One of the most successful current high school basketball coaches in South Carolina will replace legendary Steve Smith after this season at
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.). Yerrick Stoneman, who led
Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) to Class 4A state titles in 2018, 2019 and 2020, was named the program's new coach Wednesday morning by the school's president Michael D. Groves.
Stoneman is a former assistant under Smith from 1996-2007, a span that featured five mythical national championships.
He is is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a member of the U.S. Army
Reserve, where he continues to serve as a captain.
This season, Stoneman's Blazers are 15-11 and open the postseason Wednesday. Over six seasons, Stoneman has led them to a 112-44 record.
"I am humbled and honored to be selected to carry on the great
tradition of Oak Hill basketball," Stoneman said in a statement. "I'm excited
for our future and look forward to working with the current staff and
the 2022-2023 Warriors."
He'll take over for the country's winningest active coach in Smith, who announced last week
he would retire after this, his 37th season.
The 66-year-old has won 1,226 games (against just 98 losses), produced 34 McDonald's All-Americans and 35 NBA Draft picks
while sending nearly 300 players to Division I programs. His win total is third
all-time behind Robert Hughes of Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) at 1,333
and Morgan Wootten of DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md) at 1,274.
Smith's current team is 27-7 but has reeled off 13 straight wins and is No. 7 in the
National Top 20. He'll
finish up his illustrious career March 31-April 2 in Fort Myers, Fla.,
at GEICO Nationals.
"I am so happy and proud that Yerrick Stoneman, on of my former assistant coaches, is the next head coach at Oak Hill Academy," Smith said.
Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smith will finish out his career next month at GEICO Nationals.
File photo by Catalina Fragoso
