Off the sidelines for 17 months, one of the legendary coaching figures in Virginia High School Basketball is ready to pick up the big whistle again. Ed Young has accepted the position of Head Basketball Coach of the Smithfield Packers, he confirmed to VirginiaPreps.com on August 13th. It will be the fifth different school for […]
Off the sidelines for 17 months, one of the legendary coaching figures in Virginia High School Basketball is ready to pick up the big whistle again.
Ed Young has accepted the position of Head Basketball Coach of the Smithfield Packers, he confirmed to VirginiaPreps.com on August 13th. It will be the fifth different school for Young to lead in a storied career in the Commonwealth that started in 1983 at the now defunct Suffolk High School – when he was in his early 20’s.
“Obviously, I’m excited, actually beyond ecstatic, to be back in the game. When I looked over the landscape of different jobs, I wanted to go somewhere where basketball is taken seriously, the support is strong and hopefully a place where the kids are willing to put in the time and effort. Smithfield checked a lot of the boxes,” commented Young, sporting a record of 517-297 overall in 34 seasons that does not include college coaching stops as an assistant at Quinnipiac and Mount Aloysius during the 1990’s.
Young – the only man to be named Coach of the Year in the Beach District, Eastern District and Southeastern District – was nearing retirement when he joined the exclusive 500-win club in January of 2023. Nansemond River High School in Suffolk decided not to renew his coaching contract just a little more than full year later in March of 2024, despite Young posting a record of 295-161 overall in 19 seasons.
That tenure included five district / conference regular season titles, a State Tournament berth in 2006-07 and only finishing below .500 four times. Some wondered if Young – who guided the Warriors to a 15-8 mark in his final campaign and second straight Region 5B Tournament appearance – would ever return to coaching.
“My last coaching situation left a bad taste in my mouth in terms of how it ended. I definitely was not happy about it,” Young admitted. “But that’s behind me. I’m thrilled that the good Lord allowed me to take a year break and provided me with this opportunity.”
The 1980 graduate of Lock Haven University in his native Pennsylvania was steadfast he would be back leading a team of his own one day with the preference staying in his current residency in the Hampton Roads area. When Chris Brown departed Smithfield for Surry after posting a 51-22 mark over the last three seasons, including 20-4 this past winter, it opened the door for Young and the Packers to match.
Smithfield’s administration, headed up by Principal Patricia Cuffee and Athletic Director Patrick Dulin, appealed to Young.
“I have a lot of respect for Pat and have known him since his coaching days at Churchland. He’s done a great job as the Athletic Director at Smithfield. I’ve often said that’s a guy I’d like to coach for because of what he stands for, his background and he definitely was a big draw for me,” Young explained.
“When I met Principal Cuffee, it comforted me to know she’s pro-sports with her background of having run track at Clemson. Having people that believes in the role that athletics plays not only in the sport, but also in the lives of these kids is a big deal. That’s the type of administration all of us coaches should want.”
The Packers graduated eight seniors from their squad that fell to Churchland 57-56 in the Region 4A Tournament semifinals. Yet, they are not long removed from reaching the pinnacle when they captured the VHSL Class 4 state title during the 2021 campaign that was abbreviated because of the global pandemic.
“It’s going to take some work because it’s like starting all over again. But my attitude in that is I’m starting all over again. I’ve never coached in Smithfield, the Bay Rivers District and the people don’t know me,” noted Young, who enjoyed State Championship glory of his own in 1987. That was the highlight moment of Suffolk High’s Red Raiders posting an 89-33 mark during his five seasons at the helm.
“I have to re-establish myself and who I really am. I have no problem with that. I’m not going in as Ed Young, the guy with 500 wins. I’m going in with the idea that I’m the new coach and have to do something good here with these kids. Not just on the court, but also off the court. I want to make them better players, better students and better people. We have to do that every day and try to win all those little battles before ever taking the floor.”
Before his arrival to Nansemond River, Young orchestrated major turnarounds at both Norview High in Norfolk and Green Run High in Virginia Beach. At Norview, the Pilots captured the Eastern District title in 1991-92, something they would not do for 20 years, 18 seasons after Young departed.
With Green Run, the Stallions were 0-22 prior to his arrival. In just his second season, they managed to notch 18 victories and reach the second round of regionals, where they bowed out to eventual State Champion Woodside, 85-70, after leading 31-30 at the half. That began a stretch where four times out of nine years one of Young’s teams would get ousted in the playoffs by the eventual State Champ in tournament play.
Young spent all of the 2024-25 campaign in gymnasiums, attending games on a nightly basis and broadcasting several, including as analyst on the NFHS Network for some of the VHSL State Championships, a role he’s done for more than a decade now. It gave him a chance to step back from the day-to-day grind and take inventory of where the sport is, plus pose questions to those still very much entrenched.
“Getting the privilege to broadcast at the State Championships, I talk with so many of these coaches and ask them how do you get here? Granted, talent is certainly a big part of the equation. I hear discipline, communication, patience and most importantly I hear being firm, but flexible,” pointed out Young, challenged to prove some of the cynics wrong that the game has passed him by, and that his hard-nosed approach can still prove successful in this era.
“These are teenage young men who have a lot going on with short attention spans, which can be so many of us in our society these days. I often remind myself that they are just kids. You’re coaching the sport of basketball, but you’re coaching kids. How do I get them focused on playing basketball and playing together? I know some people say you don’t use that word anymore, but there will be rules and expectations on and off the court.”
While Young retired from being in the classroom in 2024, he glad to accept a substitute teacher position at Smithfield so that he stays close to the students.
“It was extremely important for me to be in the building. I’ve always been in the building everywhere I’ve coached. It’s imperative for me to be there and I want the teachers to look at me as a teacher, not some dude who’s coming to coach after school.
I’m a teacher. Even though I’m retired in the classroom, I’m not retired as a teacher. The committee expressed they wanted someone who’s going to be patient and teach these kids. That’s been me from day one. My résumé is built on that, and that’s what I want to bring to these kids and this community,” Young commented.
“I think it’s a tremendous community. I did a little research on Smithfield and it’s a tightknit community. They support basketball and the gym is filled. I’ve coached against Smithfield in the past. I’ve seen the gym packed the energy level is unbelievable. My goal is to have that gym packed every game and put a product on the floor that people will say notice how hard the kids play, no matter whether we’ve won or lost.”
The Packers are scheduled to open Bay Rivers District play on the road on December 2nd at Lafayette.
Category: General Sports
