I had a great time covering the three days of the Derby Basketball classic. It was great having the opportunity to watch and cover Ryan McMahon, Deng Adel, Donovan Mitchell, and Ray Spalding. I can tell you from being around these guys for three days that they are all great kids and they all represented themselves and the University of Louisville very well. Watching their interactions with the other players and with the adults you can tell that each of them were raised very well and the phrase yes sir and yes ma’am were commonly spoken between the four. And as far as their play on the basketball court they all are going to be very good and each of them has something to bring to the table.
Ryan McMahon isn’t a 6-7 guard but he sure plays like one. This kid is a very crafty player for his size and when he goes to the basket he means to score or make a play. The word fearless is the word I would use when Ryan gets a basketball in his hands, and he is very confident in his shot. It was awesome watching him break the record in the first round of the three point shooting contest and it just reassured everything that I had originally thought about his game. I can’t wait to watch him make big shots in a Cardinal uniform.
Ray Spalding has a ton of upside and when he adds more muscle to his athletic frame he is going to be big-time. He is a very versatile player who has good hands and can handle the ball well for his size. He is very good in the lane and can even step out and shoot the three. He’s got that very laid back personality like Wayne Blackshear and I do think he is going to be the biggest project out of this group but once Coach Pitino brings him along watch out.
Deng Adel is college game ready and is a fast developing forward. He plays very hard on both ends of the floor and kind of brings that energy that we were used to seeing from Montrezl Harrell. With added strength and some honing of his skills he is going to be a nightmare match-up for opposing teams. He is a player that can lead the break and stop and pop from long or mid-range. And can finish around the rim. He will see the floor next season on the wing.
Donovan Mitchell is one of the most college ready players that coach Pitino has ever recruited. Right now most of his scoring threat is finishing in the lane and around the rim. Once he adds to his skill set and polishes his mid-range game he is going to be a very good player. No doubt in my mind that this kid is going to be an instant fan favorite and he’ll play hero in more than his fair share of games in the future.
These guys were all under-evaluated, and under recruited at times in their high school careers. They are all guys that really came on late in the recruiting process and are all considered diamonds in the rough. Nothing like guys who play with that chip on their shoulder and I think all of these guys think they have a lot to prove not only to themselves but to everyone who ever doubted them along the way. We had a guy like this in Terry Rozier and we know how that worked out. If L1C4 was defined in the dictionary a picture of these guys would be in the footnotes. You are going to love these kids Card Nation…
Below are photos and videos over the last three days of the Derby Basketball Classic:
DERBY BASKETBALL CLASSIC PRACTICE COVERAGE:
NIGHT OF FUTURE STARS COVERAGE:
DERBY BASKETBALL CLASSIC COVERAGE:
JAYLEN JOHNSON AND ANAS MAHMOUD INTERVIEW AT DERBY BASKETBALL CLASSIC:
I truly believe that the NCAA basketball tournament is the hardest championship to win in all of sports. With its one and done format a great team can play one bad game and lose. It takes more than just shooting, rebounding, defense and a good team to win six games and cut down those nets. Below are The Cardinal Beak’s 5 keys to a National Championship. In my opinion these are the most important.
1- A Cause: “Win one for the Gipper”
Knute Rockne gave his “Win One for the Gipper” speech to the Notre Dame players at halftime of the 1928 Army game. Rockne was trying to salvage something from his worst season as a coach at Notre Dame. To inspire the players he told them the story of the tragic death of the greatest player ever at ND, George Gipp. Although historians believe that it is doubtful that Rockne’s version of Gipp’s last words was true, Notre Dame did win the game against Army.
Coaches have used variations of this type of speech to motivate their players for years, but sometimes these causes just appear on their own through life experiences that surround the program before or during the season. Every season we here about a team being inspired by something greater than the game.
2- A Great Leader
I don’t think there’s anything more important in college basketball than having at least one great leader. A great leader has been there and done that. A great leader is the one guy who can put the greater good of the team above his own goals. A great leader always strives for the best. They also understand that they are ultimately responsible for helping their fellow team-mates develop into their roles on the team. These guys are also considered the right arm of a coach, and do a great job at relaying a coach’s message to the rest of the team. This could be verbally or non-verbally.
A great leader of a team will often lead by example. All you have to do is google “a senior leads the team” and you will see many examples of this. In 2013 Peyton Siva filled this role. He was the backbone of that Championship team and they wouldn’t have made it there without him.
3- The Freshman or Player That Comes Out Of nowhere
A regular season in college basketball can take its toll on these young athletes. Often by the time a team reaches the NCAA Tourney they have developed players at every position and have a general rotation. In these quick turnaround games of the NCAA Tourney reserves often have to step up and play a more important role. There might be someone who comes out of nowhere that gives the team more than what they expected from him.
You can look on every NCAA championship basketball team and you will see a guy like this. That player who took on a very important role and got more points, rebounds, steals, than what was expected. In the tournament there are going to be teams that come out of nowhere and on those teams will be players that come out of nowhere.
4- A Bench
As I mentioned above there are very quick turnarounds in the NCAA tournament. Teams will get one day to rest before having to lace em up and play again. The more guys you can play to give the key guys a rest the better your chances are at making a good run. There also may be nights when some of those key guys are having an off night and with a deeper rotation another guy might be able to step up and provide the production.
Another thing; and it’s a big one with the way teams like Louisville play a very aggressive style of defense they may run into an officiating crew in the tournament that doesn’t allow some of the slapping and pulling. I expect the officiating to be very tough this year. If a team is at least two guys deep at every spot that could be the difference in maintaining a lead or winning the game if a key guy is in foul trouble.
