Brenden Miller Photo
Owsley County coach Travis Smith may not be able to stop smiling when his team opens the girls state tournament today in Rupp Arena against 4th Region winner Bowling Green.
There has never been an Owsley County team playing in the state tournament but that changed when the Owls (26-9) beat host Estill County last week in the 14th Region Tournament.
“Every player and every coach’s dream is to win a region,” Smith said. “I don’t think there is another tournament in the nation quite like this.”
But it gets even more special for him because his daughter, senior Carly Smith, is the team’s leading scorer at 16.1 points per game and was the 14th Region’s Player of the Year.
“It’s really difficult to coach your daughter but it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done,” the Owsley coach said. “To experience the highs and lows and emotions that go long with that is something I will have with me the rest of my life. It (winning the region) was just a special moment for both of us.”
He said they have a “10- minute rule” that they will talk about the game briefly or he’ll answer a specific question if his daughter has one.
“After that time period is over we let it go and go back to more family than basketball. We try to separate those two and it has worked well for us,” the coach said.
The coach said his daughter’s overall skill level and unselfishness make her special. She moved from shooting guard to point guard as a junior and now is the school’s all-time assists leader.
“She has built a really good way at getting her teammates involved and keeps everybody in the game. She has also learned at the end of game or when we are struggling to step up her game and take over,” the coach said.
He also said she not only can hit a 3-pointer but also attack the rim and finish.
Coach Smith said his players had “emotion bottled up inside them” for four or five years and felt the pressure not only from the school and community to win but also from pressure they put on themselves.
“That made it more special for them,” the coach said. “The emotions and tears came out.”
