Former I.C. Norcom star Dorian Finney-Smith rose through the ranks.
He left Portsmouth to play college ball at Virginia Tech before transferring to Florida. He was undrafted, but picked up by the Dallas Mavericks in 2016 and he now enjoys an NBA career. He hasn’t forgotten his hometown.
For the fourth year, Finney-Smith has come back to Portsmouth to host his Finney First Family Foundation’s annual Community Love Day. It’s a day that included a youth camp, a cookout, two all-star games and a festival atmosphere at Woodrow Wilson High School.
“Today was a success. We had a great group of guys come out to help. Dennis Smith, Rick Carlisle, Vernon Macklin… the kids got first hand experience from NBA guys today,” said Finney-Smith. “Growing up, I had never seen an NBA head coach. (Coach Carlisle) was out here walking guys through drills. That’s all it’s about.”
“I want the kids to keep working. This world is hard. This world is rough. Sometimes you might be the best suited for a job, but your coach or your boss might give it to somebody else. You just gotta keep going. You gotta keep digging. One day you might hit that pot of gold,” he said.
As for his NBA career, Finney-Smith was confident that he’ll continue to progress.
“I gotta keep getting better: rebounding, shooting and points. I keep going on that uphill climb. I’m trying to play as long as I can. I will hopefully get to the playoffs this year. It’s a wide open league this year. Everybody is bouncing around (between teams) this summer. I think this year’s going to be very fun.”
Thanks to recruit757 video correspondent Antowyne Shaw for video coverage of the event.