Beyond the Court: Federal Hocking senior conquers the adversity of a frightening accident
By: Curtis Feder
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STEWART, Ohio (WOUB) — Lane Smith is a senior forward for the Federal Hocking Lancers. He had grown up with a basketball in his hand, but in his eighth grade year, a devastating setback occurred.
“I got shot with a BB gun. The BB went up through my eye and into my brain,” said Smith. “It was point blank, so I lost complete vision in that eye.”
The months following the incident were difficult, as Lane had to recalibrate his body to adjust to his newly found disadvantage. He had newly found blind spots on defense, and he had to revitalize his jump shot to make up for his loss of depth perception, a key component to being a good shooter.
By the beginning of his freshman season, Smith’s ability was as good if not better than the average player with two eyes. By his senior year, he had blossomed into a dangerous scoring threat, becoming one of the key factors to Federal Hocking’s success, leaving coach Jonathan Thompson to rely on him as a leader for the Lancers moving forward.
“He’s been the leader of the team since day one of summer league or anything,” said coach Thompson. “He tries to push the guys, and he does it the right way.”
After posting an impressive 20-point, 12-rebound double-double in a recent game against South Gallia, the Lancers are in prime contention to retake the TVC-Hocking title, as the team looks to make a deep push in the postseason.