At the Pan Pacific courts in Hollywood, local legend Rod Smith shares stories about the league he helped form.

/LA: How long have you been involved in the SNC?
Rod: The league has been around for 35 years. I started as a coach 19 years ago.

/LA: Why did you get involved with the SNC?

Rod: One summer, I had the opportunity to see the famous Raymond Lewis. He was so incredible! After that, I said to myself, “Man I love this. This is something!” I knew I had to get involved with the basketball community.

/LA: What do you remember about the early days of the SNC?
Rod: The league was originally founded by Daryl Garrison of the NBA Referee Association and Dick Marcus. Back then, it was a pro-am league. Daryl was using it as a training ground for pro referees.

/LA: So when did the name and the league change?
Rod: In the early 1970’s, it broke off into two leagues, the Summer Pro League and the Southern California College Open. I went to college here in L.A. and one of my old classmates was involved. He asked me to coach for the College Open. We were affiliated with the D.A.R.E. program [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] at the time. That’s where we got the name “Say No.” We really wanted to start giving college players a place to develop.