Smith to Coach Second Sport at St. Genevieve

Scott Smith, St. Genevieve High’s basketball coach of one season, has doubled his workload for the upcoming school year, adding the title of baseball coach.

Principal Rudy Trujillo, who sought Smith for the job since the end of the baseball season, announced the hiring Thursday. Smith replaces Kevin Kane, who resigned as football and baseball coach after the school year. Kane has joined the Calabasas High football staff as an assistant.

Smith, who led the St. Genevieve basketball team to a 9-12 record, will not be the only baseball coach in his family. His brother, Steve, manages the Las Vegas Stars, the San Diego Padres’ triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League.

Smith, 39, has displayed his baseball coaching abilities during the American Legion season this summer, leading lightly regarded Panorama City to the Eastern Division title in District 20. In addition, the team, which includes several St. Genevieve players on its roster, has won its first game in the district playoffs.

“He was our prime candidate,” Trujillo said. “I was pleased with the rapport he had with the kids and his baseball knowledge. We wanted him right from the start but Scott questioned whether he could coach both teams. He feared that the basketball season would cut into baseball and he didn’t want to deprive the kids.”

Said Smith: “Well, we’re going to try. I feel pretty good about it.”

St. Genevieve had a disappointing baseball season in 1989 after winning the Santa Fe League title in 1988. The Valiants placed fourth in the San Fernando Valley League with a 4-6 record (10-11 overall) and missed the Southern Section 4-A Division playoffs.

Smith, a 1968 graduate of St. Genevieve, serves as a walk-on coach. He is employed as a grocery store supervisor.