Malachi Smith signs with pro team in Puerto Rico

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 04: Malachi Smith #0 of the UConn Huskies dribbles up the court against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Former UConn guard Malachi Smith saw his collegiate career come to an end two weeks ago Monday, but the next step in his basketball journey is about to begin. The transfer guard who spent four years at Dayton and this past season in Storrs is going to report to his first professional team: Capitanes de Arecibo of Puerto Rico’s ‘Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN)’.

The 2026 BSN entry draft occurred in late January. Smith was selected with the sixth pick in the first round by the Capitanes. Other notable college players selected in the draft include USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara (1st pick), Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler (2nd pick), and Seton Hall’s Josh Rivera (7th pick). A Bronx native, Smith’s father is from Puerto Rico.

Smith averaged 3.6 PPG and 3.0 APG this past season for the Huskies, one of three players, along with Alex Karaban and Eric Reibe, to appear in all 40 games that UConn played. He made two crucial starts in the NCAA Tournament against Furman and UCLA while Silas Demary Jr. was nursing an ankle injury. Smith scored a season high 14 points twice against UMass Lowell and Illinois and dished out eight or more assists four times, all of which against Power 4 competition in the non-conference slate.

BSN is a highly regarded professional league with multiple former NBA players playing in it. Looking at this past season, former lottery pick Emmanuel Mudiay won league MVP, Javale McGee won DPOY, and Danilo Gallinari won Finals MVP. Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins had a short stint in the league as well.

The season is already ongoing with the first game coming back on March 21, and the Capitanes currently sit in first place in Group A with an 8-2 record. After playing into April with UConn, Smith will join the team after a few weeks off. The team is led in scoring this year by former Illinois/Georgia wing RJ Melendez, ex-Nebraska forward Jack McVeigh, and former Michigan guard Derrick Walton Jr.