Scout Smith, seen with Lyla (left) and Tenley Stuurmans, is the new Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball coach. (Sarah Stuurmans photo)
She was born for this.
The daughter of two coaches, and sister of two more, Scout Smith was always among the most cerebral of athletes during her playing days at Coupeville High School.
Now, the former three-sport star, who was a CHS Athlete of the Year winner as a senior, is joining the coaching fraternity herself.
Well, Scout has already been working with the school’s volleyball program as a volunteer assistant, but Tuesday she was tabbed as the new JV girls’ head basketball coach.
She replaces Kassie O’Neil, who left due to a family move, and her hire will be official once approved by the school board.
Scout played volleyball, basketball, and softball during her Wolf days, before moving on to earn degrees from the University of Washington and Gonzaga with an eye on becoming a teacher.
Dad Chris Smith coached through all three seasons for several years at CHS, working with volleyball, boys’ basketball, and baseball, while mom Charlotte Young was an accomplished little league guru.
Scout’s brothers, CJ and Hunter, have also coached at their alma mater in the past, with the former calling the shots for JV baseball, and the latter leading the JV boys’ hoops program.
Like having another coach on the floor. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
While Scout, a 2020 CHS grad, is the youngest of Charlotte’s three-pack, she quickly made a name for herself.
In her first athletic event as a high school student back in 2016, she reeled off 27 points on her serve, including 18 straight at one point, in a straight-sets volleyball win over Mount Vernon Christian.
The final serve almost broke the Hurricane receiver’s elbow in half, and Scoutasouras Rex was born.
By the time she wrapped up her CHS sports career, she had helped lead both volleyball and softball to state tourney success.
A team captain in all of her sports, she often played positions (setter, point guard, pitcher) which put her in leadership roles, something she always accepted and lived up to.
Scout racked up stats, brought home All-Conference and team honors, and earned respect from fellow players, coaches, and rivals by being one of the hardest-working, smartest athletes to ever pull on a Wolf uniform.
Across a span of six years (two middle school, four high school) she was a rock for Coupeville sports teams, as dependable as any athlete this blog has ever covered.
Scout with the parental figures. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
It wasn’t just that Scout could make the play, but that she was so deeply ingrained in her knowledge, that she always knew what the right play was — even during a few times when everyone else was (incorrectly) screaming at her to do something differently.
She played through pain — refusing to come off the court even after turning half her face into a giant bruise after slamming into the floor during a playoff volleyball match — and she handled good times and bad with style and grace.
Scout lost her senior softball season, and a chance to make back-to-back state tourney runs, when the pandemic wiped out all spring sports.
That stung badly, and I have no doubt she would return to the field today in a heartbeat if given a replay, but she has moved on to find new milestones to make.
She’s taught two of my three nephews as a substitute PE teacher this fall, and the CHS volleyball players have benefited greatly from her presence.
Every coaching change comes with unknowns.
Falling back on sports cliches, some hires become home runs, while a rare few are closer to strikeouts.
This one? Bringing Scout into a leadership position where she can continue the family tradition of coaching excellence?
That feels like destiny coming true.
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