Sports Update
Smith and lesson: New East soccer coach looks to resurrect Lady Panthers
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
New Plano East girls soccer head coach Eric Smith has taken on programs like this before.
A soccer squad in the midst of a lull and seeking a return to the playoffs; it's nothing that the former Richardson head coach hasn't been tasked with before and something he'll hope to follow up on with his latest coaching post.
"I've lived in the Metroplex my entire life," Smith said. "I grew up in Mesquite so Plano has always been nearby and has been a strong academic and athletic district, even when I was going to school. I currently live in Allen so the geographic proximity to East was one of the factors and they have a history of producing quality athletes and a strong program."
The shift in scenery came about after some changes for both soccer programs at Richardson, of which the result was Smith needing to find a new assistant coach. The changes drew him to a job posting website for soccer coaches, during which he came across the ad for a new head coach at East.
Reaching out to East athletic director Johnny Ringo, several weeks went by before Smith heard a response and the two worked from there.
Coming on board with the Lady Panthers marks the latest step in Smith's 23-year coaching career.
"I got into coaching because I had a significant knee injury toward the end of my college years," Smith said. "I simply couldn't give up the game though, and went to the local soccer association in Mesquite and got into coaching that way."
Smith's entry into the coaching arena wasn't exactly enviable, dealt a team of castoffs and leftovers from other teams who had already picked players and gone through the draft process.
"These kids weren't originally going to play, but I took them on," Smith said. "We started out pretty late and by the time I had moved to Allen and had to part ways with that team, we had moved up into a city championship position."
From there, Smith has plied his craft for several years as the director at Andromeda Juniors Academy before joining on as an assistant with the Cedar Hill boys soccer team. A four-year stay at Richardson followed.
"When I came to Richardson, you could probably count the number of wins they had had in the past decade on two hands," Smith said. "In that first year, we went 10-6 and had a chance for a play-in game to the playoffs but didn't make it."
Over the next two seasons, the Lady Eagles came within one goal of making the playoffs before finally snagging that elusive playoff berth in 2012, where Richardson captured the District 9-5A Championship and Smith was named the district's Coach of the Year.
"It was a really positive experience in rebuilding that program from scratch," Smith said. "I feel like I'm leaving that program in good shape and now that I'm in [District 10-5A], I look forward to possibly playing them in the playoffs next year."
Over those years, Smith has adhered to the same philosophy, adopting a team-centric approach to the game.
"I've always had the philosophy that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts," he said. "It doesn't matter what players you've got as long as they realize that the way to be successful is to do everything they can to make the person next to them a better player."
Stylistically, Smith emphasizes a possession-based game, focusing on translating individual skills to team tactics. He'll look to apply those same tactics to a Lady Panthers squad seeking its first playoff berth since 2008.
With the formal announcement of Smith's hiring coming down on Tuesday, he hasn't been able to speak with any of his players yet. That'll change in the coming months, as Smith said he plans on getting a hold of game film from last season to assess East's current status, while also hoping to set up a parent-player meeting before school starts.
During that time, he'll lay the groundwork for the goals and expectations for the foreseeable future, which includes bringing the Lady Panthers back to prominence.
"If any high school coach is not doing what they're doing in an effort to compete for a state title, then they're lying," Smith said. "That's one of those things where given the right situation, circumstance and mindset from all involved; that if that's done with this particular situation, then I hope we can compete for a state title."
A soccer squad in the midst of a lull and seeking a return to the playoffs; it's nothing that the former Richardson head coach hasn't been tasked with before and something he'll hope to follow up on with his latest coaching post.
"I've lived in the Metroplex my entire life," Smith said. "I grew up in Mesquite so Plano has always been nearby and has been a strong academic and athletic district, even when I was going to school. I currently live in Allen so the geographic proximity to East was one of the factors and they have a history of producing quality athletes and a strong program."
The shift in scenery came about after some changes for both soccer programs at Richardson, of which the result was Smith needing to find a new assistant coach. The changes drew him to a job posting website for soccer coaches, during which he came across the ad for a new head coach at East.
Reaching out to East athletic director Johnny Ringo, several weeks went by before Smith heard a response and the two worked from there.
Coming on board with the Lady Panthers marks the latest step in Smith's 23-year coaching career.
"I got into coaching because I had a significant knee injury toward the end of my college years," Smith said. "I simply couldn't give up the game though, and went to the local soccer association in Mesquite and got into coaching that way."
Smith's entry into the coaching arena wasn't exactly enviable, dealt a team of castoffs and leftovers from other teams who had already picked players and gone through the draft process.
"These kids weren't originally going to play, but I took them on," Smith said. "We started out pretty late and by the time I had moved to Allen and had to part ways with that team, we had moved up into a city championship position."
From there, Smith has plied his craft for several years as the director at Andromeda Juniors Academy before joining on as an assistant with the Cedar Hill boys soccer team. A four-year stay at Richardson followed.
"When I came to Richardson, you could probably count the number of wins they had had in the past decade on two hands," Smith said. "In that first year, we went 10-6 and had a chance for a play-in game to the playoffs but didn't make it."
Over the next two seasons, the Lady Eagles came within one goal of making the playoffs before finally snagging that elusive playoff berth in 2012, where Richardson captured the District 9-5A Championship and Smith was named the district's Coach of the Year.
"It was a really positive experience in rebuilding that program from scratch," Smith said. "I feel like I'm leaving that program in good shape and now that I'm in [District 10-5A], I look forward to possibly playing them in the playoffs next year."
Over those years, Smith has adhered to the same philosophy, adopting a team-centric approach to the game.
"I've always had the philosophy that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts," he said. "It doesn't matter what players you've got as long as they realize that the way to be successful is to do everything they can to make the person next to them a better player."
Stylistically, Smith emphasizes a possession-based game, focusing on translating individual skills to team tactics. He'll look to apply those same tactics to a Lady Panthers squad seeking its first playoff berth since 2008.
With the formal announcement of Smith's hiring coming down on Tuesday, he hasn't been able to speak with any of his players yet. That'll change in the coming months, as Smith said he plans on getting a hold of game film from last season to assess East's current status, while also hoping to set up a parent-player meeting before school starts.
During that time, he'll lay the groundwork for the goals and expectations for the foreseeable future, which includes bringing the Lady Panthers back to prominence.
"If any high school coach is not doing what they're doing in an effort to compete for a state title, then they're lying," Smith said. "That's one of those things where given the right situation, circumstance and mindset from all involved; that if that's done with this particular situation, then I hope we can compete for a state title."
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