Brad Stevens On Passing Of Andrew Smith: ‘He Was Special’

Source: boston.cbslocal.com --- Wednesday, January 13, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS (AP/CBS) — Andrew Smith’s Basketball skills made him a fan favorite at Butler. Teammates, coaches, family and friends always knew there was a lot more to Smith than that. On Tuesday, the former Bulldogs star, who played in two national championship games, died at the age of 25 after a two-year battle with cancer. Athletic director Barry Collier spoke with Smith’s family before issuing a joint statement with university President James Danko. “What made Andrew special was the way that he genuinely cared for others,” they said. “Within his large frame was an even larger heart. He is, was, and always will be a Bulldog.” Smith personified the school motto of living life the Butler way, working to get better each day and remaining selfless. His deep religious convictions gave him and his family the hope he could win this fight. “The last two years he’s been through a lot and he just never gave in,” said an emotional Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who coached Smith at Butler. After he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma early in 2014, Smith’s wife, Samantha, started documenting her husband’s battle by providing updates and inspirational messages on a blog called “Kicking Cancer with the Smiths.” She continued writing even as Smith’s condition worsened recently. In mid-November, she announced Smith was having a bone marrow transplant. About three weeks later, she delivered the somber news that h ...

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