Evan Michael Smotrycz (born August 2, 1991) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for Michigan and Maryland. Engaged to Good Day Columbia WACH FOX 57 co-anchor Olivia DiVenti as of October 2022.

Evan Smotrycz
Smotrycz (23) playing for Michigan
Free agent
PositionSmall forward
Personal information
Born (1991-08-02) August 2, 1991 (age 33)
Stoneham, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2016Keravnos B.C.
2016–2017Eisbären Bremerhaven
2017–2018BG Göttingen
2018Ferro Carril Oeste
2018–2019Iowa Wolves

High school career

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Smotrycz began his high school career with Reading Memorial High School in Massachusetts where he won the MVP award at a session of the Eastern Invitational Basketball Camp. He transferred to the New Hampton School and repeated his junior year to reclassify to the class of 2010.[1] He averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds for a team that just missed out on making the playoffs. However, he began to receive heavy recruiting interest.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Evan Smotrycz
SF
Reading, Massachusetts New Hampton School (New Hampshire) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 4, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:   ESPN: 14
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan 2010 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  • "2010 Michigan Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  • "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 14, 2009.

College career

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Smotrycz began his college career at Michigan. As a freshman, he posted 6.3 points per game, shooting 38 percent from behind the arc.[3] In the final two non-conference games of his sophomore season, Smotrycz scored his first two double-doubles against Alabama A&M and Bradley on December 17 and 22.[4][5] On December 29, Michigan won its first Big Ten Conference opener since 2006–07, beating Penn State as Smotrycz extended his double-double streak to three games.[6][7] As a sophomore, he averaged 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. After the season, he opted to transfer, citing the need for a better fit. Smotrycz ultimately chose Maryland over offers from Colorado and Providence because he felt comfortable with the coaches and players.[8] Smotrcycz 9–11 (81.8%) career three-point shot percentage in the NCAA Tournament is a Michigan school record (min 10 attempts).[9]

He averaged 11 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes a game as a junior. Coming into his senior season, Smotrycz dealt with a broken foot in the preseason, followed by a sprained knee and later sidelined with a hairline fracture of the thumb on his shooting hand. As a result, his numbers declined to 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19 minutes per game.[10]

Professional career

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After not being selected in the 2015 NBA draft, he signed his first professional contract in July with Keravnos B.C. of the First Division of Cyprus.[11] In his rookie season Smotrycz averaged 15.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.[12] The following year he played in the NBA Summer League for the Toronto Raptors.[13] On July 26, 2016, he signed with Eisbaren Bremerhaven of the Basketball Bundesliga,[12] but after eleven games, an injury temporarily separated him from the team.[14] In July 2017, Smotrycz inked with BG Göttingen.[15] On February 20, 2018, after leaving Germany, he landed in Argentina where he replaced Dijon Thompson at the Club Ferro Carril Oeste.[16] On November 2, 2018, Smotrycz was added to the Iowa Wolves opening night roster.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Smotrycz Will Prep at New Hampton". New England Recruiting Report. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Pacheco, Steve (March 18, 2009). "Reading's Smotrycz plays prep hoops at New Hampton". Home News Here. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  3. ^ Bogenschutz, Kyle (October 20, 2014). "Smotrycz Not Mad About Michigan's Success". 247sports. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Alabama A&M 57 (2–4, 0–4 away); (18) Michigan 87 (9–2, 6–0 home)". ESPN. December 17, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  5. ^ "Bradley 66 (5–7, 1–3 away); (19) Michigan 77 (10–2, 7–0 home)". ESPN. December 22, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Postgame Notes: #18 Michigan 71, Penn State 53". MGoBlue. CBS Interactive. December 29, 2011. Archived from the original on January 1, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  7. ^ "Michigan whips Penn State to open Big 10 schedule". ESPN. December 29, 2011. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  8. ^ Rothstein, Michael (April 16, 2012). "Evan Smotrycz heading to Maryland". ESPN. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  9. ^ "Michigan Basketball History & Records (Section 07 | NCAA Tournament)" (PDF). Board of Regents of the University of Michigan. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Markus, Don (December 25, 2015). "Evan Smotrycz remain tight as they both play in Cyprus". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  11. ^ "Evan Smotrycz inks with Keravnos The player comes from Maryland 0 Cyprus Evan Smotrycz is a new player of Keravnos". Sportando. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Evan Smotrycz moves to Eisbaren-Bremerhaven". Sportando. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  13. ^ Bengel, Chris. "Maryland Basketball: Evan Smotrycz to play in NBA Summer League". FanSided. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  14. ^ "Eisbaren-Bremerhaven inks Nemanja Aleksandrov". Sportando. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  15. ^ "Evan Smotrycz firma con il Göttingen". Sportando (in Italian). Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  16. ^ "Ferro sumó un extranjero". WebBasketball (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  17. ^ Nutting, Seth (November 2, 2018). "Wolves Finalize 2018-19 Opening Night Roster". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
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