Having a good lunch and some Great Basketball Conversation today at the IHOP:Talking HS Hoops with Adrian Wimbush(Smith High School)

Stopped in today at the IHOP on Westover Terrace and sat down to a lunch/stack of pancakes…Some very good pancakes on cold winter day…But the best part of this lunch was what happened after the meal…

One of the IHOP employees was standing near my table, and he asked me, “Did you ever work with GreensboroSports.com?”…I decided to take the evasive route and I said, Never….Then I said, Wait a minute I’m just kidding, why do ask???

My new found, and many ways my old found friend said, “You interviewed me back when I was playing basketball for Smith High School”…

I got this young man’s name, and found out he was Adrian Wimbush…He played for Smith, back when the Golden Eagles won the conference championship over at Dudley High School…Smith was led by head coach Brian Jones, plus assistant coaches Matt Harder and Jerrod Harris…That Smith team was led on the court by Adrian Wimbush, Tracy Gathings, Drew Williams and others…One heck of a powerhouse Smith Golden Eagle team…

Adrian Wimbush said he really enjoyed playing for Coach Jones, and assistants Harder and Harris and his assistant coaches had a certain way to get the attention of the Smith players, and that all them, the coaches and players really got along well…Adrian also said he would have liked to play at least one season for current Smith coach Derrick Partee…

Wimbush played for Smith back in 2011-2012, and it has been 10 years since he suited up for the Golden Eagles, but this young man loves to look back to his old days, playing basketball for the Smith Golden Eagles…Adrian moved to Greensboro, from Danville, Virginia during his junior year of high school…Adrian said he would never look back to Danville, and that Greensboro is his home…

Adrian is currently the assistant manager at the IHOP on Westover Terrace, but really would like to be an assistant basketball coach for one of our local high schools…He needs to be coaching or training basketball players…This young man loves basketball, and he loves to look back and talk about the basketball players from the earlier days, here in Greensboro and Guilford County…We looked back, and talked about a lot of those players today…

Here is a list of a few of the players we were talking about today…..
Jackson Kent, from Page High School…Adrian once guarded Jackson in a game, and held him to two points…
David Reader/D.J. Reader(Grimsley HS)…For a big man, some of the softest hands you’ll ever see in a basketball player…
Mitchell Oates(Page High School/High Point Christian Academy)
T.J. Logan(Northern Guilford HS)…Many thought he was just a football player, but a real strong basketball player too…
The Martin twins, Cody and Caleb(Davie County High School/Oak Hill)…Underestimated when they were in high school, but now in the NBA..
Jacob Lawson(Northern Guilford/Oak Ridge Military Academy)
Jay Canty(Ragsdale HS/ORMA)
Michael Neal(Northern Guilford/ORMA)
Christian McCain(Page HS/Northern Guilford)
Brandon Hairston(Eastern Guilford HS)
Isaiah Bigelow(Smith High School)
Quinton Goods(Smith High School)
Clavon Ingram(Smith High School)
Tracy Gathings(Smith High School)
Drew Williams(Smith High School)
P.J. Hairston(Dudley High School)
William Graves(Dudley High School)
Sam Hunt(Dudley HS)
Reggie Dillard(Dudley HS/Greensboro Day School)
Will Dillard(Greensboro Day School)
Jordan Perkins(Greensboro Day)
Reggie Perkins(Western Guilford HS)
John Newman III(Greensboro Day School)
J.P. Moorman(Greensboro Day School)
Stephen Curry(Charlotte Christian)
Seth Curry(Charlotte Christian)
James Summers(Page HS)
Julius Brooks(Page HS)
Brittany Drew(Page High School)
Raymon Pratt(Smith High School)
Eric Ebron(Smith HS)…Ebron was good for 15-20 rebounds a game on his good nights, during his junior year at Smith High School.
J.J. Watson(Smith HS)…He was like a magnet…He used to pull the defender in, and they couldn’t help it…They would foul him every time…
Jeremy Clayton(Smith HS)
Keenan Allen(Northern Guilford HS) quite the basketball player back in his younger days…
Hendon Hooker(Dudley HS) saw him make some dunks/slams/jams that were not for the faint of heart…
Jaquel Richmond(Dudley HS/High Point Christian Academy)
Jordan Hanner(Southwest Guilford HS)
Keith Manley(Grimsley HS)
+++++more players will come to mind later, and we had a great basketball talk on Thursday at the IHOP on Westover Terrace…+++++

