The Tribune

PRO basketball leagues across Europe have tipped off their regular seasons and several Bahamian players were active in their respective teams’ debut.

Both Domnick Bridgewater and Kentwan Smith got off to winning starts in France’s Nationale Masculine 2 (NM2) League.

Bridgewater led Sapela Basket 13 to an early 2-0 record and recorded another double double.He finished with 19 points and 10 assists in a 90-74 win over Le Cannet Cote d’Azur Basket.

The rookie point guard is averaging 14.5 points and 12.5 assists per game thus far in the young season. In the season opener, Bridgewater finished with 10 points and 15 assists to lead Sapela Basket 13 to an 87-72 win over La Ravoire Challes Basket.

Bridgewater, a member of the For-Sur-Mer Provence Byers Club, was placed on loan to Sapela Basket 13 this offseason and his promotion to NM2 is the highest of his career thus far.

It has been a seamless transition to the professional level for the 20-year-old Bridgewater after standout seasons as a member of the Byers’ Epoirs (Junior League – U21) and NM3 League teams.

Smith, a veteran national team player in his second consecutive season with Garonne ASPTT, helped lead the team to a 93-78 victory over Villanueve-Sur-Lot.

In 16 games with the club last season, he averaged 12.9 points per game and Garonne ended the regular season with the second-best record in the league. Smith’s pro career has taken him to five different countries on three different continents.

In Spain, Lashann Higgs and Embutidos Pajariel Bembibre PDM suffered a loss in their regular season debut in Liga Femenina Endesa, the top division of women’s basketball in the country.

In her official pro debut, Higgs was her team’s second leading scorer with 11 points in a 76-65 loss to IDK Euskotren.

The Liga Femenina Endesa includes 14 teams and a 26-game regular season.

The top eight teams make the playoffs, while the bottom two seeds are relegated to the second division.