By Jimmy Charshafian

Bobby Kelly has left the United States for greener pastures.

A former men’s basketball standout, Kelly has signed to play professionally with the Belfast Star in Ireland’s SuperLeague. Kelly, the third-most accurate 3-point shooter in Northeastern history, has already begun practicing with his new team in preparation for the upcoming season.

“Bobby was a tremendous leader for us last year,” said Northeastern men’s basketball head coach Bill Coen, who guided Kelly during his four-year career at Northeastern. “He has a willingness to compete and he’s so team-oriented. He’ll be very successful there.”

Kelly, a tri-captain on last year’s squad, averaged 6.8 points, 2.7 assists and shot 38 percent from three-point range during the course of his career.

Kelly earned his first professional contract in part to his outstanding senior year. While starting all 32 games, he averaged 11.1 points per game, almost three points higher than he did during his junior year. He also set career highs in almost every other statistical category including steals, assists and rebounds. His 126 career 3-pointers rank as the 11th most in Northeastern history.

The Belfast Star is located in the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast, and is the only basketball team in the area. The team finished with a 9-11 record last season, nearly reaching the playoffs.

Kelly, who led the Huskies last year in free throw percentage at 80.2 percent, was a workhorse for Coen. As one of the team’s top defensive players, Kelly logged 37.5 minutes per game, good enough for fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association and 14th in the nation.

“Bobby earned respect every day in practice last year with his play,” Coen said. “He was our best shooter and our best defensive player, which is an odd combo.”

Kelly could not be reached for comment.