Russ Smith Receives American Athletic Conference Sports Excellence Award
August 05, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Academic Services
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville All-America guard Russ Smith has been selected as the recipient of the 2013-14 American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete Sports Excellence Award for men's basketball. It was the second straight year of the recognition for Smith, who he was one of seven Cardinals who were honored in their respective sports.
The Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards are given to one student-athlete in each of the 21 AAC-sponsored sports based on academic credentials, athletic accolades or performances and volunteer service to the community. Student-athletes who have attained junior academic standing and a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 are eligible. The winners are chosen by the league's Faculty Athletics Representative Council.
Smith, who earned his bachelor's degree in communication this spring, received a similar conference honor from the Big East in 2012-13. He also previously was honored with a 2013 Scholar Baller Academic Momentum Award, which is presented to an individual based on the level of academic improvement and the impact of that academic momentum.
Joining Smith as Cardinals who earned the league's Sports Excellence Award for their respective sports were Joachim Bell (men's soccer), Sam Bombaugh (outdoor track and field), Jeff Gardner (baseball), Emily Juhl (volleyball), Antonita Slaughter (women's basketball) and Sebastian Stiefelmeyer (men's tennis). Louisville's seven individual selections were the most by any conference school.
A 6-0 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., Smith was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft with the 47th overall pick. He was subsequently traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he named to the 2014 Samsung All-NBA Summer League second team after averaging 16 points, 5.0 rebounds and a summer league best 6.4 assists per game in the Pelicans' five games in Las Vegas.
Smith is the only Louisville player in history with at least 1,800 career points, 350 assists and 250 steals. He is the Cardinals' all-time leader in steals with 257, is fifth in career scoring at Louisville with 1,908 points, second in career free throws with 488, and is tied for eighth in career three-pointers with 179. As a senior, Smith averaged 18.2 points, 4.6 assists, 2.0 steals and shot 46.8 percent from the field, including 38.7 percent from three-point range as the Cardinals posted a 31-6 record in 2013-14, won the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships and reached the NCAA Sweet 16.
A consensus All-America selection as a senior in 2013-14 and the 2014 AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, he was a candidate for national player of the year honors and was one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS award (first team All-America by AP, USBWA, The Sporting News, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Bleacher Report, second team NABC). The two-time KenPom Player of the Year (2013, 2014) was among the top four for the Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T and among the top five on the John R. Wooden All-America team.
Smith was a part of the most successful four-year period in the Cardinals' storied basketball history. He helped Louisville win 121 games since the 2010-11 season (121-31, .796), 11 more than the next closest group that just finished last year (110-38). Smith helped the Cardinals reach two NCAA Final Fours, two Big East Tournament Championships and one with the American Athletic Conference, two regular season co-conference titles (one Big East, one American), and three straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
Smith scored a career-high 42 points against Houston in the semifinals of the AAC Championship. It was the third-most in school history, the most by a Louisville player in 52 years, and three short of the school record of 45 scored by Wes Unseld. His 27 first-half points were the most ever scored in a half by a Louisville player. Smith scored 673 points this season, becoming only the second Louisville player ever with DeJuan Wheat (1995-97) to score over 600 points in back-to-back seasons.
