A look at Trail Blazers draft pick Nolan Smith, circa 2006

We probably won't have any access to the newest Trail Blazers for a few days, so I thought I'd share something I wrote many years ago about the team's new first-round draft pick.

I started covering the Trail Blazers for The Oregonian just before the 2007 NBA Draft. Before that, I wrote about preps. During my last fall on the beat, I just happened to run into a young basketball player named Nolan Smith.

He was playing for one of the nation's best teams, Oak Hill Academy , in the state's premier holiday basketball tournament, the Les Schwab Invitational. He was a very good player on a very good team, so it was natural that I would write about him as he rolled through town.

But his story involved much more than just basketball ability. While we wait to get the chance to meet Smith, I thought you might like to read that relatively short story. It ran on Dec. 30, 2006, and was titled, HILLSBORO -- The inspiration for Nolan Smith's easy smile and light-hearted demeanor, even more than his exceptional basketball abilities, can be traced to the person who is tattooed -- literally -- on his right biceps.

In dark ink are the words "ALWAYS WATCHING," which hover over a picture-perfect image of the face of Derek Smith, Nolan's father, who died 10 years ago from an undetected heart defect.

Nolan Smith has blossomed into one of the nation's finest prep basketball players -- a versatile guard on the nation's best high school team who has signed with Duke -- and his father has been along for the journey, both in spirit and in the reflection of Nolan.

People who saw Derek Smith play basketball in his youth swear they can still watch him today in an Oak Hill Academy (Va.) uniform. And people who spend a few minutes with Nolan Smith say they see in him a little bit of his father.

"I grew up in Kentucky, so I saw his dad play a lot at Louisville," Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said. "Well, Nolan walks like his dad, acts like his dad and is built just like his dad, only a little shorter. I think he knows his dad is always there watching, and he lives to make his family proud."

Nolan's mom, Monica Smith-Malone, says this likeness stems not only from the strong bond the two formed when Nolan was young but also from the words Derek Smith left with his son just before his passing.

Derek Smith led the University of Louisville to a national championship in 1980 and starred in the NBA for nine years.

A look at Trail Blazers draft pick Nolan Smith, circa 2006 ...

We probably won't have any access to the newest Trail Blazers for a few days, so I thought I'd share something I wrote many years ago about the team's new first-round draft pick.

I started covering the Trail Blazers for The Oregonian just before the 2007 NBA Draft. Before that, I wrote about preps. During my last fall on the beat, I just happened to run into a young basketball player named Nolan Smith.

He was playing for one of the nation's best teams, Oak Hill Academy , in the state's premier holiday basketball tournament, the Les Schwab Invitational. He was a very good player on a very good team, so it was natural that I would write about him as he rolled through town.

But his story involved much more than just basketball ability. While we wait to get the chance to meet Smith, I thought you might like to read that relatively short story. It ran on Dec. 30, 2006, and was titled, HILLSBORO -- The inspiration for Nolan Smith's easy smile and light-hearted demeanor, even more than his exceptional basketball abilities, can be traced to the person who is tattooed -- literally -- on his right biceps.

In dark ink are the words "ALWAYS WATCHING," which hover over a picture-perfect image of the face of Derek Smith, Nolan's father, who died 10 years ago from an undetected heart defect.

Nolan Smith has blossomed into one of the nation's finest prep basketball players -- a versatile guard on the nation's best high school team who has signed with Duke -- and his father has been along for the journey, both in spirit and in the reflection of Nolan.

People who saw Derek Smith play basketball in his youth swear they can still watch him today in an Oak Hill Academy (Va.) uniform. And people who spend a few minutes with Nolan Smith say they see in him a little bit of his father.

"I grew up in Kentucky, so I saw his dad play a lot at Louisville," Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said. "Well, Nolan walks like his dad, acts like his dad and is built just like his dad, only a little shorter. I think he knows his dad is always there watching, and he lives to make his family proud."

Nolan's mom, Monica Smith-Malone, says this likeness stems not only from the strong bond the two formed when Nolan was young but also from the words Derek Smith left with his son just before his passing.

Derek Smith led the University of Louisville to a national championship in 1980 and starred in the NBA for nine years.

Congressional Record, V. 148, Pt. 15, October 10, 2002 to November 8, 2002

Les is also the chief supporter of the Les Schwab Invitational, a four-day basketball tournament that showcases the top Oregon high school basketball teams ...

International Directory of Company Histories

Les Schwab's headquarters has been located in Prineville, Oregon, ... sports teams (commonly basketball teams) in towns where the company has shops. ...

International directory of company histories

Prineville

In fact, Prineville boasts the only remaining city-owned railroad to operate in the United States.

IEG sponsorship sourcebook

OR Oregon Symphony Symphony/Orchestra, Year-round Jennifer Schlobohm, Director, ... George Morlan Plumbing i Portland, OR Portland Trail Blazers Basketball, ...