Halls boys basketball coach Jonathan Smith hired by Morristown West

Jonathan Smith was announced as Morristown West's boys basketball coach one day after resigning from the same position at Halls.

Smith spent three years in Morristown as the junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach at East, where his JV teams went 43-16, before taking his first head coaching job at Halls last year.

"It's a place, a community that I was invested in before I went to Halls," Smith said. "After talking to family and friends, I really felt it was a great opportunity, one I couldn't pass up."

It will be an interesting difference for Smith to be on the opposite side of the Morristown rivalry, now. He knows the whole East team very well and said it willl be ready to "beat my butt."

Smith took the job at Halls in July, replacing Randy Moore, who coached the boys and girls teams. The Red Devils finished 10-15 this season.

His first head coaching job taught him a lot about investing in the players and building relationships. Smith also learned about scouting and the behind-the-scenes things like finances but said building relationships with players and parents was the biggest thing he learned.

"I would like to say thank you to Halls for the opportunity to coach and mentor a group of hard-working and devoted young men," Smith said. "I would really like to thank my players and parents for their support."

Halls is also in the process of looking for a football coach after JD Overton gave his notice a week ago.