Mike Smrek’s freshman bio in the 1981-82 Canisius men’s basketball media guide stated his “lack of experience against proven talent will hinder him somewhat this season.”
 
The Port Robinson, Ontario native did not let that keep him down for long, and in 1985, after a Hall of Fame career with the Golden Griffins, he was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
 
Smrek played in 108 career games on Main Street from 1981-85, where he earned 92 starts. His banner season came as a senior in 1984-85, where he averaged 15.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game for the Griffs as the Blue and Gold posted a 20-10 overall record and a 13-3 mark in North Atlantic Conference play. That season, where he was an All-NAC First-Team honoree, Canisius earned a trip to the NAC title game and a berth into the NIT, the program’s first national postseason appearance in 22 years. He ended his time at Canisius as the school’s career leader in blocked shots with 172—currently ranks third—and his 57.8-percent success rate from the floor still ranks first on the program’s career field goal percentage list.
 
In June of 1985, Smrek became the 16th former Griff to be drafted by an NBA franchise when the Portland Trail Blazers chose him with the first pick of the second round. He never played a game for the Trail Blazers, however, as he was a piece in a draft night trade that sent his rights to the Chicago Bulls. His 12-year pro career saw him play 194 career games in the NBA with Chicago, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers. With the Lakers, he won two World Championships in 1986-87 and 1987-88 playing with the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. By earning those two championship rings, he became the first Canadian-born player to win multiple NBA crowns. He also spent two seasons playing professionally overseas in Italy, Greece and Croatia before retiring in 1997.
 
Smrek became the 46th member of the Canisius men’s basketball program to be inducted into the Canisius Sports Hall in 1998.