Devin Smith Signs with Maccabi for 2 Years

By Amy Samin

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv is pleased to announce that American forward Devin Smith (28, 1.98) has signed a two-year contract with the team.

Maccabi head coach David Blatt had this response: “Following the departure of Chuck Eidson, who was one of our key players, we needed to act quickly and intelligently. We have done that with the signing of Devin Smith. Smith is a player with game smarts, maturity, and great character. He has a lot of experience playing in Europe, and is a great shooter from both three-point range and the middle distance who can also give us a great game with his back to the basket and will help out on rebounds. I have no doubt that he will fit right in on our team, thanks to his intelligent game and his great character.”

Smith is a graduate of the University of Virginia. In his final season (2005) with the Cavaliers, Smith posted averages of 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The 2005 – 2006 season was his first playing in Europe, where he played for Spanish team San Sebastián Gipuzkoa BC. After two years in Spain, Smith moved to Italian team Air Avellino, whom he lead to the Italian championship (he was named MVP of the final game) and a historic qualification for the Euroleague. His averages in Avellino were 18.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game.

Smith played in the Euroleague for the first time in the 2008 – 2009 season when he joined the ranks of Fenerbahçe Ülker of Turkey, where he contributed 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Incidentally, in a pre-season tournament that same season, Smith had an outstanding 19 point game that led to his team’s victory over Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.

In 2009 – 2010, he signed with Greek team Panellinios B.C., which plays in the Eurocup League. Smith had an outstanding season with them, averaging 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in European play. Smith led Panellinios to the Final Four of the Eurocup, where in the semi-final he scored 29 points. Unfortunately, his performance was not enough to give his team the win over Neven Spahija’s Valencia B.C. (which went on to take the title).

Last season, Smith was the star of Benetton Treviso of Italy, leading them to the Final Four of the Eurocup with excellent averages of 15.8 points (fourth in the league), 5 rebounds and 2 steals (fourth in the league) per game. His best game came against Alba Berlin, when he scored 35 points, including 7 three-pointers, pulled down 9 rebounds and reached the sensational index rating of 47 points! Smith’s performance in that game set the all-time record for a Top 16 game in the Eurocup.

For the last two years, Smith has been selected to the All-Eurocup Team.

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