Smith Golden Eagles in 2011-2021, Adrian Wimbush’ senior season, at Ben L. Smith High School
Head Coach Brian Jones
Wimbush, Adrian(Sr.)
Gathings, Tracy(Sr.)
Williams, Drew(Sr.)
Lowe, Kendrick(Fr.)
Woods, Cameron(Jr.)
Wallace, Velente(Sr.)
Holt, Kaleb(Jr.)
Carter, Eric(Jr.)
Williams, JT(Jr.)
Phillips, Devonte(So.)
Stubbs, Devon(Sr.)
Corbett, Kennan(Jr.)
Brown, KJ(Jr.)
Wright, JP(Jr.)
Bennett, Marquis(Jr.)
Woods, Chris(Jr.)

A great basketball conversation today, with Adrian Wimbush, and the most interesting thing about today’s talk was that Adrian still had photographs in his smart phone from the interviews we did with him 10 years ago…One interview was from Smith High School, and the other interview came from over at Dudley HS, the night Smith won the Conference Championship, and I can’t remember if they beat Page or Dudley, for the conference title….

Some great memories though today, and it just shows you how much impact that a small local website/blog can have in the community…And we are very thankful for the opportunity to serve the community….

Adrian Wimbush bringing it all back today, at the IHOP on Westover Terrace, and we need to get this young man out there coaching basketball somewhere…He can be a great influence on the local basketball community….Somebody needs to reach out and pick this young man up….

12 thoughts on “Having a good lunch and some Great Basketball Conversation today at the IHOP:Talking HS Hoops with Adrian Wimbush(Smith High School)

  1. Excellent article Andy. As I read the article, I could tell you were enamored with the conversation you had with this young man

  2. I am in tears reading this. I have always told Adrian he belongs on the court in some fashion or another. His love is like none I’ve ever seen. Call me bias because I am his Auntie but i know talent when i see it. Mother of Brandon Hairston (Eastern Guilford High School)

  3. I’m in tears reading this article. I remember my son having this passion for Bball, his cousins didn’t want to spend the night at our house because on Saturday mornings Adrian was watching ESPN to stay up on all the highlights and players. I also recall him staying all night at his Aunties house and they told me Adrian stayed outside all night shooting basketball because she had a goal.(it broke my heart because I couldn’t get him one, but it also showed his passion) He has always had a love for sports and knows something about every player in every sport be it Basketball, football, boxing etc. Adrian is always prepared to go round for round in conversation. God Bless you Andy Durham, you gave my son something today, something great. Thank you

  4. I’m one of those cousins lol , but he really does have the most passion for basketball . Every time I’m with him , we talk about basketball . He tells me moves I can do , and always says he’s willing to workout with me when we’re both free . I can agree that he does need to be coaching somewhere and training because he’s amazing !

  5. Adrian is one of the most passionate young men I know about the game of basketball. He knows the game, players and most of all, what it takes to be successful. He would be a great addition to any high school or college coaching staff. It’s been a pleasure watching him grow over the years. Keep motivating and inspiring our youth nephew.

  6. Former Smith HS assistant boys basketball coach, and now current Western Guilford HS assistant Athletic Director Jerrod Harris said:

    Oh wow that is a blast from the past. Adrian could really shoot that ball.

  7. His name didn’t come up during the conversation, but we can sure add him in….What is he up to these days??? I saw one of the Manleys over at Grimsley back during during the football playoffs…He was there scouting for one of the colleges up in West Virginia…Might have been West Virginia State, or another college near there…What are the Manley men doing these days?????

  8. Good post and somebody needs to hire these guys as basketball coaches. They could be big help for some local teams. Great to see the Julius Brooks name popping up here. Had not seen his name in a while. Whatever happened to him?

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