Hall of Fame
A native of Madison County, Georgia, Lauren Smith helped restart the YHC women's basketball program in 2010, and she played for the Mountain Lions for four years.
For Smith, arriving in the Enchanted Valley was an opportunity to grow the basketball team from the ground up while working toward two degrees. She was a starter and captain on the women’s basketball team all four seasons of her college career.
After 100 career games, she is No. 1 for the Mountain Lions in assists, steals, and free throws made. She ranks second in the YHC record books with 1,004 points and in field goals made.
Smith helped the Mountain Lions to 66 wins in four seasons, including a program-best 23 victories in the 2011-2012 season.
She also led YHC to a third-place finish in the PBC West Division and fourth overall in the conference in 2013-2014. That same year, Smith was named to the All-Peach Belt third team.
While at YHC, Smith studied psychology and allied health. After graduating from YHC, she went on to Pfeiffer University to earn her master’s degree in special education. While there, she was on a graduate assistantship and helped coach the women's basketball team. She also coached a rec league team and took them to the first round of state for their age group. She’s returned to her high school and helped assist the junior varsity team. She’s also coached a travel league team and worked with Nike Elite Basketball camps. On the side, she trains ages six and up.
Smith now resides in Gainesville, Georgia, and serves as a program coordinator for the nonprofit organization TRiO-Upward Bound, which is based at the University of Georgia. She works with high school students who are interested in going to college but don’t know the route to get there.
