Andy Smith is convinced he can resurrect his college basketball career after seeing the American dream turn sour.

The 20-year-old prospect from Littlehampton was left on the bench for much of last season by his struggling division one college at St Bonaventure.

Now he has agreed to attend second division outfit Bentley, near Boston, for up to three years and is ready to pile up the minutes and points in a bid to impress top European clubs.

Smith insists the American college route is still the one to follow for young Brits but admits he has learnt some tough lessons after what developed into a nightmare year with the Bonnies.

He said: "At the start I had good communication with the players and the coaches and I was getting on well.

"Then I got sick in the middle of the year and lost a stone and a half in weight. From then I was shown the real values of the people around me.

"None of my team-mates were concerned because everyone's out for themselves at that level.

"The coach didn't really use me for the rest of the year apart from the end of it.

"In the end, I didn't see eye to eye with the coach and I didn't have great relationships with the players.

"I was on my own in my dorm room and it was a pretty depressing time but I'm looking forward to getting some life back in me."

At 6ft 7ins, Smith will look to fill the small or power forward spot at Bentley and is now a lot wiser when it comes to selecting a college.

He said: "When you go and look at a place it's very much fake. They put out a different picture. You have to look at how the players respect each other.

"When I look back, I didn't really see a good team base there.

"When I went to other schools I saw a team that was together and had respect for the coach."

Smith does not regret taking the chance to join a lesser top flight college and compete against the likes of top-ranked St Joseph's, whose past players include former Brighton Bears star Wilbur Johnson.

He said: "It was a good level in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

"We played Syracuse in front of about 15,000 people and I was enjoying it. Then after I got sick I spent a lot of time on the bench.

"Even though you are in these big arenas and you get to travel around America and stay in Marriott hotels, if you're not playing you can't enjoy it as much. I'm going to be at a smaller school but I'm going to be happy and get a chance to develop into the best player I can be."

College basketball is a huge media event in the States and Smith admits that can come as a shock.

He said: "Everyone is under pressure. Kids get their scholarships paid and that can be worth 40,000 dollars a year.

"My coach at Bonaventure was getting paid 200,000 dollars a year and he was expected to win. If he doesn't win, he goes, so the pressure is so much more intense than people realise.

"They call it an amateur sport but there's nothing amateur about it apart from us not getting paid.

"Many people go over with expectations that they'll make the NBA but there's such a thin line between those who make it and those who don't.

"You will be pushed every day as hard as you can and it's a shock to the system. It matures you. You learn good life lessons. My twin brother Carl is away in the army and he can relate to that."

Bentley will offer Smith an excellent chance to pursue a business studies degree but it is the basketball which has really got him excited about the move.

He said: "They've got a solid coach. He has been there 19 years and he has got former players working for him. That shows there is a lot of respect for him.

"I feel really good about him and the team as well. I got to spend lot of time playing and hanging around with them and they were all natural, not putting on an act. I was really impressed.

"I love the game so much and not playing this past year has really hurt me. That's why I made the decision to go to division two."