Name: Tenleigh Smith

School: Blackfoot High School

Grade: Junior

Sport: Basketball

Position: Point guard

How did you first get interested in your basketball?
My mom was coaching at Century High School while she was pregnant with me, so I like to think I was involved even before I was born. After I was born, I was always around it. It would only be a matter of time before I started to pick up a ball and play. 

If you play other sports, which is your favorite ?
Basketball and track are my sports. I did run cross country freshman year, but I am unable to run it anymore due to injuries. I have played basketball for what seems like my whole life, it’s just natural. When I am playing in a game, I don’t even think, not even in close games. My body knows what to do and it takes over. 

Track is another story. My freshman year, my track and cross country coaches, Jason Lish and Debby Armstrong, told me they thought I’d be a good one and two mile runner due to my success the previous cross country season. We settled on the 400-meter dash. Ever since that day, it’s been my race and I have the greatest love/hate relationship with it.

If you’ve ever ran a 400, you know what I am talking about. I qualified for state both years in the 400 and even placed my sophomore year. It has definitely been a different experience because it’s not necessarily a team sport. When you’re in the blocks before the starter pulls the trigger, all eyes are on you. There are no excuses.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from high school sports? 
I attended a lot of PGC camps before high school and they taught several valuable lessons that have stuck with me to this day. One lesson that I will never forget is when someone walked into our classroom session late. Our instructor must have already been angry at something but he snapped. He asked him why he was late, to which he responded, “I felt like it.” 

Our instructor said, “You guys are lucky. You basically get a practice round at life because you are an athlete. You do realize you don’t get basketball forever. I mean sure, a lot of you may play in college and a very, very, very select few will play beyond that but that’s it. A small portion of your life, you get to play the game but that’s all it is, a game. Why are you playing this sport? If you’re smart you’re preparing yourself for when you have a job and a family. Hopefully you're learning how to deal with others around you, respect and discipline. Hopefully, this sport is teaching you more than the X’s and O’s. If not you are failing yourself.”

What has been your favorite high school memory so far?
My favorite highschool memory was during my sophomore year. During districts, we ended up playing Bonneville. It was a tight game the whole way and we ended up going into overtime. Izzy hit some free throws to practically secure the win with only seconds left and after the buzzer went off everyone rushed the court, even though they weren’t supposed to. Our student section was huge, close to 100 people. It felt like the movies. Everyone was screaming and we were in a huge huddle just trampling each other. It was the best experience I have had in my highschool basketball career.  

What coaches or teachers have made the biggest impact on your athletic career?
My mom has always been my rock. She has coached me ever since I can remember and we have been through everything together. We have a great relationship on and off the court and never combine the two. Sure, I am the coach's kid, but I have never felt privileged or felt I had an advantage over any of my teammates because of my relationship with her. In fact, her being my coach has helped me for the better. She has always been hard on me and is still pushing me to be the best player and person I can be. She by far has had the biggest impact on me. 

Which teammates have you really connected with during high school? 
The players I have connected with most during highschool are the ones I started playing with since the beginning because we have developed a relationship that can’t really be put into words: Hadley Humpherys and Isabelle Arave. Izzy (Isabelle) joined my competitive team a year after we started but I definitely consider her an original. Hadley joined the competitive team about three years later which is weird to think because I have felt like I’ve played with her since the beginning.

Last year, before our first varsity game together, there was a moment where we all just looked at each other and we all knew what we had to do. Us three have a pretty impressive relationship that was only developed through the experience of the game.

My whole family is very supportive and has been there for me the whole time I’ve been involved in sports. 
However; my number No. 1 supporter, no matter what, has been my grandma Judy. Ever since I have been athletically involved, she has not missed one game, no matter the sport. She has been to little league soccer games in freezing weather, 13-hour drives to San Diego for basketball tournaments and stood in the pouring rain for hours waiting for me to race at the state track meet. She has always been involved in my life in every aspect and it’s a treasure I hold with my grandma. 

What’s something most people don’t know about you?
In the first grade, I was the ISU women's basketball team’s ball girl. I swept the floor during timeouts and gave the refs water. After a while I even started going into the huddles before games. No one really knows why I started because I wasn’t really supposed to, but after I did it once it kind of stuck. I even became close with a lot of the girls and developed relationships with the majority of them. We had dinners and parties during the holidays for the team and when I got older, my family became boosters for a few of the girls. I was heavily involved with the team until I became recruitable in 8th grade and had to stop due to NCAA regulations. It was a great experience to be involved with a college team at a young age. 

What about this season are you looking forward to the most?
I am looking forward to going to the state tournament and hopefully taking home the trophy that everyone wants in their highschool’s trophy case.