COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Coldwater girls basketball coach Ken Smoker has announced his retirement after leading the Lady Cardinal program for fourteen seasons.
Smoker ends his tenure with a 198-120 record, and his teams have won two Interstate 8 conference titles and five Division 1 district championships. Coldwater’s bid for a fourth consecutive district title ended with their 44-38 loss to Sturgis this past Friday.
The longtime coach released the following statement Sunday morning “I have made the difficult decision to retire after 14 years of leading this program This position has been a privilege and I want to thank Coldwater Community Schools for giving me this opportunity to represent our community and work with so many great young women. To my players, past and present: thank you for your commitment to our values and for allowing me to be a part of your journey. I was also fortunate to have had quality people that have served as coaches at all levels of our program and even more fortunate to have been able to coach alongside my two daughters. I want to thank Todd Farmer for his support and Dianne Vandenhout for first giving me this opportunity. Lastly, I want to thank my wife for being so supportive and for having to deal with my emotional ups and downs throughout each season.”
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