Last Hurrah, Laugh for Smelser

Old coaches never die, they just go grazing.

That’s how quick-witted Lee Smelser sees it.

“They said, ‘There’s the pasture, big boy. Get to it,’ ” Smelser said. “Not being completely dumb, I understood.”

Funny fellow, that Smelser. Always ready with a punch line, even at his expense.

But to those whose lives he has touched for 31 years at College of the Canyons, Smelser’s retirement after this basketball season is no laughing matter.

“It’s a pretty sentimental moment for me,” said Len Mohney, Canyons’ athletic director and longtime baseball coach. “He’s been my mentor and one of my best friends. His popularity as a person and as a coach doesn’t get much better.

“I’m getting emotional just talking about it.”

There could be misty eyes on Saturday night when Canyons plays at Saddleback in a first-round game of the Southern California Regional.

The Cougars (12-18) don’t figure to beat the Gauchos (23-8), so it might very well be Smelser’s final game. But he’s not leaving with a heavy heart.

“It’s been a wonderful ride, it really has,” Smelser said. “It’s allowed me to be a kid for all these years, to enjoy being with all these young men.

“Some of the kids you touched 10, 15 years ago still come by to say hello. That’s so gratifying.”

Smelser, 64, is the only men’s basketball coach in school history. Some of his teams have been exceptional, some OK and some, well, they turned his hair gray.

Yet, they are all connecting dots in Smelser’s coaching landscape, in his life, really, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

So many years and so many memories.

“In 1978, our first trip to the state tournament, that was really special,” Smelser said. “In ‘85, my first league championship. That was probably the closest team I’ve had. It was truly a family.”

That underlying theme of family and unity was important to Smelser. He had opportunities to coach for more money at higher levels, but chose to stay at Canyons, close to home and what mattered most to him.

“This job allowed me to be with my family and coach at the college level,” Smelser said. “You can’t put a monetary value on something like that.”

No you can’t. Just like you can’t put a price tag on how much Smelser enriched Canyons and junior college basketball. It’s immeasurable.

But before this starts sounding too much like a eulogy, let’s remember one thing--Smelser is retiring, not disappearing, and he’s doing it on his own terms.

“Thirty-one years at COC and another eight prior to that at Morningside [High],” Smelser said. “That’s a long time. I just thought it was the right time.

“Maybe I’ll teach a couple of days at the college. I’ll have some freedom to explore other things. Maybe try some golf.”

Alas, that’s what they meant by pasture.

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While Canyons has an uphill battle in the 32-team regional that starts tonight, four other men’s teams from the region could survive at least two rounds.

Of those, Valley and Oxnard have the best chance of reaching the state championships March 9-11 at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Problem is, they would need to eliminate each other on the way there.

The Monarchs (23-8), seeded No. 6, should handle Orange Coast (13-16) on Saturday night at Valley and set up a second-round matchup with No. 11 Oxnard (21-8), which should dispose of No. 22 Antelope Valley (19-13) tonight at Oxnard.

Valley and Oxnard are in opposite divisions of the Western State Conference and did not play each other this season.

The winner of their game on Wednesday probably would face No. 3 Santa Ana (26-5) in the third round on March 4, with the winner advancing to Stockton. Valley is ranked No. 16 in the state, Santa Ana is No. 17 and Oxnard is No. 21.

No. 5-seeded Moorpark (23-7), which hosts No. 28 Southwestern (14-15) on Saturday and No. 9 Glendale (22-8), which hosts No. 24 Chaffey (15-15) tonight, face tough roads.

Moorpark is in the same bracket as Cerritos (25-6), ranked No. 6 in the state, and Glendale is grouped with L.A. City (31-2), the state’s top-ranked team. Lucky them.

Four teams from Southern California will join four from Northern California in the Final Eight tournament at Pacific.

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The women’s state championships, also March 9-11 in Stockton, already has a clear favorite.

Ventura (33-0) is trying to become the only school to win two state titles with perfect records. The Pirates were 35-0 in 1995-96.

Ventura, top-ranked in the state, has a first-round bye in the Southern California Regional. The Pirates need to win two games to reach the championship game.

They could be joined there by Canyons (24-6), seeded No. 4 in the regional, which also has a bye.

Valley (17-14), seeded No. 19, has a long way to climb. The Monarchs meet No. 14 Harbor (15-15) tonight in Wilmington. If they win, they face No. 3 Cerritos (25-5) on Tuesday.

The quarterfinals and semifinals for the women’s state championships are at San Joaquin Delta. The final is at Pacific.