Tuesday afternoon the family of former Butler center Andrew Smith announced that he’d passed away at the age of 25 after a nearly two-year battle with cancer. Thursday the Butler men’s basketball program announced that its players will play the remainder of the season with a commemorative patch on their jerseys.
[embed]
The patch that the Bulldogs will wear in honor of Andrew Smith for the remainder of the season... pic.twitter.com/gqyDMbnHS4
— Butler Basketball (@ButlerMBB) January 14, 2016
[/embed]
Smith, who played at Butler from 2010-13, earned Academic All-America honors and played on two teams that reached the national title game during his time at the school. Smith was diagnosed with non-Hodgskin’s lymphoma in February 2014 while playing professionally in Lithuania, and after doctors believed that he’d beaten the disease there was a relapse during the spring of 2015.
Butler will play its first game since Smith’s passing Saturday afternoon when they host St. John’s. There will also be a moment of silence in Smith’s memory prior to the game.