Andrew Smith passes away at 25
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Andrew Smith, the former Butler basketball star, has passed away at age 25.
Smith had been battling cancer since 2014.
His wife Samantha tweeted the news Tuesday afternoon.
Smith was born Sep. 9, 1990 and played high school basketball at Covenant Christian High School.
H was named the Indianapolis Star All-City Player of the Year in 2008-09 and averaged 23.3 points as a senior.
The Zionsville native played in national title games with the Bulldogs in 2010 and 2011. He started the 2011 National Championship game against UConn, playing 29 minutes and bringing down 9 rebounds.
As a sophomore at Butler, Smith started 32 of 38 games and was the team’s second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer.
As a senior, Smith started all but one game, averaging 11.3 points and being named Second Team Academic All-America.
He is one of only three players in Butler history with 1,000 points and 100 wins.
Smith was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2014.
His college coach, Brad Stevens, recently missed an NBA game to visit Andrew in Indianapolis.
Butler University issued this statement on Tuesday afternoon:
The Butler community is profoundly sad today with the news of Andrew’s passing. We saw the way Andrew fought on the basketball court and we saw the way he fought for his health. In both cases, we saw the best of Andrew Smith. But that’s what we always saw from Andrew. He gave his all, all the time. As an Academic All-American, he represented the best of Butler in the classroom and on the court. Above all else, what made Andrew special was the way that he genuinely cared for others. Within his large frame was an even larger heart. He is, was, and always will be a Bulldog. The Butler community is proud to have been part of his life, and our thoughts are with his wife, Samantha; his parents, Debbie and Curt; and the rest of his family.”