Busan KCC Egis, who suffered from foreign players during the first half of the year, will Donovan Smith (32) be a lucky charm.
Ahead of the fourth round home game between Suwon KT Sonicboom and 2024-2025 KCC professional basketball team held at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on Sunday, Smith said, "I am like a MacGyver Carl. If there is anything I need in my team, I will do that first."
Smith, a 207-centimeter-tall talent, graduated from Quinnipiac University in the U.S. and built his career in European leagues such as Spain, Romania, and Austria, as well as in Philippine leagues. This year, he played an average of 40 minutes in 12 games in the Philippines, recording 30.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. Although the Philippine League itself scores a lot, the three-point shooting success rate exceeded 30%, showing a high figure for a big man.
Consequently, he was caught by KCC's radar. KCC's Leon Williams, a foreign player with two options, was in need of a substitute due to knee injury and opted for Smith, who was playing in the Philippines until recently. Having signed a contract with KCC on April 27, he was officially registered in the KBL two days before the game began.
KCC manager Jeon Chang-jin praised Smith, saying, "Everything is good. It's okay." Jeon said, "You have to pay close attention to the defense inside the box." He added, "He has shooting ability. It's my first time here, so I'll tell him to refrain from playing inside the box and then try shooting."
"I'm looking forward to what I have," Smith said ahead of his debut in the KBL. "I asked my Korean fans, 'How come every game is like this?'" he said. "I feel great when I see fans cheering for me while I am participating in the KBL games."
What did you think about the KBL when you came to Korea? "I think it's a good league. I'm also curious how much basketball I have will be applied to," Smith said, expressing high expectations. As for KBL's characteristics, he said in a quirky way, "It's amazing that the referee is wearing a camera," adding, "I felt like I should be honest because what I'm watching is being filmed."
Smith consulted with KCC before signing a contract. He was Ra Gun-ah (Ricardo Ratliffe), a former member of the Korean national team who played for the KCC until the last season. "I asked him right away. I asked him before coming here, and he told me a lot of good things," Smith said.
Smith came to Korea in the middle of winter after running in the Philippines, where temperatures exceeded 30℃. "I used to wear short sleeves because it was so warm in the Philippines, but it's very cold in Korea," he said. However, a Chicago native who is also cold in the U.S., he added, "Chicago is colder than Korea, so I don't feel much cold."
For KCC, Smith should back up his caddie, Lauren. "I don't mind how many minutes he plays. I will do my best on the court," he said. Having conversations, Smith said, "He's similar to me. After conversations, he has a great mindset," adding, "I asked him to do well." As for the guards, such as Lee Ho-hyun and Calvin Epistola, who are supposed to work together when they play, he said, "They have good shots, good passes, and run the game smartly."
Jeon gave confidence to Smith, who has to adapt to the league. "The training was very difficult, but the coach said, 'Players who work hard are better than those who are good. It's okay to make mistakes, so it's better to work hard in games or training,'" Smith said. "So I thought, 'Oh, I can work hard under the coach.'
Smith, who now has to play on the KBL stage in earnest, explained that he is "like a Swiss Army knife" and expressed confidence, saying, "I can play inside and outside attacks, defense, blocks, passes, etc." It meant that he could play various games like a MacGyver knife, which has various functions such as scissors, saws, and openers as well as knives.
KCC is currently striving to advance to the sixth place, which is the last place in the playoffs. Although the team was shabby compared to its fifth place in the regular season league last year, it was its best performance in a situation where there were a number of injuries. Smith said, "I will do my best to make it to the playoffs as much as possible. Then, I will do my best to win the championship as I did last year." 스포츠토토
Smith made his first debut in the first quarter of the game on Tuesday. As he failed to display his play as if he was nervous, he only had four points, one rebound and one block in eight minutes and 51 seconds. As he still has 20 games to play in the season, he needs to adapt quickly.