Smith’s Road To 200 Wins
Bill Guthridge: The No. 1 No. 2 - Charlotte Observer
Bill Guthridge: The No. 1 No. 2.
Posted: Wed, 13 May 2015 07:00:00 GMT [source]
He would go on to average a then career-high 18.1 points a game in 80 starts in the 1995–96 season, forming a formidable backcourt one-two punch with Mookie Blaylock. The team under head coach Lenny Wilkens would win 46 games and defeat the Indiana Pacers in the first round in 5 games. The next round, while facing the Orlando Magic, Smith led all scorers in a Game 4 win with 35 points, before Atlanta lost the series 4 games to 1.[4] Smith averaged 21.7 points in 10 playoff games that postseason.
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So well that she was the second woman to dunk in a women's basketball game. Smith, who was selected to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team, also became the first woman to dunk a basketball in competition during her senior year. So, when the talented 6-footer enrolled at North Carolina, of course she had to wear No. 23, too.
NCAA
Charlotte Smith has already become Elon University’s all-time winningest women’s basketball coach in just 12 seasons at the helm there, but she joins several other outstanding women’s coaches who are enshrined in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. “When she said that I was gonna take the shot, my heart really sank because it’s a lot of pressure — national championship game, everything hanging in the balance off of a shot,” said Smith, admitting that she’d never been more nervous in a game. Following the ABL's cessation of operations in 1999, Smith participated in the 1999 WNBA Draft, where the Charlotte Sting chose her with the 33rd overall pick. During offseasons, she interned with the Sting's front office, worked with US Sport Management, Inc., played a second winter season in Italy in 1999–2000, and served as an UNC women's basketball assistant coach for several seasons.
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R.L. Bynum, co-host of the weekly “Bleav in Heels Hoops” podcast, spent 27 years in the newspaper industry in sports and news. Read his insights about running (he’s run 53 marathons) on the Running Commentary blog. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @RL_Bynum and on Threads @r.l.bynum. Smith said that the team, which included future Olympic star Marion Jones, had plenty of chemistry from the start of that season. Home game against William & Mary, so she’ll likely arrive at Carmichael Arena early in the Tar Heels’ game against the Cavaliers. She looks forward to seeing all of her teammates, although they talk often.
Charlotte Smith on the 30th anniversary of her national title buzzer-beater - Shelby Star
Charlotte Smith on the 30th anniversary of her national title buzzer-beater.
Posted: Wed, 03 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Gallery Clippers vs Atlanta Hawks (3.17.
Hatchell initially called for a lob to Crawley, but the Lady Techsters’ defensive setup led Lawrence to call a timeout. During the second timeout, Hatchell decided to go for the win instead of the tie. After Pam Thomas gave Louisiana Tech a two-point lead with 15.5 seconds left, UNC didn’t call a timeout and Sampson missed a driving 12-foot jumper. After a scramble, a held ball was called with 0.7 of a second left, and fortunately for the Tar Heels, they had the possession arrow.
As a Laser, she was named to the ABL All-Star team for the 1997–1998 season. Genesis Hernandez was transferring from a Metro bus to catch the E Line to Santa Monica, where she attends college when “all of a sudden I just saw a bunch of ambulances going by,” she recalled. Charlotte Smith's 200th coaching victory is a testament to her exceptional leadership and the team's success under her guidance, setting the stage for continued achievements in the future.
"When I'm in a silly mood," says junior guard Tonya Cooper, "I can always count on Charlotte to be silly with me." "After we tied up the ball, I remember so vividly looking up at the clock, and my heart sank," Smith said. "I was thinking, 'What can you do in seven-tenths of a second?' I felt like we had lost the game. I felt this deep sense of grief overcome me." And Smith remains close with her mentor, North Carolina's Sylvia Hatchell, who is approaching her 1,000th career win.
Smith also earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from UNC in 1999. The Trail Blazers entered the 2000–01 season with high expectations, but struggled to repeat the success of the previous season, as injuries took their toll and new additions and trades hurt team chemistry. Smith only started in 36 of 81 games, but still managed to 13.6 points a game.
However, she is better known for her lengthy and successful career at North Carolina State. Charlotte Smith (born August 23, 1973) is a forward for the Charlotte Sting. In the fall of 1996, the American Basketball League (ABL) was formed as the first independent professional basketball league for women in the U.S. "Women's basketball was not highly televised, so it was hard to see role models," Smith said in a phone interview this week after a workout at Elon, where she coaches now. "I didn't have any female role models to look up to with regard to having an opportunity to play professionally. So, as a little girl, I always thought that I would play in the NBA and never imagined there being a chance for a WNBA. She graduated from Shelby High, and grew up watching her uncle, David Thompson, become one of the best players in the country in his time at NC State.
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