‘HE’S A BIG RED — IT IS DEEP IN HIS BLOOD’
Chippewa Valley’s Kevin Voss steps down; former player takes over
Kevin Voss has stepped down as the varsity boys basketball coach at Chippewa Valley.
Corey Smith is taking his former coach’s place.
The circle of life in a basketball sense. That particular earth’s crust is orange pebbled leather stamped Wilson or Spalding.
“It is time. Thirty eight years is a long time. I was happy Corey got the job. He’s been a part of the program. He’ll use some things from that program, but he will put his own mark on things, too.
“It will be good to see one of my players take over and move the program forward. Corey was loyal. He waited for his opportunity. He’s a Big Red. It is deep in his blood. He made his mark as a player here. He’s got his career as a teacher at Chippewa Valley and now he is the head varsity basketball coach,” continued Voss.
Voss spent 38 years on the bench. He had 513 wins, third most in Macomb County behind Jim Barker and Greg Esler.
“I was on a pre med track in college. Craig Morris asked me to be an assistant at Stevenson. I had played at Stevenson, played a couple of years at a junior college in Arkansas, but was at Wayne State at the time.
“My first night on the bench with Craig, the pre med was all over. I could not believe how energizing it felt to be there. It was euphoria. I went home and told my wife that I wanted to be a coach,” said Voss.
That is exactly what he became, a teacher and coach at
Chippewa Valley.
“I was always a kid who analyzed the game. Figuring out why we lost, that sort of thing. My parents always fostered my interest in basketball. They would take me to games when I was young. We would pick out a good high school game and go,” continued Voss.
The circle of life. Or is that a basketball spinning on a finger?
Smith exhibited that sort of early interest, too.
“Coach Voss was a huge mentor of mine. I always admired him and probably in the back of my mind, wanted to emulate him,” said Smith. “I was never
the most physically gifted player, but I was able to analyze things.
“My dad and I would watch every televised basketball game when I was growing up. Especially at the end of the games, my dad would ask me what I
thought they were talking about during a timeout, what kind of play were they going to call. He would always ask what would you do in that situation, what would you do in this situation?”
Now Smith is in a different situation. He is the head coach at his alma mater.
Smith has been the boys’ junior varsity coach at Chippewa Valley. He
played for Voss from 2001 until 2003. He played at Adrian College.
“I’ve always been a student of the game,” said Smith.
It is time for the student to become a teacher. Fans will be analyzing his plays during crunch time.
The circle of life. The earth’s crust is pebbled orange imprinted with Wilson or Spalding.