CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Champaign Swarm have bolstered their roster with the addition of two veteran players, center Livan Pyfrom and guard Avery Smith, Swarm head coach Chris Daleo announced Friday.
In a concurrent move, the Swarm have released guard Tiger O’Neil.
Pyfrom, 36, will join the Swarm both on the court and on the sidelines as player-coach. The 6-foot-11 center reunites with Daleo after playing for him with the Rockford Lightning (Continental Basketball Association) in 2005.
“Livan will rebound, defend and block some shots,” Daleo said. “But more importantly, he is here to mentor and teach our young players on the values of professionalism and leadership. He wants a career in coaching, and this will give him hands-on experience.”
A native of The Bahamas, Pyfrom has had a long pro career, including time in Puerto Rico and in the NBA D-League with the Columbus Riverdragons and the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
At the college level, Pyfrom led the Creighton University Bluejays in blocked shots in each of his junior and senior seasons while averaging 4.7 points per game, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 64 career games. He was part of a Bluejays’ Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship and NCAA tournament appearances in 2000 and 2001.
Smith, 28, is a former standout guard at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Milwaukee, Wisc., native is well-travelled with professional stops in Colombia, Lebanon, Iran and most recently Canada, where he averaged 17.2 points in five games with the Island Storm of the National Basketball League of Canada.
“Avery is an experienced, veteran guard who will show the importance of valuing ball possessions and reducing turnovers,” Daleo said.
While with UW-Milwaukee, Smith led the Panthers in scoring his junior year (2006-’07) with 15.5 points per game and helped the squad reach the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2006.
Daleo is thinking ahead with the addition of the two veterans.
“Latin American leagues are starting soon, and some of our players have begun receiving inquiries,” Daleo said. “We have to prepare our club to continue their winning ways should we lose a player or two to overseas opportunities.”
Pyfrom and Smith will be active for the Swarm’s home game against Windy City at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 8, at Parkland College. Tickets to the game are $8 for general admission and $12 for VIP seats. Kids, students and seniors are $5.