Belus Smawley

A Rutherford county native from Ellenboro, is a credit for the development and regular use of a jump shot. Smawley developed his shot in the abandoned train depot near his home that was fashioned into a basketball court. When Smawley was 13, his father bought a small farm a half mile from an abandoned railroad depot along the old Southern Line. "In that depot, the young boys of Ellenboro improvised a peach-basket gym to play in during inclement weather, and in the fall of 1934, Belus used his incredible jumping ability - developed by

leaping up to touch high tree limbs while on his farm chores to improvise a shot that no one had ever seen before. Off a dribble, he would stop suddenly, then with his back half to the basket leap high into the air,

twisting to face the basket as he rose..

After high school, Smawley played guard/forward for Appalachian State prior to becoming one of the early stars of the Basketball Association of America (known today as National Basketball Association.) From 1946 to

1952, Smawley competed for the St. Louis Bombers, Syracuse Nationals, and Baltimore Bullets, averaging 12.7 points per game. During the 1948-49 BAA season, Smawley ranked sixth in the league in total points

and fourth in field goals made. In 1992, Smawley was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

Once his playing career ended, Smawley served as a school principal and basketball coach. Between 1951 and 1956, Smawley served as the Athletic Director and head men's basketball coach at Pembroke State College, known today as The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, in Pembroke, North Carolina. In December 1951, he took a three-month leave of absence from Pembroke State College to finish his playing career with the Baltimore Bullets. In his absence, Vernon Felton, a member of the Pembroke State faculty and former Appalachian State athlete, led the team to 12 wins and five losses; finishing the season at 12-10. Smawley was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.