VEN - Donta Smith is Venezuelan now

CARACAS (FIBA Americas Championship/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - American-born and raised Donta Lamont Smith has been around. In fact that is probably an understatement for someone who has a passport with stamps from around the world. But now Donta is officially a Venezuelan.

Just days prior to the start of the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship in Caracas, Venezuela, Smith became eligible to wear the colors of la "Vino Tinto" (the nickname given to Venezuela's national team).

The 29-year-old brings a lot of international experience to a team that needs to finish in the top four the tournament to qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

What Smith has to offer is that much more crucial given that the hosts of the FIBA Americas Championship are without their NBA star, Greivis Vasquez, sidelined by injury.

The Sacramento Kings point guard surely would have made Venezuela a clear contender for the four berths to qualify for Spain 2014. 

In his absence, Smith has had to carry that weight on his shoulders. Averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, the 2.01m small forward has Venezuela looking good after a bad start as they bounced back from a tournament-opening loss to Mexico to then beat Paraguay and the Dominican Republic before pushing Argentina to the limit and finish the Qualifying Round with a credible record of two wins and two losses.

Smith has had to play harder but his efforts have been appreciated and he's become a crowd favorite. He is not the first American to play for Venezuela, as he's following in the footsteps of Sam Shepherd (1989-95), Harold Keeling (1999) and Askia Jones (2005).

After deciding not to play college ball for the University of Louisville under Rick Pitino, Smith was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. After two seasons in the NBA, he became a basketball nomad going from Bulgaria to China, Australia, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Venezuela.

Hopefully he has found his permanent home in Venezuela.

For full and in-depth coverage of the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, go to the official website http://www.caracas2013.com/en/default.asp?lang=en.

FIBA