HOUSTON – With a mask and a laptop, Wade Smith blends in with all the other volleyball parents.
“I didn’t really know much about volleyball. It was a sport in passing that I didn’t really pay attention to,” explained Smith.
He pays attention now.
Smith retired from the NFL in 2014. Now, he pours his energy into the volleyball careers of daughters Arissa and Aaliyah, who readily admit there are pros and cons to having a former Pro Bowl offensive tackle as your dad.
“He pushes us hard,” explained Arissa, who is heading into her sophomore year at Ridge Point High School. “But it’s nice to have an athletic figure so he can guide us.”
Like most NFL players, Smith understands the importance of health. Arissa says through her ankle injury, her dad pushed for rehab and ice constantly.
“He says a lot of stuff, like, ‘Get ready to put in some work,‘” explained Aaliyah, who will start eighth grade at Baines Middle School.
Memories of the NFL Lockout
When facilities shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, some athletes relaxed.
But that can’t happen if Wade Smith is your father.
“We would go to a local park behind our neighborhood, and our dad had us there almost every day,” Arissa said laughing. “It was very tiring.”
“You can’t con me,” said Wade. “If you aren’t giving your best, I can see it, I know it. I’ve been around really talented athletes for a really long time, and I can kind of tell when you’re giving it your all, and when there’s more to get out of you.”
Smith, who had to navigate the 2011 NFL lockout, says “no excuses.”
“The similarity is that you weren’t able to be at the facility, you weren’t able to be with your coaches in-person and be able to discuss game plans,” explained Smith.
“Gyms were shut down, and guys were having to just go on their own and figure it out, and my daughters were the same way. They’re just trying to figure it out,” he said.
And with dad’s help, they trained hard, coming up with what they call “jail workouts” — intense, at-home workouts.
Athletic genes
It’s not just their dad. The girls’ mother, Rita, was a standout basketball player at the University of Memphis.
“I don’t care how you perform,” said Wade. “I care how you work. You have enough God-given talent and DNA in your body that if you work hard, you’re going to be successful in whatever you do whether that’s in the classroom or on the court,” Smith tells his daughters.
Wade’s training has helped pave the way for Arissa to be ranked ninth in the nation at her position.
“When you get put in a list like that it means your peers are noticing you and the people who study the sport are noticing that this is a big-time player, this is somebody that is one of the best in the country,” said Wade.
“I was never considered the best in the country when I was my kid’s age,” he said. “I was, I don’t know, and one-and-a-half-star recruit or whatever that is. I might not have even had a star.”
Comparing volleyball to football
There are football analogies for how Wade sees his daughters’ roles on the court.
“Arissa plays middle blocker, so that’s very similar to me, like an offensive or defensive lineman in football,” he explained. “You don’t necessarily get a lot of credit, you have to work really hard every single play. But without an offensive lineman, a good offensive or defensive line, you’re going to be a bad team.”
“Aaliyah, she plays outside hitter. In football that’s like a wide receiver. They make the big plays, they’re the flashy ones, they’re the ones that are most coveted by people who are just watching the sport or participating in the sport. But at the same time, they do a lot of work, a lot of times they play six rotations so they don’t come out of the game.”
Dad knows best
As teenagers do, his daughters will hesitantly admit dad pushing them is a good thing.
“He’s helped me a lot,” said Arissa. “I don’t really give him enough credit but it does help a lot.”
“I get annoyed with him very often when he’s pushing me,” Aaliyah said laughing, “But I know he cares so that’s all that matters.
“If you work hard, to me, that’s all that matters,” explained Wade. “These girls are hard workers. I push them hard, but they understand it’s for their good and they reap the benefits of it. So that’s what you’ve been seeing out of them, and I’m hoping they can do that for years to come.”
Wade says he’s a proud girl dad. Along with Arissa and Aaliyah, he and his wife have two other daughters ages 8 and 2.
He has a foundation, and you can hear him often on Sports Radio 610.