Robin Smeulders
Encyclopedia
Robin Smeulders is a Dutch, Austrian, and German basketball
player from Braunschweig
, Germany. Smeulders is currently a member of Basketball Bundesliga
team EWE Baskets Oldenburg
and plays in the Netherlands national basketball team
.
in Portland, Oregon.
Smeulders has also played club basketball for SG Braunschweig in the 2.Bundesliga (German Second Division) for two seasons from 2004-2006 under head coach Liviu Calin. Smeulders was the third youngest member of Braunschweig during the 2005-06 season, yet played nearly 19 minutes per game and averaged 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds. He posted season-highs of 19 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks for Braunschweig. For the season, Smeulders shot 49 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 71 percent from the foul line.
under head coach Eric Reveno
. As a freshman, Smeulders was ruled ineligible to play in any game due to his history of playing for a German club team, which the NCAA deemed as professional.
Smeulders was a three-year starter at power forward for the Pilots and averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, with a career high of 29 points against St. Mary’s College in 2010 and 16 rebounds against Santa Clara University in 2008, during his three-year career. He recorded his 1,000th career point in the final regular season game against Lewis & Clark College, being only the 13th to do so in three or less years. Smeulders finished in the top 15 of the West Coast Conference
in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage (.507). He tied for 20th in Portland career scoring with 1,036 points, 13th in school history in total rebounds with 582, and tied for 11th in Pilots history with 47 blocked shots. While with the Pilots, Smeulders helped lead the team to a 10-4 record—the best in school history—in the West Coast Conference, a school record of 21 wins, the team’s first two postseason appearances since 1996, and a seat in the AP Top 25 for the first time in 50 years on November 30, 2009 at # 25.
(NABC) All-District 9 Second Team.
Smeulders was also named to the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team for two consecutive seasons. To be named to this team, student athletes were:
Smeulders additionally earned his way to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honor Court, for which he must have met the criteria of being a junior or senior varsity player, holding a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher at the end of the academic year, being at the school for over a year, and being a member of the NCAA or NAIA
institution.
’s EWE Baskets Oldenburg
.
in Ruzomberok, Slovakia. Smeulders was a member of the Under-20 Dutch National Team in both 2006 and 2007 and participated in the European Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, and Warsaw, Poland, respectively.
.”
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player from Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, Germany. Smeulders is currently a member of Basketball Bundesliga
Basketball Bundesliga
The Basketball Bundesliga — commonly abbreviated BBL — is the highest level league of club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season is split into a league stage and a playoff stage...
team EWE Baskets Oldenburg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Oldenburg, Germany. The club plays in the Bundesliga and in the Eurocup. The club's name is derived from the team's main sponsor EWE AG, which is an electric utility company...
and plays in the Netherlands national basketball team
Netherlands national basketball team
The Dutch national basketball team is the basketball side that represents the Netherlands in international competitions. It is administrated by the Netherlands Basketball Federation. When it qualified for the Eurobasket, team Netherlands has played quite competitive at some of the tournaments. The...
.
Life
Smeulders is the son of an Austrian mother and Dutch father. He grew up in both Germany and the Netherlands before spending a year abroad from 2003-2004 at Ka’ahumanu Hou High School in Maui, Hawai’i, and four years of college at the University of PortlandUniversity of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
in Portland, Oregon.
Pre-College Career
As a youth, Smeulders played for EBBC Hertogenbosch, Vellmar.Smeulders has also played club basketball for SG Braunschweig in the 2.Bundesliga (German Second Division) for two seasons from 2004-2006 under head coach Liviu Calin. Smeulders was the third youngest member of Braunschweig during the 2005-06 season, yet played nearly 19 minutes per game and averaged 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds. He posted season-highs of 19 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks for Braunschweig. For the season, Smeulders shot 49 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 71 percent from the foul line.
College career
Smeulders played NCAA college basketball at University of PortlandUniversity of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
under head coach Eric Reveno
Eric Reveno
Eric Reveno is an American college basketball coach and the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. He was named the West Coast Conference coach of the year for the 2008–09 season after a third place finish in conference....
. As a freshman, Smeulders was ruled ineligible to play in any game due to his history of playing for a German club team, which the NCAA deemed as professional.
Smeulders was a three-year starter at power forward for the Pilots and averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, with a career high of 29 points against St. Mary’s College in 2010 and 16 rebounds against Santa Clara University in 2008, during his three-year career. He recorded his 1,000th career point in the final regular season game against Lewis & Clark College, being only the 13th to do so in three or less years. Smeulders finished in the top 15 of the West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage (.507). He tied for 20th in Portland career scoring with 1,036 points, 13th in school history in total rebounds with 582, and tied for 11th in Pilots history with 47 blocked shots. While with the Pilots, Smeulders helped lead the team to a 10-4 record—the best in school history—in the West Coast Conference, a school record of 21 wins, the team’s first two postseason appearances since 1996, and a seat in the AP Top 25 for the first time in 50 years on November 30, 2009 at # 25.
College Honors
Smeulders received multiple honors for high performance in both academics and basketball. He earned an All-West Coast Conference First Team honor and was named to the WCC All-Academic Team for three consecutive seasons. In addition, he was selected as part of the National Association of Basketball CoachesNational Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...
(NABC) All-District 9 Second Team.
Smeulders was also named to the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team for two consecutive seasons. To be named to this team, student athletes were:
Smeulders additionally earned his way to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honor Court, for which he must have met the criteria of being a junior or senior varsity player, holding a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher at the end of the academic year, being at the school for over a year, and being a member of the NCAA or NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
institution.
Professional career
On June 8, 2010, Smeulders signed for two years plus an option of a third year, to the Basketball BundesligaBasketball Bundesliga
The Basketball Bundesliga — commonly abbreviated BBL — is the highest level league of club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season is split into a league stage and a playoff stage...
’s EWE Baskets Oldenburg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Oldenburg, Germany. The club plays in the Bundesliga and in the Eurocup. The club's name is derived from the team's main sponsor EWE AG, which is an electric utility company...
.
International career
In 2010, Smeulders competed as part of the Senior Dutch National Team after previously playing for the junior teams three times. In 2005, Smeulders was selected for the Under-18 Dutch National Team and played at the 2005 European ChampionshipsEurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
in Ruzomberok, Slovakia. Smeulders was a member of the Under-20 Dutch National Team in both 2006 and 2007 and participated in the European Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, and Warsaw, Poland, respectively.
Trivia
Smeulders studied marketing and management and, in May 2010, received his Bachelors of Business Administration. He stands at 6’10” and weighs 233 pounds. Smeulders has earned the nicknames “The Dunking Dutchman” and “The Flying DutchmanThe Flying Dutchman
The legend of the Flying Dutchman concerns a ghost ship that can never make port, doomed to sail the oceans forever. It probably originates from 17th-century nautical folklore. The oldest extant version dates to the late 18th century....
.”