Leechburg coach to welcome new baby on same day as team’s biggest game

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 | 6:51 PM

Leechburg is playing its biggest game of the season Friday night, but Blue Devils coach Corey Smith has an important item on his schedule earlier that day.

Smith and his fiancee, Ashley, will welcome their third child Friday morning with a scheduled C-section at West Penn Hospital. Then Smith will coach Leechburg Friday night as the Blue Devils (12-8, 8-3) visit St. Joseph (15-5, 8-2) in their Section 3-A finale, a game that will determine at least a share of the section title.

Smith said he and Ashley discussed the potential of this occurrence when the basketball schedule came out and came to the decision together. The extended family will stay with Ashley when Corey leaves for the game.

“We had talked about (doing this) if the game was going to mean something, which it is,” Smith said. “It’s coming up for first place. I love my Leechburg boys, the community, and I owe that to them. My passion for basketball coaching, I wanted to be there.”

“… It’s just the circumstance of what the game really meant. The game really means something. She knows that, she’s well aware. She’s at every game supporting me right behind the bench. She knows how much I want to go for the section championship, and she’s supportive.”

With a win Friday, Leechburg would clinch at least a share of the section title. The Blue Devils beat the Spartans, 59-46, earlier this season.

St. Joseph hosted Imani Christian on Thursday, while GCC visits Clairton on Friday. If St. Joseph wins Thursday and Leechburg and GCC win Friday, the teams would finish in a three-way tie.

“I can’t miss this,” Smith said. “This game is for first place.”

The newest Leechburg fan will join the couple’s 3-year-old daughter Skylar and son LeBryn, an eighth-grader at Kiski Area. Smith said he and Ashley don’t know the sex of the baby yet.

“Most surprises in your lifetime are bad surprises,” Smith said. “You don’t get too many good and positive surprises. This is going to be a very positive surprise for us in our life.”

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Leechburg