Gary Henley: Everyday People: A new era begins for Warrenton basketball

Nov. 21—WARRENTON — Patience, hard work and persistence have finally paid off for Nikita Smith.

Patience in waiting for the right job in the right place; years of hard work and long hours as an assistant coach; and persistence in logging a lot of miles interviewing for a head coaching job.

Smith found the off-ramp last spring, and it's brought him to Warrenton High School.

The longtime, two-sport assistant coach at Seaside was hired in May to serve as an assistant football coach at Warrenton, at the same time he was announced as the Warriors' new varsity boys basketball coach.

Smith couldn't be more excited to begin a new season, this time as a head coach.

"Absolutely. I've always wanted to be a coach," said Smith, who has also served as an official for local youth basketball games. "It's exciting to get my first chance."

Smith knows basketball — that will be the easy part.

"I'm wanting to learn more about the off-the-court things," he said, citing the day-to-day operations that come with being a high school head coach. "I've been coaching basketball for a long time. Being on the sidelines is going to be easy for me. It's the off-the-court things that I want to learn."

Smith had several job interviews in the region, "so I've been through the process," he said. "I finally settled that I wanted to be at Warrenton, because I love the area, the kids and the atmosphere."

Nate McBride stepped down as the Warrenton boys coach following the 2021-22 season, and Jake Mullins resigned as the girls' basketball coach. The new hires were Smith as the boys coach and Cole Jannusch as coach for girls basketball.

It was only a matter of time before Smith had his own program.

In his years at Seaside, Smith was selected as the 2019 Assistant Coach of the Year by the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association. He was one of the regulars on Bill Westerholm's coaching staff for the Seaside boys program. For the past decade, Westerholm and the Gulls have been a league favorite, usually a state title contender.

Smith was along for the ride, helping Seaside make four straight appearances in the 4A state championship game, where the Gulls won two and lost two.

"Working under Bill Westerholm with assistant coaches like (Gene) Quilhaugh and (Jim) Poetsch, Barry Adams ... that all built a foundation to help me get to where I want to be as a coach."

Meanwhile, "coaching with Bill was something like no other. It was perfect chemistry. We meshed very well and had the same thought process and vision, so it made getting things done a lot easier," Smith said. "He allowed me to become a coach and to flourish by giving me the opportunity. He was developing me as a head coach."

He adds, "The success of the Seaside program had a lot to do with the coaches in his program. They really instilled the fundamentals in the kids, and building that culture. It's just a continuous system of that high bar and high expectations that you had to meet. Kids really stepped up their level of play, and it allowed us to have the success that we had."

At Warrenton, Smith will be the third coach the boys have had in the last 16 years, following Josh Jannusch and McBride. His assistant coaches will be Ollie Baker and David Wines.

McBride has also helped, when needed.

"Nate has been a very helpful in the transition, making sure that I got everything that I needed, checking up on me and making sure things are rolling along," Smith said. "He's been a tremendous help. Sometimes coaches just need a break. Nate was on the fence, and wasn't sure about coaching. I think he just decided it was time to take a break."

Warrenton athletic director and football coach Ian O'Brien has also made the transition easier, with Smith serving on O'Brien's football coaching staff this fall. As a high school athlete, Smith played football and basketball for the Trappers of Fort Vancouver High School.

"Ian has been amazing," he said. "The way he welcomed me to Warrenton, and making sure I've got everything I need to help the program start off on the right foot. From fundraising, getting the kids new uniforms — it's just been a nice, fresh start."