Alan Otis Smith (January 15, 1947 – December 19, 2022) was an American basketball player who played for five seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA). A point guard during his career, he played for the Denver Rockets and Utah Stars and once led the ABA in assists in a season.
 Smith at Bradley during the 1967–68 season | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 15, 1947 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 19, 2022 (aged 75) Palmer Ranch, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Manual (Peoria, Illinois) |
| College | Bradley (1966–1968, 1970–1971) |
| NBA draft | 1971: 11th round, 180th overall pick |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Playing career | 1971–1976 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 10, 20 |
| Career history | |
| 1971–1974 | Denver Rockets |
| 1974–1975 | Utah Stars |
| 1978-1979 | Tucson Gunners |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career ABA statistics | |
| Points | 3,298 (9.8 ppg) |
| Assists | 1,793 (5.3 apg) |
| Rebounds | 865 (2.6 rpg) |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editSmith was born in Peoria, Illinois. He also attended Manual High School in Peoria.[1] Smith played basketball, football, and baseball at Manual, earning All-State honors in all three sports.[2] His baseball skill was such that the Chicago White Sox drafted him in the 7th round of the inaugural Major League Baseball draft in 1965.[3] Instead of signing with the White Sox, he opted to attend college.
Smith was given offers to attend USC and Notre Dame,[4] but he chose to attend Bradley University as a basketball and baseball player. Smith spent four years at Bradley, though his time in college was interrupted by a two-year stint in the United States Army.[5] As a college basketball player, he scored over 1,000 points for Bradley and was named first team All-Missouri Valley Conference in 1971 during his senior season.[5] His college success was honored in 2004 when he was selected to Bradley's All-Century team.[4]
Denver Rockets
editIn 1971, Smith was drafted by the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls in the 11th round of the NBA draft;[6] previously, he was also drafted by the Bulls in the 10th round of the 1969 draft. He was also a 4th round draft pick of the American Basketball Association's Denver Rockets (now the NBA's Nuggets) in a separate draft.[7] Smith chose to sign with the Rockets, and he would go on to play for the club for three seasons.[1] In his first season, he served as the backup to point guard Larry Brown[8] while averaging nine points and three assists per game.[1]
Smith became the Rockets' regular point guard during the 1972–1973 season after Brown took a job as head coach. He scored a career-best eleven-plus points per game in his second season, while averaging five-and-a-half assists per game.[1] His scoring decreased slightly in the 1973–1974 season but he went on to average eight assists per game, and would lead the ABA in assists.[9]
Utah Stars
editBefore the 1974–1975 season, Smith was traded to the Utah Stars in exchange for a draft pick and cash.[10] In his first season with the Stars, he averaged a career-low eight points per game, while also averaging four-and-a-half assists per contest.[1]
His second season with the Stars lasted only fifteen games before the Stars folded in December.[11] A persistent knee injury eventually ended his career after five seasons.[5] He retired having scored over 3,200 points and having dished out over 1,700 assists.[1]
Tucson Gunners
editFor the Western Basketball Association, Smith played for the Tucson Gunners in its first and only season from 1978 to 1979.[12]
Post-basketball life
editSmith went on to become a social worker in Denver, also working at a cable television supply company. For a year-and-a-half, he served as an assistant head coach at Manual High School, helping lead the school to two state championships. As of 2007, Smith was working in Paterson, New Jersey, as a school counselor.[5]
Death
editOn December 19, 2022, police were called to Smith's apartment in Palmer Ranch, Florida, after he shot his live-in girlfriend. After law enforcement tried to make contact with Smith, it was discovered that he had committed suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot. He was 75.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Al Smith Statistics". Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ "Al Smith – Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame". Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Baseball Draft: 7th Round of the 1965 June Draft". Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved December 14, 2008. Note: Name spelled as Allan Smith in reference.
- ^ a b Bell, Taylor (2006). Illinois: Legends of Illinois High School Basketball. Sports Publishing, LLC. pp. 63–66. ISBN 1-58261-945-X.
- ^ a b c d "Bradley's Best: Al Smith". Peoria Journal Star. June 25, 2007. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ "1971 NBA Draft". Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ Bradley, Robert and John Grasso. "1967-1976 ABA Drafts". Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ "1971–72 Denver Rockets Statistics". Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ "1973–74 ABA Expanded Leaders". Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ "Remember the ABA: Anaheim Amigos/Los Angeles Stars/Utah Stars Year-by-Year Notes". RememberTheABA.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ Roblez, Matt. "Remember the ABA: Utah Stars". RememberTheABA.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ "1978–79 Tucson Gunners". funwhileitlasted.net. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Jones, Brian (December 28, 2022). "Ex-Basketball Player Al Smith Dies by Suicide After Shooting His Girlfriend". Pop Culture. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^ Eminian, Dave (December 23, 2022). "The violent end to the life of a Bradley basketball star and Manual HS legend". Journal Star. Retrieved December 29, 2022.