The Maritime Women’s Basketball Association’s reigning MVP has certainly had a summer to remember.
Mackenzie Smith of Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Preston’s Lake City 56ers helped her Canada Basketball teammates mine gold at the Junior Pan Am Games 3X3 championship.
Canada defeated Mexico, 18-13, to secure gold.
As if that wasn’t enough to celebrate, the Nova Scotia product signed her first professional contract.
Did we mention Smith has had a summer to remember?
At the world 3X3 event, Smith’s Canadian squad advanced to the final with a tense 13-10 win over Brazil. She had five points in that outing to help the push into the final against Mexico.
Smith joined Rebecca Demeke (Toronto), Marah Dykstra (Vancouver), Alphonsia Eleko (Montreal), Gage Grassick (Prince Albert, SK) and Emma Koabel (Port Colborne, ON) playing for head coach, Dianna Ros.
Demeke played for the University of Delaware Blue Hens, Dykstra was with Montana State University Bobcats before transferring to Michigan State University Spartans, Eleko plays with Eastern Michigan University Eagles, Grassick is with University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Koabel is with Duke University Blue Devils.
Ros is the head coach of the University of Toronto Blues.
Smith, who starred with St. Joseph’s University Hawks of Philadelphia for four seasons at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level, kept the momentum going with the professional contract.
She signed with Olympiakos Volos WBC in Greece.
Volos is a coastal city, some 350 kilometres from Athens, with a population of 86,000.
Smith paced Lake City to the regular season MWBA championship last season and helped the 56ers into the PROLINE Legacy Cup championship where the team fell in overtime to Miramichi Her-Icanes.
– Mackenzie Smith, far right, celebrates gold with her Canadian teammates (Canada Basketball Photo)