NCS's Donovan Smith, Lipscomb's Kate Grogan receive Moss-Oliver awards

Tom Kreager, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

Donovan Smith decided against competing in high school track for his senior season.

The Nashville Christian senior would rather begin to give back to younger athletes by offering to train others in basketball, his preferred sport.

"I have an after school training program I'm doing for kids, which ranges from second grade all the way to freshman. We train every day after school," said Smith, who has a 4.314 GPA and plans to attend Tennessee in the fall. "Right now I have six people in our lower school gym.

"I always loved being around the game. I wanted to find ways to stay around it. More important, I wanted to give back."

Lipscomb Academy's Kate Grogan and Nashville Christian's Donovan Smith received this year's Moss-Oliver awards presented by the Nashville Civitan Club.
Lipscomb Academy's Kate Grogan and Nashville Christian's Donovan Smith received this year's Moss-Oliver awards presented by the Nashville Civitan Club.

Smith and Lipscomb Academy senior Kate Grogan received the 2023 Moss-Oliver Awards on Wednesday. The awards are sponsored by the Nashville Civitan Club and named after William Henry Oliver and J.E. Moss, who were past presidents of the club as well as Middle Tennessee educators. The two served as co-superintendents of Metro Nashville Public Schools after the city and governments were combined in 1963.

Starting in 1985, the annual award recognizes the top Davidson County male and female scholar basketball player. Athletic ability, academics, leadership and community service are the criteria in the selection process.

Finalists for this year's award included Davidson Academy's AJ McGehee, Goodpasture's Isaiah West and Hillwood's Jared Phillip Day on the boys side and CPA's Virginia Glisson, Hillwood's Reese Gatewood and Hunters Lane's Makayla V. Inmon for the girls.

TSWA ALL-STATE: TSWA All-State girls basketball team for 2022-23 season released

TSWA ALL-STATE: Here is the TSWA All-State boys basketball team for 2022-23 season

BEST EVER: Brentwood Academy's Mensi Stiff poster child for Tennessee high school throwing

MOSS-OLIVER 2022: MLK's Christopher Mays, Nashville Christian's Kameryn Bishop named Moss-Oliver Award winners

Grogan maintained a 4.35 GPA and had a 33 ACT while playing both basketball and volleyball. She plans to attend Auburn.

"My parents and family provided a lot of opportunities and support," said Grogan, on how she balanced athletics, academics and working in the community in various projects including Nashville Work Camp, mission trips. "I also have two older siblings who also did the same thing — sports, academics and community service.

"This is a great honor to hear the accomplishments of other people and being included in that."

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball: Donovan Smith, Kate Grogan receive Moss-Oliver awards