Anyone who has been around a basketball team from high school or above has probably heard coaches preach about how a team is a family. After all, those players and coaches often see each other more often than they see anyone else during the months that they are in season, so getting to know and love teammates is something that happens over the course of a season. On Thursday night, Brad Stevens missed the Boston Celtics game against the Chicago Bulls to prove how right that family statement is, as he went to Indiana to visit his former Butler center Andrew Smith who is currently fighting cancer.
While everyone assumed that Stevens was headed to see Smith when the Celtics announced that he would be missing the game to “visit a former player”, there was no official confirmation from the team at all that Smith was that person. That confirmation came in the form of Smith’s father Curt thanking Stevens for the gesture.
@celticsblog Coach -- Thanks for visiting Andrew and the family today. Means the world to the big guy, Sam, and us all. Truly a blessing.
— Curt Smith (@Butlerbigmanfan) January 7, 2016
We here at The Friendly Bounce send our well wishes to Smith as he continues his battle.