Oct. 29, 2007
FAIRBANKS, AK- Another Alaska men's basketball alumnus will be plying his trade in professional leagues overseas this season, as former Alaska basketball standout Andrew Smith has joined Portuguese team Lusitania Angra Patrimonio Mundial. Located on the island of Terceria in the Azores (an archipelago just off the west coast of Portugal), the team competes in the top league of Portuguese basketball, also known as the LCB (Ligas dos Clubes de Basquetebol) or the UZO league.
Prior to heading abroad, Smith spent four years (2002-2006) with the Nanooks, and stills hold the school records for career blocks with 102. He currently sits in the Top 10 in Alaska's all-time scoring and rebounding lists as well, having rang up 1,331 points (sixth-best) and 558 boards (fifth-best) for his career.
Smith made his first appearance for his new club on Tuesday, scoring seven points and pulling down eight boards in 21 minutes in Lusitania's 67-55 loss to Vagos Lusavauga Dewalt. He becomes the fourth American on the team's bench, joining Cornell's Ryan Rourke as well as former Clemson Tigers Jamar McKnight and Steve Allen.
Though his team is off to an 0-2 start to this season, Smith joins one of the league top sides from a year ago: Lusitania made it to the semifinals of last season's Portuguese League Championships, and, for the first time in team history, won the 2006-07 League Cup, a supplementary single-elimination tournament also held over the course of the year.
Smith becomes the second former Nanook this year to join the professional ranks of European basketball: former Alaska teammate Ivan Miskovic joined Denmark's Horsens IC Basketball in January.
Lusitania, along with Smith, return to action on Nov. 3, when they host Casino Figueria Ginasio.
