New documentary explores roller coaster
journey of West Side native

New documentary explores roller coaster journey of West Side native
By Tim Spitzack | Editor | October 2025

Donovan Smith has experienced his share of triumphs, setbacks and heartache through the game of basketball. Success came early when he began sinking long shots on the courts at El Rio Vista while wearing a West Side Boosters jersey and continued through his state championship play at Minnehaha Academy. College ball, however, has been a bit more challenging, and as he enters his senior season at Florida Southern University, he must face the fact that his childhood dream of playing in the NBA might be out of reach.

The inspiring journey of the undersized point guard – 5’ 10” – from the West Side has been captured in a documentary: “WEST$IDE: The Donovan Smith Story,” released in August by Art of Life Media and available on YouTube. The film, which contains some strong language, reveals much more than Smith’s basketball career. It shows how the game, his family, friends, high school teammates – including NBA stars Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren – and the West Side community have shaped him into the man he is today.

The film opens with him shooting hoops in the driveway of his grandmother’s house on the West Side, where his love for the game was sparked.

“Growing up on the West Side there were a lot of people in the community who helped raise us and made sure we weren’t doing the wrong things,” he said in the film. “It’s a tight-knit community.”

His parents, Joe Smith and Angelica Ruiz, recognized his talent early on and nurtured it in big and small ways.

“I feel like he was dribbling the ball before he could walk,” said Ruiz. “You never had to push him to go to practice or be in the gym.” Despite being tired from working two jobs, she always found time to take him to the gym so he could hone his skills. Even as a youth, Donovan could see the sacrifices his mom was making for him and told her, “Mom, I promise one day it will be worth it.” He later added, “My mom is what makes our world go round. She’s our protector, provider, she’s a giver, a healer. She does a lot of things that go unnoticed.”

Donovan lovingly called his father his “worst critic and biggest fan,” which inspired him to try his hardest. Joe was his first coach and had great success of his own over the 21 years he coached football and basketball for the West Side Boosters, winning a combined 28 state championships in both sports. His garage, converted to a living space, is filled with sports memorabilia of his four sons and other West Side kids who rose to greatness, including fellow West Sider Jalen Suggs, who now plays for the Orlando Magic. One photo that holds special meaning is of Andres Mateo, a youth Booster football player who passed away from cancer in 2013.

“His last request was to wear a Booster jersey,” said Smith. “He passed away wearing that jersey. That speaks volumes about how much the kids love to put that jersey on.”

The Jan. 2, 2020, game against Sierra Canyon, Calif., that was aired on ESPN, proved to be a pivotal moment for Smith. It was his sophomore season, and he played well in the team’s dominating 20-point win in front of a sold-out crowd at Target Center. Suddenly, he had the attention of college scouts, and two scholarship offers – from University of Southern Alabama and University of Toledo. Things changed his junior season when he broke his hand during practice. With the injury and subsequent lack of playing time, his scholarship offers disappeared and teams stopped calling. However, he didn’t stop practicing or pursuing his dream of playing ball at the next level.

Due to repeating seventh grade, Smith was ineligible to play his senior year in Minnesota under Minnesota State High School League rules. Instead, he transferred to Spire Academy, a boarding school in Geneva, Ohio, which proved to be a period of growth for him.

“[Spire] was a stepping-stone to get me to where I needed to be,” he said. “It was definitely crucial for my development.”
His coach at Spire had contacts at Florida Southern and arranged a meeting with the coaching staff, who recognized Smith’s talent and offered him a full-ride scholarship on the spot. He quickly accepted.

Smith’s first season didn’t go as planned. He saw limited playing time, made some “freshman mistakes,” and lost the trust of his coach.

“[At that point] I hated basketball and felt lost,” he said. The slump continued into his sophomore season, where the pressure of under-performing, juggling the demands of school, sports and being in a new relationship with his girlfriend brought on a mental breakdown of sorts. That stress forced him to self-examine, let go of his ego and tap into his spirituality.

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I’ll take my growth as a person and human over any basketball achievement any day…. God has given me what I needed rather than what I desired and wanted…. I’m going to continue to evolve in every aspect of life and help as many people as I can along the way.”

Suggs acknowledged the pressure that comes from playing sports collegiately and professionally.

“The basketball grind in college and wherever you play professionally, it starts to become pretty tough and there are a lot of moments that test you and tests your love for the game,” he said. “He’s [Smith] used the game to better himself as a human being. That’s all you can ask. He is so inspiring to me and motivating for me because of how he approaches every day.” The two are close friends today and see each other often.

Making the documentary
The documentary was the idea of Leo Kloos, a classmate of Smith’s at Minnehaha Academy who is looking to make a name for himself in videography. He contacted Smith in June and by the end of the month began shooting footage and conducting interviews. In the span of two months, the duo created, edited and produced a professional-grade documentary. More than 300 people attended two screenings held at Neighborhood House in mid-August and the response has been overwhelmingly positive, said Smith in a recent interview.

Smith admits he was skeptical when Kloos approached him with the idea.

“I was like, man, I’d love to, but I was kind of hesitant because what have I done to deserve a documentary? I feel like I didn’t deserve anything,” said Smith. “But the more I thought about it and talked to people about it, they were like, ‘Man, you’re somebody. You have a story and you have a big impact in the community.’ I knew I was going to regret it if I didn’t do it.”

Smith is pursuing a degree in sports communication and marketing. Following college, he may try playing basketball professionally in Europe, realizing his childhood dream of playing in the NBA is unlikely. If he decides against that, he will pursue sports marketing, specializing in preparing social media content for professional athletes. He and Kloos have also discussed doing a series of documentary videos celebrating other West Side youth who have made an impact, including Terry Lockett, Caden Johnson, Alonzo Dodd and Jalen Suggs.

Regardless of where his path takes him, Smith will always carry with him memories of the West Side community.

“We grew up with all these guys,” said Smith, who has four brothers who also played for the Boosters. “These guys [coaches] are like my mentors, like my second father figures. We all know how far we’ve come, how many kids we’ve produced as athletes and as good human beings. At the end of the day, we all know that we’re here for each other.”

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