Make the right basketball play, and the rewards will come.

Matt Lojeski has trusted in that philosophy in his six years as a professional in Belgium since leaving the University of Hawaii. It’s meant a steady paycheck, the opportunity to start a family and a loyal, if small, fan following. He wasn’t toiling in obscurity, but he wasn’t on the biggest of hoops stages, either.

Suddenly, the 28-year-old swingman is poised for something much bigger. Lojeski was recently signed by Greek club Olympiacos, the Athens-based two-time defending champions of the Euroleague, a collection of the best teams across Europe.

The sharpshooter and former All-Western Athletic Conference second-team player — whom many UH fans might remember as "Lojo" from the upset of No. 4 Michigan State and his exciting battles against Utah State guard Jaycee Carroll from 2005 to ’07 — is now basically one step removed from the NBA. In the years since leaving UH, he’s carved out a reputation as an efficient scorer and a willing passer and defender.

Lojeski proved himself a valuable asset for Belgian clubs Aalstar and Telenet Oostende. Last season, he averaged 17.1 points on 54.9 percent shooting from the field for Oostende and led it to the Belgian League title. He was named the league MVP for the second time in 2012-13.

"For a while there, I was wondering if I was ever going to leave," Lojeski said in a phone interview from his native Wisconsin before he flew back to Europe. "I mean, I was happy where I was, making good money. Being on the same team, I was kind of really, really comfortable. But I knew it wasn’t the highest level of competition, so I was looking forward to leaving, seeing another country, seeing a new place in the world and also playing at a higher level."

A two-year deal with Olympiacos developed rapidly over the past two weeks. The expectation is he’ll step in right away to contribute as a shooter and playmaker, according to his agents, brothers Adam and Ben Pensack.

It should be a test unlike any he faced in Belgium, considered a mid-tier country in caliber of basketball. The 24-team Euroleague is rife with former NBA players and up-and-coming foreign stars.

"This deal really is about Matt’s hard work over the last several years," Ben Pensack said. "He has now risen to the highest level of international basketball. Olympiacos is the No. 1 team in Europe. They have won the last two Euroleague championships. This is an opportunity that very few players ever get, but Matt has earned it and has proven that he is ready for it."

It is relatively rare for an American player to enjoy such consistency in the same European country, especially now that many smaller European clubs have been hit hard financially by a difficult global economy.

"It’s like a fish swimming upstream," Adam Pensack said. "If you try hard enough, you will make it."

Other former UH players of the past dozen years such as Carl English, Michael Kuebler, Ahmet Gueye and Julian Sensley have found success playing in Europe.

Some of Lojeski’s time at UH has faded from his memory, but he still bumps into ex-Rainbow Warriors on the pro circuit periodically.

"We always try to say hi, talk about just basketball or Hawaii a little bit," Lojeski said.

With Anthony Carter’s effective retirement from the NBA in 2012, Lojeski is positioned at the head of the list of ‘Bows pros. He’s received the occasional NBA summer league look, and playing for Olympiacos could bump his profile considerably.

Lojeski had a starring role in Belgium, but he knows things could be different with his new club. Many of the larger and more successful European clubs rotate 10 or more players in a given game, meaning breakout nights for any individual are harder to come by.

He was wowed during his 24-hour tour of Athens, the Greek capital. It is home to about eight pro basketball teams, of which Olympiacos is the most prominent.

"My first priority is to try to fit in with the team," Lojeski said. "Play as much as I can, find a way to help the team win and then maybe over time, finding a role to do well. Find a way I can really help them. I know it’s going to be hard for playing time, being on such a big team. So I’ll do whatever I can to get on the court and help them win."

Olympiacos needed players after losing several of its key contributors last year, and as Adam Pensack said, "They want winners and key players for winners."

Lojeski is remembered fondly enough in Belgium — where his two children were born — to be accorded a spot on the Belgian national team, now that he is eligible (having lived there for five years and acquired a national passport). He will compete for Belgium in the FIBA European championships in September with the hope of helping his adopted country qualify for the World Championships next summer.

The demand for the one-time junior college transfer couldn’t be much higher than it is right now.

"Originally I thought I’ll go ’til I was 35, so maybe six or seven more years," he said. "This was just a really, really good opportunity."