Newcastle Eagles have added Tavis “Pistol” Smith to their Super League Basketball roster for the 2026-27 season, bringing another experienced import guard to Marc Steutel’s squad.
The Eagles confirmed the signing of the 6’3” guard, who arrives on Tyneside after playing across a wide range of professional leagues, including spells in Albania, Armenia, Canada, Georgia, Slovakia and Israel.
Smith, from Michigan, took an unconventional route into the professional game. Newcastle say he spent one season at NCAA Division II programme Belmont Abbey College in 2019-20, averaging 24.3 points per game, before starting his pro career.
His most eye-catching recent production came in Slovakia with MBK Banik Handlova. During the 2024-25 season, Smith averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game, earning All-Defensive Team, All-Imports Team and League First Team honours, as well as Guard of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
Newcastle also noted that Smith played last season in Israel’s National League with Maccabi Rehovot, after a previous spell in Canada’s CEBL with the Montreal Alliance.
Smith said he chose Newcastle after speaking with head coach Marc Steutel and seeing a shared drive to compete for championships. He added that he expects to bring speed, playmaking, athleticism and defensive energy to the Eagles.
Steutel described Smith as a player Newcastle were “incredibly excited” to add, highlighting his character, ambition and ability to affect games as both a scorer and creator.
The signing continues Newcastle’s roster build ahead of the new SLB campaign, with the club also teasing pre-season fixture news for Friday 7 August.
Image/source note: featured image and signing details from Newcastle Eagles’ official announcement.
Source: Newcastle Eagles