HUNTINGTON -- Don Smith called timeout and gathered his players on the bench.
"What do you two Einsteins think you're doing?" the Vinson High School basketball coach said to a pair of youngsters who weren't running the offense as the Tigers had practiced it.
Those within earshot at that 1980s game laughed. The players, though, listened intently and corrected their errors, leading to a Vinson victory.
Smith led the Tigers and Tolsia to hundreds of victories, including two state championships at Vinson and one with the Rebels during an illustrious career. The hall of fame coach died Sunday. He was 83.
The humble Smith didn't want his coaching record listed in his obituary. He led the Tigers to state titles in 1966, a 58-55 triumph over Mullens, and 1986, 96-80 over Clarksburg Notre Dame. Smith coached Tolsia to a state championship in 1991, 61-49 over Wheeling Central. His teams made four other appearances in state title contests.
"A West Virginia legend," Louis Peake, a local basketball official, said of Smith.
Former Vinson player Steve Sarver praised Smith.
"He taught me and many more young men more than just basketball," Sarver said.
Former Vinson girls basketball star Val Hodge Robinson said she greatly respected Smith.
"He was a wonderful person and will be missed by many," she said.
Kim Wilkes Oxley played girls basketball and was a statistician for the boys team at Vinson.
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"He was a great coach and mentor," Wilkes Oxley said. "He was tough and no-nonsense, but well-respected by those who knew him."
Wilkes Oxley recalled Vinson's enthusiastic student section known as "Ralph's Raiders," playing on Smith's middle name, as being difference-makers in games.
Jody Burgess coached at Buffalo Wayne and Ceredo-Kenova. His teams squared off with Smith's several times on the court.
"He set the bar high for coaches in the Huntington area," Burgess said. "I knew him as a competitor and a fellow coach. From where I sat, we had to climb to his level. We always had to bring our 'A' game. I had the utmost respect for coach Smith."
Tolsia coach Brian Stacy said Smith is remembered as fondly in Glenhayes as at Vinson.
"He set the bar high for other coaches," Stacy said. "A true coaching legend."
Vinson consolidated with Buffalo and C-K in 1998 to form Spring Valley High. Timberwolves athletic director Tim George said even though Smith didn't coach at Spring Valley, he was a key part of the foundation of its boys basketball program.
"The people who knew coach Smith the best always speak of him with a special reverence," George said. "He was a legend at Vinson and in the Westmoreland community. In the coaching profession, legacy really matters. Coach Smith leaves behind a legacy that is unmatched and will live on for generations. Coach Smith impacted young people and built his community in a way that can't be measured."
Smith graduated from Vinson in 1960 and played basketball at the University of Dayton, helping the Flyers to the NIT championship in 1962. Smith and his wife, Joanne, retired to Apopka, Florida, where he died.
Visitation is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Don Smith Gymnasium, 3851 Piedmont Road, Huntington. Entry to the gym is from Hughes Street. Burial will be at Smith Family Cemetery in Wayne.
In lieu of flowers, Smith's family has requested donations to the Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center in Winter Park, Florida.
