Carroll Smith, former Oak Ridge and Holston boys basketball coach, dies at 86

Carroll Smith,  a former boys basketball coach at Holston and Oak Ridge high schools and later Roane State, died June 23. He was 86. 

Smith died in his home in Knoxville after spending two months in the hospital and two separate rehab facilities.

"He cared about his players," said David Clary, who did the game broadcasts on radio for Oak Ridge while Smith was with the Wildcats from 1976-79. "Very animated on the sidelines. Very good X's and O's coach, too. ... Just an all-around really good coach."

Smith played basketball at Okmulgee High School in Oklahoma and in college at Oklahoma Baptist University from 1956-58. He moved to Knoxville to get his master's at the University of Tennessee.

He got his first coaching job at Holston, now a middle school in Knoxville, in 1959 while working on his master's. In 13 years with the program, he led 11 teams to the district semifinal or better. 

Smith moved on to Oak Ridge in 1972. While with the Wildcats, he published a book called "The 1-2-2 Offense for Winning Basketball" in 1976.

Smith was at Oak Ridge until 1979, amassing a 28-49 record. However,  he guided the Wildcats to the state sectional four times, making it to the state tournament in his final season.

One of Smith's greatest successes at Oak Ridge, Clary said, was Otis Howard. 

Clary said that Smith was walking down the hall one day when he saw the 6-foot-7 Howard standing by the water fountain. Smith approached him and asked if he ever had played organized basketball, to which Howard replied he hadn't. 

Smith signed him up for the team anyway and developed Howard into a collegiate player and Oak Ridge's all-time leading scorer at the time. Howard went on to Austin Peay, earning conference Player of the Year honors twice. 

In 1978, Howard was selected in the fourth round of the NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and spent 12 years playing basketball in Europe. 

In 1979, Smith left Oak Ridge to become coach at Roane State. In his time at the community college in Harriman, he served as coach, athletics director and chairman of the physical education department. 

Smith was one of the first in the Knoxville area to introduce basketball camps for both girls and boys. He continued that tradition while his step-children were going through school at Halls.

He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Charlotte, and children Rick Smith, Robin Sells, Jason Teague, Justin Teague and Preston Teague.

Family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at Berry Lynnhurst Funeral Home with funeral service to follow. Burial is set for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery.