Smith pulling for childhood pal in NBA playoffs

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

OAKLAND -- Based on the vicinity between organizations, the A’s pulling for the Golden State Warriors in their all-Northern California NBA Playoffs matchup with the Sacramento Kings would make sense. Kevin Smith, however, has good reason to go against the “home” team.

Starring at shooting guard for the Kings is Kevin Huerter, with whom Smith shares a friendship that dates back to when the two grew up playing on the same travel baseball and basketball teams in upstate New York. Several years later, the two also attended the University of Maryland.

After Huerter was traded to the Kings last July, Smith’s NBA fandom followed to Sacramento.

“I gotta go for the Kings,” Smith said. “I’ve been talking to him and how much they want it. He’s worked hard, so I hope they make a good run.”

With Huerter previously playing for the Atlanta Hawks over the first four seasons of his NBA career, Smith had been unable to watch his childhood friend in action for a live game. That finally changed last month during Spring Training, when the two met up at a Kings vs. Suns game at the Footprint Center in Phoenix and swapped jerseys.

“It’s been unreal,” Smith said. “We both went to Maryland, so I saw him a little bit there and he killed it. Now he’s doing well and the Kings are doing well. It’s been cool seeing him be part of that team and start growing into his role. He’s been playing really well.”

While sharing the backcourt with Huerter as guards, Smith had a feeling his running mate was destined for NBA stardom. Viewed as a basketball prodigy in New York, Huerter’s game was so highly advanced as a youth that he was playing against 10- and 11-year-old kids as an 8-year-old.

“When we were on the same team, I don’t even remember losing a game,” Smith said. “He was just so good. He was three or four years younger than everybody else on the floor, but he would still dominate. It’s crazy to see where is now. It’s cool to see him go through it.”

These days, Smith’s basketball skills are confined to the mini hoop situated inside the A’s clubhouse, though there was a time when the A's infielder envisioned his own path to the NBA. His basketball career continued at Columbia High School in East Greenbush, N.Y., and included a few showdowns with Huerter, who starred just 23 miles north at Shenendehowa Central in Clifton Park.

But while Huerter grew several inches in height around that time, Smith maintained a sub-six-foot frame.

“I wish I could have played basketball longer,” Smith said. “Baseball and basketball were my two biggest sports growing up. But he ended up getting an 11-inch growth spurt and I didn’t.”

Shifting his focus solely to baseball in college, Smith shined at Maryland and became a fourth-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2017 MLB Draft. One year later, Huerter was selected 19th overall by the Hawks in the NBA Draft.

Working their way up the ranks of their respective sports, the two kids from New York are now reunited as professional athletes on the West Coast, playing only about 90 miles apart from each other.

“We would check in and talk here and there,” Smith said. “Now that he’s in Sac, hopefully, they make a big playoff run and we have an off-day where I can go see a game. We’re going to try to plan a few more link-ups here soon.”