St Anthony Yellow Jackets 

Two days later (after my brain had time to think), I told Coach Smisek, “Let me get thru football season and then I will think of doing a hoops blog.”  

  

I finally made up my beautiful mind to do this High School basketball blog for the St. Anthony Yellow Jackets on December 3rd (while I was on vacation and unplugged from the world).  

  

Before I dive in and start babbling about High School basketball (or shall I say the St. Anthony Yellow Jackets), I want to provide a bit more information about myself. 

I was involved with the basketball teams at Clark High School (manager of the basketball team from 1991-1995), Cuero High School (radio statistician), and St. Mary’s University (radio statistician).  I also worked for the San Antonio Spurs from 1999-2002.  I can’t remember the exact years for Cuero and St. Mary’s, but I know Cuero happened first and it was after I graduated from Clark and St. Mary’s was before I started working for the Spurs. 

To this day, I still keep in touch with Coach Danny Murphy and Coach Kevin Hamilton from Clark High School!! They really made a positive impression on me and I am so thankful for having them as teachers, mentors, and friends. 

  

I have a passion for writing and really hope you enjoy my style!!

So, I think that is enough about me, let’s get down to BASKETBALL!!!

I am glad Coach Smisek took some time out of his extremely busy schedule to answer some questions I had for him, cause I know it would‘ve been challenging for me to do this High School basketball blog without knowing anything about the team. 




Q and A with Coach Kevin Smisek




I graduated from Clark High School in 1995 and while I was a student, I was the Manager of the basketball team.  Do you know Coach Danny Murphy or Coach Kevin Hamilton?   

I do not know Coach Murphy, but I know Coach Hamilton & am a BIG fan of his.  He’s a great coach but an even better person.  Coach Hamilton is a VERY INFLUENTIAL person in the San Antonio basketball world.  The NISD head boys basketball coaching tree pretty much is rooted in being an assistant for Coach Hamilton at one time or another!




Tell me about yourself?  Are you related to Niko Smisek, the Churchill Charger running back?  

This is my 18th year in education & my 2nd at St. Anthony Catholic HS.  I am an alum of St. A’s (class of ’88). I was more of a football player than basketball player when I went to school. Earned 9 Varsity letters (3 football, 2 basketball, 3 baseball, 1 tennis).  1st team All-District football, All-City Honorable Mention Football (1987 season).  I earned the Varsity Hustle award my senior year (1987-1988).  


I started my career at Lanier HS as Rudy Bernal’s assistant (3 years); then I moved to Alamo Heights HS for 3 years as Charlie Boggess’ assistant; I then moved to NISD as a teacher at Communication Arts HS & assistant basketball coach at Taft under Mike Osterman.  


I then was named the Head Boys basketball coach at Caldwell HS (College Station area).  I was there for 3 years before moving back to San Antonio and taking the Director of Students position at St. Anthony.  


Nico is my son, yes.  He’s a sophomore at Churchill & plays football, basketball & track.  He’s not at St. Anthony because it’s a tough gig coaching your own son.  Great, GREAT rewards (I did it with my oldest son at Caldwell), but there are a lot of negatives…especially if he is good.  I did not want to put my wife & Nico through that again.  This is why Nico is not at St. A’s.  It’s too bad because he’s a pretty darn good point guard too (& we need a true point guard) – we have an 8th grader who’s coming next year who will fill that role – he’s really good, but that’s next year!




Tell me about your team?   


Great group of guys, outstanding young men.  Good basketball players.  These guys are hard workers & are taking the steps necessary to take our basketball program to a level where we are able to compete with the big boys in the city.  


We are not quite there yet, but this group, led by Seniors Jackson Becker (6’0” 2-guard) & Khalil Howard (5’10” 1-guard), are working to change the mentality of our program into an elite level program.  I am very proud of them.  We are undersized with only 1 big kid (Senior David Wright – 6’4” Post); we have changed our defensive scheme this season so we have spent the better part of the non-district schedule learning our proper rotations and how to communicate with each other & what exactly I want from them.  It’s a process, but I am pleased with how we are going.  


I’m not pleased with our 12-7 record heading into the break; but it could be worse.  We have played ten 4A-5A teams this season; winning 5 of them; competing in a couple of losses, & getting our butts handed to us against Taft & Warren!  Humbling losses, but good experiences for our guys to see what we are trying to get to.




What team is considered your rival?   


This changes periodically – when I went to school here it was Antonian; lately I would say that it’s Central Catholic, but they probably don’t feel that way because it’s not much of a rivalry because we haven’t beaten them much in any sports.  We beat them last year in basketball & everybody rushed the court & acted like we won the state championship.  I told our guys after the game that this was a nice win, but it’s just a district game.  The next time we beat them it’s no big deal & no hoopla is forth coming.

The games I will be attending are: January 16th @ St. Anthony’s, January 23rd @ Antonian, and January 30th @ St. Anthony’s.  I am planning to have my articles for these games published on Saturday’s. 

I am not shy, so if you see me at one of the games, please say hi to me!!!  I will be wearing my TSRN media pass and will be writing notes on my laptop or my tablet.   

  

I am super excited for this opportunity and have been thinking about it since July!!   I can’t wait for January 16th!!!