Men's Basketball's Smith to Remain at Louisville
April 24, 2013 | Men's Basketball
April 24, 2013
Press Conference Audio
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One of the top guards in the nation and an All-American last season, University of Louisville men's basketball's Russ Smith announced Wednesday that he will remain with the Cardinals for his senior season.
A 6-foot-1 guard, Smith helped lead Louisville to its third NCAA title in school history. He finished the year averaging 18.7 points per game, a mark that ranked 35th nationally, and he scored 22.3 points per contest in the NCAA Tournament. Smith ranked 36th in the country with 2.08 steals per game.
Smith has been a part of two BIG EAST Tournament titles and a pair of NCAA Final Fours during his tenure at Louisville.
Besides starting forwards Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear, they return guard/forward Luke Hancock, the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. Reserves Stephan Van Treese, Montrezl Harrell and Tim Henderson are also back.
Guard Kevin Ware, who provided the rallying point in Louisville's title run after breaking his right leg in the Midwest Regional final, said he expects to recover by next season.
The only departing members from this year's squad are Peyton Siva, who graduated with a degree in sociology, and junior Gorgui Dieng, who entered his name early in the NBA draft pool.
