Ron "Itchy" Smith, a standout basketball player and guard for Camden High School, graduated in 1960 after an exceptional basketball career. Over three seasons, he scored 1,276 points and led Camden to back-to-back Group 4 basketball championships in 1959 and 1960. Playing under basketball coach Tony Alfano, Smith and his teammates, Golden “Sonny” Sunkett and Lenny Hall, helped the Purple Avalanche achieve an impressive 47-game winning streak.
Standing 6'1", Smith is widely regarded as South Jersey's greatest basketball player of all time. Known for his deadly shooting and exceptional skill off the dribble, he excelled both as a scorer and playmaker. He continued his basketball career at Tennessee State, where he starred for four years. Afterward, Smith returned to Camden, where he still resides.
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Ron “Itchy” Smith
Ron "Itchy" Smith, a standout basketball player and guard for Camden High School, graduated in 1960 after an exceptional basketball career. Over three seasons, he scored 1,276 points and led Camden to back-to-back Group 4 basketball championships in 1959 and 1960. Playing under basketball coach Tony Alfano, Smith and his teammates, Golden “Sonny” Sunkett and…
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Anthony Alfano
ANTHONY ALFANO taught at Camden High School and Cooper B. Hatch Junior High School for 34 years, from 1942 through 1976. He is best remembered as head basketball coach at Camden High, where he succeeded Al Bass in 1944, after serving as an assistant coach for two years. Tony Alfano was a three sport athlete…
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Camden legend Ron ‘Itchy’ Smith enters County Hall of Fame
Camden Courier-Post — October 21, 2006 By Celeste E. Whittaker, Courier-Post Staff Ron "Itchy" Smith is a basketball legend in Camden. Just don’t tell him that. There are old-timers who still call him the best player in South Jersey history. Stories of the feats Smith accomplished on the court are still being recounted at reunions,…
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Camden High School Purple and Gold Yearbook Excerpt – 1960
Ronald Smith, Sam Fisher, Ralph Heath, Golden Sunket, and Reginald Hammond compose the team whose spectacular ball playing has won a record of 48 wins 0 loses for Camden High School. Often called the “Little Globetrotters,” they raised the crowd to its feet during several games as they staged what they call “show time.” Along…
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