VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- After a year away, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame induction weekend returned to Virginia Beach, taking over the Westin on Saturday.
Nine new members were added to the distinguished group of the best sports figures in the commonwealth.
One of them was former Maury basketball great Joe Smith. He went on to become Naismith National Player of the Year at Maryland and was the number one overall draft pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. Smith played for 12 teams over a 16-year NBA career.
"It means a lot to go in a class with these guys," Smith said of his fellow Hall of Famers. "It's just a humbling feeling for myself."
Smith is joined by longtime Hampton High School head football coach Mike Smith. He amassed 506 victories during his career with the Crabbers, good enough for third on the all-time wins list among high school coaches. Smith led Hampton for 51 years and guided the program to a VHSL record 12 state titles.
"People give us awards and you always appreciate them," he noted. " The guys you worked with, the kids you coached, your family and the coaches, I think God rewards you with them."
Brandon Adair also represented the 757 in this year's class. The Princess Anne High School went on to earn National Player of the Year honors in men's basketball at Virginia Wesleyan and led the Marlins to a national championship. His 2,100 career points still stand as the most ever scored at VWU.
"It's humbling, to be honest," Adair said. "I think I'm going first tonight on my speech, so I just can't wait to get that out of the way and then just sitting back and listening to what everybody else has accomplished and listening to their stories."
Dan Bonner, Murray Cook,Ed George, Ali Krieger, Harry Minium and Lou Whitaker joined the two Smiths and Adair as the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
The group was celebrated Saturday morning during the Breakfast of Champions, with the formal induction held Saturday night at the Westin in Virginia Beach Town Center.
