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In March, Laila Smith was told at a doctor’s appointment that she should medically retire from volleyball. At the time, Smith had suffered three concussions in one year.

After sustaining a concussion at Alabama, the first of two concussions at Syracuse came on Sept. 2, 2023, against Delaware State. She was hit by a ball as she rose above the net and immediately felt concussion-like symptoms.

Two months later against Boston College, it happened again. Because of the timeline, Smith developed an increased chance of Second Impact Syndrome, when the brain swells rapidly after a second concussion before recovering from the first. The doctors told Smith if she suffered a fourth concussion, she risked permanent brain damage. She didn’t have much of a choice.

“I knew it was my last year (playing volleyball),” Smith said. “If I were comparing it to one year of volleyball or the rest of my life to be a functional human, then I have to be smart.”

Before her senior season at Syracuse, on May 30, Smith officially announced her medical retirement from volleyball. Unsure of her next step, Smith sought a new passion. She’s since translated her communication skills into a media internship with ED23 Foundation, the nonprofit of former SU basketball player Eric Devendorf, and his basketball camp, ED23 Hoops.

Smith found her transition from student-athlete to solely a student to be difficult. She still does. Her roommate, Klara Zarnovicka, is still on the team. When the team travels to away games, Smith feels an emptiness being without them.

Through that struggle, Smith set her sights on new endeavors. She got a dog and a cat, which she wouldn’t have time for if she was still playing volleyball. Over the summer, she worked at Recess Coffee. Yet, something was missing.

“Being associated with sports is in her blood,” Smith’s mother, Heather, said. “I’ve always played sports. She has an older brother who always played sports, so she was always getting dragged to games.”

As her athletic career closed, Smith wanted to get involved in sports marketing and communications. That’s when she received an email about an internship with Devendorf.

“It’s a nonprofit, so that was even more interesting to me,” Smith said. “I thought it would be a perfect fit for me and something I could get a lot of experience for.”

Devendorf played for Syracuse from 2005-09 and is the program’s 15th all-time leading scorer. Following time on Jim Boeheim’s staff from 2016-18 and a stint at Detroit Mercy, Devendorf started ED23 Hoops in August 2019. The program offers basketball camps, clinics, one-on-one training and AAU leagues.

Alex Levy | Design Editor

Beyond improving kids’ basketball skills, Devendorf emphasizes teaching life lessons and values in teamwork, dealing with adversity, communication and confidence, which are important for life after sports.

“These are all things you learn through sport that you need to have if you want to be a part of society, business, get a job or even own your own business,” Devendorf said.

To do that, Devendorf sought somebody to take pictures, create content and inform people and businesses about the foundation and camps’ activities. Smith jumped at the chance, producing content at all events while networking on her own.

Devendorf established the nonprofit ED23 Foundation in 2023, hosting shoe and coat drives, back-to-school events, golf tournaments and turkey dinner giveaways. Smith and other interns promote the events and spread awareness through social media.

“It lets (the community) know what we’re doing,” Devendorf said. “All the interns have a huge impact.”

On Oct. 5, ED23 Hoops hosted a basketball skills and drills camp for boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 17 with SU men’s basketball players Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Donavan Freeman. During the camp, Smith took photos and videos for social media to share afterward.

Just a month ago, Smith had the same responsibilities for the ED23’s inaugural golf tournament at Drumlins Country Club. The event saw guests such as Syracuse men’s basketball head coach Adrian Autry, Chris Bell, J.J. Starling and Freeman attend a round of golf and a charity auction. Smith was there to help capture the moments.

In the past year, the foundation’s involvement has grown exponentially because of the amount of eyes now on the foundation and its work.

“We’re able to make a larger impact, get grant money and other businesses involved,” Devendorf said. “Now instead of handing out 200 turkeys, we can hand out 600, 700 turkey dinners. The same thing goes with the clothes drives, the shoe drives and the golf tournament. We’re just able to do more and get more people involved.”

For the rest of the fall semester, Smith will continue to work as a media intern with ED23 Hoops and Foundation, with their annual Turkey Dinner Giveaway right around the corner. Smith’s concussions closed the door on her playing career, but opened a pathway to helping others.

“It’s good work we’re doing,” Smith said. “It really helps with that marketing and communications aspect that I probably will go into once I graduate.”

Published on October 24, 2024 at 12:01 am

Contact Quinn: qdpostma@syr.edu