Prep Scene

A phone conversation can develop into more than just an exchange between two people. That is what happened when a childhood friend and former high school basketball teammate gave me a call last week.

That conversation with former St. Paul Central alum and student-athlete Marvin Bond, who starred for the Minutemen in football and basketball from 1980-82, proved to be interesting yet informative. During the conversation Bond, now 56, talked about two family members, nephews of his wife Sherri Smith-Bond, who are carving out legacies of their own as student-athletes.

Brothers Dominic Smith and Derrick Smith, former prep standouts at White Bear Lake High School, appear to be doing just that.

Their father Eric Smith played football and basketball at St. Paul Central before graduating in 1986. “Eric’s sons are doing good,” Bond said proudly. “They are really making their mark.”

After an outstanding prep career as a wide receiver for the football team, Dominic Smith, at 6’3” 185 pounds, has blossomed into one of the top receivers in college football at any level, catching 69 passes for 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 14.5 yards per catch and 100 yards per game this past season as a sophomore at Augsburg University.

The MIAC All-Conference receiver also played basketball and baseball at White Bear Lake.

Derrick Smith, a 6’2” 195-pound right-hand pitcher, recently completed a brilliant pre-baseball career at White Bear Lake and will attend North Carolina State University on scholarship this fall.

One of the top prep prospects in the country this past year, Smith was one of five finalists for Mr. Baseball.

Bond, at 6’2”, started for the football team at tight end. As one of the most dominant centers in basketball, he led the Minutemen to a third-place Class AA finish in the 1981 state tournament, and then led them back to the tournament in 1982.

It ended up being quite the conversation.