Louisiana Basketball Coach Named Finalist For National Hall Of Fame

This is pretty awesome! A legendary Louisiana High School Basketball coach could soon find himself in the highest honor of them all, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He could join some of the biggest names the sport has ever seen!

During the NBA All-Star Weekend, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame revealed last week that 14 Finalists were selected from the following committees: North American, Women's, Men's, Women's Veterans, International, and Contributors. The Finalists will then be put forward to the Honors Committee to be considered for election as members of the Class of 2024. The new class will be announced in Phoenix on April 6 at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

This year, legendary Peabody High School Basketball Coach Charles Smith was announced as one of the finalists for the North American Committee. Below are the finalists for the committee. Needless to say, there are some incredible names on the list. Smith needs 18 out of 24 members of the committee to approve to get a spot among basketball’s greats.

• Chauncey Billups
• Vince Carter
• Michael Cooper
• Walter Davis
• Bo Ryan
• Charles Smith

Most people in the basketball world believe that being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame is the ultimate level of achievement. Especially, any high school coach is even being considered for this accolade.

Here is the bio sent out on Coach Charles Smith via the Naismith Hall of Fame.

CHARLES SMITH [Coach] – Smith is Louisiana’s all-time winningest high school head coach, surpassing the previous mark of 1,071 in 2020. With eight state championships to his name, Smith’s coaching tenure at Peabody Magnet High School began in 1985 after starting as a math teacher in 1975. He guided the Warhorses to a pair of perfect seasons, going 41-0 in 2004 and 2010 and earning national top-five rankings. Smith, ESPN’s National Coach of the Year in 2010, was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021. In addition, Smith served as a head coach at the McDonald’s All-American game in 2020.

This postseason, Smith is looking to lead Peabody to its 10th state championship since 1979. What a year that would be for Coach Smith!