Smith Tabbed to USBWA All-District Squad
March 12, 2013 | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2013
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville guard Russ Smith has earned a spot on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association District IV team, the USBWA announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Joining Smith on the 10-player squad was Florida's Kenny Boynton, Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Murray State's Isaiah Canaan, Mississippi's Marshall Henderson, Tennessee's Jordan McRae, Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, and Alabama's Trevor Releford.
A 6-foot junior, Smith has been instrumental in leading the Cardinals to a 26-5 overall mark heading into the start of post-season play. Smith was second in the BIG EAST in overall scoring, averaging 17.9 points and has been the Cardinals' top scorer in 19 games this season. He was third in steals, averaging exactly two per game. Nationally, he ranks 34th in steals per game and 35th in points per game.
With 17 points in a win over DePaul in February, Smith became Louisville's 65th player in school history to reach the 1,000-career point plateau. He owns 64 steals through 31 games and he needs just three more to crack the school's top-10 list for most steals in a season.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., has enjoyed a big week in the awards department, earning first team All-BIG EAST accolades on Sunday, and also was voted a third team All-American by Sporting News on Monday.
Earlier this season, Smith was one of 14 finalists for the 2013 Oscar Robertson National Player of the Year Trophy, presented to the nation's top Division I men's player and he was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25. Smith also was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2013 Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Award.
Following the win over Kentucky in December, Smith was tabbed the Bluegrass Sports Commission MVP of the game and BIG EAST Player of the Week after a 21-point performance. The junior opened the year by earning a spot on the Battle 4 Atlantis all-tournament team.
Louisville, which captured a share of the BIG EAST regular-season title with a win over Notre Dame on Saturday, earned the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Cardinals will face the winner of St. John's-Villanova on Thursday, March 14, at 7 p.m. ET in Madison Square Garden on ESPN.
USBWA All-District Team
Russ Smith, Louisville
Kenny Boynton, Florida
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss
Joe Jackson, Memphis
Shane Larkin, Miami
Jordan McRae, Tennessee
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
Trevor Releford, Alabama
