By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After parting ways with Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem on Wednesday, Speedy Smith signed with Turk Telekom on Thursday.
Smith, 31, remained in the 2024-25 edition of the BKT EuroCup and will continue in the 18-game double-legged round-robin schedule of Group A as a member of the team based in Ankara. On a related note, Turk Telekom is set to face the Israeli club in Round 9 of the Regular Season on November 28.
Starting the EuroCup campaign with Hapoel Jerusalem, the experienced floor general tallied 7.8 points, 5.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per contest over six appearances, all starts under the guidance of Yonatan Alon. Smith, a native of St. Petersburg, Florida, added 6.8 points, 3.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game in Israel’s Winner League Regular Season.
Carrying a 4-3 EuroCup record, the team guided by Erdem Can trails his former team by one game and is 1.5 games behind leading Valencia. In domestic action, a 3-2 W-L tally is tied for fifth in the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi standings, two games behind the undefeated pair of Anadolu Efes and Tofas.
The former Louisiana Tech standout went from launching his professional career with a brief spell at VEF Riga in 2015 to refocusing on overseas options in 2019 and never looking back. His next stops were Szolnoki Olaj, Spirou, Maccabi Haifa, Telenet Giants Antwerp, Limoges CSP and Rytas, before spending the last two years with Hapoel Jerusalem.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net