Where are they now – Former Huron now a successful computer entrepreneur

A basketball phenom at Rogers City High School, and part of the last Huron team to make it to the Class C elite eight, Denny Smolinski, 31, is still putting his competitive juices to good use in the world of e-commerce. It?s probably not as easy as a spin move from the low post and muscling his way between two defenders, but it pays the bills. Smolinski owns and operates SmoliniTEK of Troy, a diverse firm involved in establishing Web sites such as PIAdvance.com, as well as the operation and maintenance of sites for companies selling goods.

Right now he?s working with a friend to try and establish another business, which would specialize in making customized grave markers for pet lovers. Send Smolinski a picture of the beloved family dog or cat, and with a laser machine he can transfer the image onto granite or marble. He?s still waiting for the bank to give the thumbs up on that one, but we?ll try to keep you posted on that.

?IT?S THAT competitive edge I have, that I feel I can do it better than the next person,? said Smolinski Tuesday on the phone. ?It?s been like that through my years in sports.? The 1994-95 Huron basketball team had a talent-laden roster, but more than anything, they were balanced.

Ryan Greene and Smolinski were part of a one-two combination down low better known as ?The Twin Tower?, while three-point sharp shooter Ben Taylor couldn?t be left alone on the wing or he would bomb a trey from downtown. There also was a tremendous compliment of players. Smolinski believes the team played its best when the games counted the most. ?I feel like, from top to bottom, we just came together,? he said. ?Everybody was playing at their highest level.?

The Hurons blew through districts and regionals and rallied the community like no basketball team since that magical winter run. They faced Ishpeming in Gaylord for a chance to play in the state finals.

While fans remember Smolinski?s thunderous dunks, double digit rebound and point nights, Smolinski will never forget the moment he walked onto the court in Gaylord and saw his basketball hero Paul Blair in a sea of thousands of faces. Smolinski pointed to Blair, and the young man Smolinski grew up idolizing in Rogers City, pointed back. Most basketball fans who were there that night, remember the basics: the Hurons clung to an early fourth quarter lead against Ishpeming, but couldn?t keep it.

?I?ve watched that tape, I don?t know how many times,? said Smolinski. ?It was a very close game. We just couldn?t do it.? Ishpeming went on to win the state title. He was asked if he ever goes back on that fourth quarter in his mind, and if that final quarter had gone better, it could have been Rogers City finishing on top. ?I do,? said Smolinski. He went on to play basketball at Alpena Community College and Ferris State University. Along the way, he earned a Master of Science degree in information systems management. Smolinski taught for a year-and-a-half at Ferris and then went to work in the Detroit area.

?After a while, I said, ?you know, I can make a go of this working for myself,? ? he added. He said all the values learned from growing up in a small town, ?where everyone treats you friendly? have made him a better entrepreneur. ?That?s the way I conduct business.? Smolinski lives in Troy, works out six to seven days a week and plays in two or three winter basketball leagues. ?I ran a marathon a couple of years ago and golf in the summer time, so I?m still active,? he said. Smolinski is the son of Paul and Jan Smolinski of Rogers City.

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