Austin girls basketball trailblazer Jamie Smith's high school number retired by McCallum

When Jamie Smith graduated from McCallum High in 1980 with more than 3,400 career points — a school record that still stands — she did not realize she was a trailblazer, too.

Smith's jersey No. 22 was retired during a festive ceremony last month at the campus gym. The guest list included her parents, Bubba and Nancy Smith, her best friend Rhonda Lawrence, dozens of former teammates, Hall of Fame basketball coach Jody Conradt and UT senior associate athletics director Chris Plonsky.

The school presented her with a pair of blue and white basketball high tops inscribed with "22 Forever" across the front. The current varsity and JV players at McCallum gave her flowers, hugs and high-fives.

"I couldn't believe all those people were there for me," said Smith, best known for her high-energy approach to life and constant smile.

The jersey will hang permanently against a wall behind one of the arena's backboards. The only other retired jersey at McCallum belongs to Jay Arnette, who went on to become an All-American at Texas before having a short career in the NBA.

This is a story with roots dating back 50 years.

Smith, 61, and her father used to run together at 4 o'clock in the morning. Bubba owned a grocery store, Smith's Produce, in North Austin and consistently got to work before dawn. On weekends, young Jamie would shoot baskets alone inside the store's warehouse. Sometimes she had to push away bushels of potatoes and bananas to make room to shoot free throws.

Blazing a trail for girls athletics

Smith developed a love for basketball because her father, a longtime scorekeeper at Longhorns games, took her to the UIL state basketball tournament every year at Gregory Gym. She recalls watching two friends from Brock High, a longtime powerhouse in girls basketball in Texas, and hoping she'd have the same opportunity someday.

This is where Jamie became a trailblazer for girls basketball in Austin.

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She was such a good player as a teenager, she played with boys at Lamar Junior High (now Lamar Middle School). The school did not have a girls basketball team in 1974, so the boys coach, James Sellers, invited the precocious seventh grader to practice and play with his team.

It was an idea that vice principal Floyd Odom would soon overrule. But it prompted change.

As Smith explained, the district understood her complaints about being left off the boys team and decided to do something about. Title IX, which granted equal opportunity for both men and women to participate in sport, had become the law of the land in 1972.

"The Austin ISD was behind the game," Smith said. "They realize they better catch up with the times because of Title IX and get a girls program going in AISD. ... Girls nowadays do not realize the opportunities they have with club ball, summer camps. We have come a long way."

The Austin school district made a decision to have organized basketball teams at Lamar and other area junior highs such as Bedichek, Dobie and Murchison.

Smith has some fun basketball stories about playing in high school, college and beyond.

Making friends and free throws

At McCallum she had a free-throw shooting contest with baseball coach Ron Toenjes. She lost because she hit 103 in a row while the coach sank 105 straight. A few years later, she won a free-throw contest in Miami, hitting 21 straight, to earn a trip-for-two to Europe.

"Determination is Jamie's middle name," Nancy Smith said of her youngest daughter. "She had to work hard to get where she is at."

After graduating from McCallum, Smith went on to play at Delta State, which won AIAW titles from 1974 to 1977. Her coach at Delta State, Francis Garmon, attended last month's retirement ceremony. Smith would eventually transfer to Southwest Texas State (now Texas State).

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Smith said she caught a break when Conradt hired her to be a volunteer assistant coach for the 1985-86 season. That's the year the Lady Longhorns won the NCAA championship and became the first team to do so with an unbeaten (34-0) record.

Smith said Conradt actually turned her down twice for the job. But Smith, not a quitter, went to see the coach at her UT office to ask again. Conradt was so impressed Smith would drive to the university to speak to her in person, she couldn't say no a third time.

"Jamie is one of those game-changers," Conradt said Tuesday. "Jamie pushed for women’s participation in a way that did change basketball in the city of Austin. ... She was an outstanding athlete and student, and it was a way for her to stay involved in the sport. I’m thankful for her participation then and I’m glad she is being celebrated now.”

Smith said Conradt "taught me so much" about coaching. She added that Conradt would let her coach the offense occasionally during the national championship season.

Taking a ride with NCAA champs

"I think she used my suggestions twice that year," Smith said.

Smith stayed busy after leaving UT. She was a player and a coach for Athletes in Action during a tour of Japan and China in 1983. Ten years later she rejoined the team as an assistant coach during a trip to Russia.

Closer to home, she spent 28 years as a teacher, coach and administrator for the Pflugerville school district. Perhaps no one knows her better than Reese Weirich, principal at Carpenter Elementary in Pflugerville, and Kristy Schreiber, basketball coach at Forbes Middle School in Georgetown.

Weirich played for Smith as a student at Westview Middle School in Pflugerville and later joined her as an assistant coach at Dessau Middle School. Schreiber was on the same staff with Smith and Weirich when Westview opened.

"Everything that Jamie does is with enthusiasm, positivity and with a smile on her face," Bradley said.

"Jamie's one of those people who just can't help but want to be around," Schreiber added. "She's the reason I'm a coach today."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: McCallum retires girls basketball trailblazer Jamie Smith's jersey