5- A Great Coach
Most everyone can tell you some of the things that make a great coach. There are many good coaches in the college game right now, but only a few great ones. Great coaches aren’t made overnight. A great coach is someone who has learned and mastered his trade over time. Often he has had to adjust to the generational gaps and to the different changes to the game. A great coach has been there and done it. He’s coached in big games, won big games, coached great athletes and developed/mentored other great coaches.
Our Louisville Cardinals have that great coach. Rick Pitino is not only a great coach, but is a legend to the game of basketball. He has had such an impact on the game of college basketball that his legacy will live on long after we are all gone. He has been in a lot of big games, won a lot of big games and had many defining moments in his career. Hopefully here in a few days our Hall of Fame coach will add to that great legacy with an unexpected run at the NCAA championship.
If you go look at every championship team over the years you will find that each of them have these five key factors that helped them reach that accomplishment. These are in my opinion the five major keys to a NCAA championship.
I was 14 yrs. old lying in the floor watching my parents old Zenith console when that 1986 group of Cardinals won a championship. They were playing to validate a program, had a great senior leader in Milt Wagner, had the great freshman that came out of nowhere in Pervis Ellison, had the good bench players in Tony Kimbro, Mark McSwain, Kevin Walls and the great coach Denny Crum.
In 2013 I traveled to Atlanta and got to be there in person when a gutsy group of Cardinals won a national title 27 years later. They were playing for a fallen brother, had a great senior leader in Peyton Siva, had the great player that came out of nowhere in Luke Hancock, had the good bench players in Montrezl Harrell, Tim Henderson, Stephan Van Treese and the great coach Rick Pitino. It was much sweeter than it was on that grainy old color TV back in 86.
Really hope another great story plays out this year…
Enjoy the NCAA tournament Cardinal fans and Go Cards!
Saturday when the Cardinals host the North Carolina Tar heels the fans are encouraged to wear white at the annual White-Out game. This will be the ninth time that Louisville has had a White-Out game. The White-Out event was started back in 2007 when Coach Pitino said “It’s a fun way for everyone to get involved and enhance the game atmosphere. It’s tough to find people today who can come up with an all-white outfit. I know our fans will get creative and see what they can do. Of course, everyone will want to make sure they stay in fashion and keep it winter white.” Since that game fans have looked forward to the annual event. The White-Out really does make for an electric atmosphere and when it was in Freedom Hall and now at the KFC Yum Center the all-white clad crowd makes the venue look awesome and intimidating.
You never know what’s going to happen during the White-Out and over the years there has been extra drama involved in these games. In 2008 the ESPN College Game day crew was in town to watch the Cardinals host visiting No.6 Georgetown. Louisville fans showed their support by whiting-out the crowd at Freedom Hall. That’s when Coach Pitino broke out his all-white suit for the first time. Coach Pitino got a lot of attention from that white suit especially when he had to change at halftime of that game due to sweating so bad you could see his blue trousers underneath. Coach Pitino learned his lesson after that game to really wear all white.
In the 2009 White-Out game Louisville wore white throwback uniforms honoring the late-1960s teams of Wes Unseld, but it was Andre McGee who stole the show. With the 5 foot 10 guard’s senior season dwindling down to a precious few games, the usually grounded McGee opted to take flight. After stripping the ball from Marquette’s Jerel McNeal He slammed home a rare two-handed dunk. It was the defining moment in No. 6 Louisville’s gritty 62-58 victory over No. 8 Marquette and the Freedom Hall crowd roared as Andre hung swinging from the rim.
It’s not over till it’s over… In the 2011 White-Out game Kyle Kuric had two big baskets in overtime against #4 Pitt that helped seal the victory for the Cardinals. But one of those baskets nearly led to one of the most costly premature celebrations in college basketball history. The clock didn’t stop after the big Kyle Kuric dunk that appeared to seal the victory, which put the Cardinals up 62-57, and the horn sounded. Excited by the Cardinals big victory a male cheerleader raced onto the floor grabbed the ball and tossed it into the air. Officials called Louisville for a delay of game technical foul and put .5 seconds back on the clock. Pitt hit their two free throws and had a last second heave to try and tie it up again. Fortunately for that cheerleader his mistake didn’t cost the Cardinals the victory.
White has been successful for the Cardinals who are 5-3 during these promotions. The five wins include victories over UCONN in 2007 68-54, #6 Georgetown in 2008 59-51, #8 Marquette in 2009 62-58, # 4 Pitt in 2011 62-59, and #25 Marquette in 2013 70-51. In the White-Out games the Cardinals are averaging 65.3 points, 39% shooting from the field, and 31.7% shooting from the three. The Cardinals are 1-1 in White-Out games when Coach Pitino doesn’t wear the white suit. He opted not to wear his all white suit last season and our Cardinals lost the game against Memphis.
The White-Out game has been a lot of fun over the years and they have provided the extra motivation needed to will the Cardinals to some very big wins. Let’s hope that on Saturday this year’s group will feed off of the White-Out environment and get a much needed big win against North Carolina. And I hope that we see the white suit as well.
This is an article that I would have loved to have completed on Sunday night but for the first time since National Signing Day I had so much content that it was just impossible to do. Sunday was Media Day and the first Red and White Scrimmage of the 2014/15 season. I had the opportunity to spend four hours with the team yesterday and it was great to be back at the Yum Center.
This is going to be another exciting year, but one that will be defined by a young group of Cardinals. For the first time in a long time this team doesn’t have that solid veteran foundation to fall back on and will rely on guys stepping up to create their own legacy. Losing a group of guys that were the winningest in program history will have an impact, but what they left behind will hopefully give this year’s team momentum to build upon. In successful programs tradition never graduates. The Louisville Basketball program is rich and vibrant because a lot of guys over the years have cared enough to give their very best. There are many chapters left to be written and now it’s time for this 2014/15 group to write theirs.
Montrezl, Wayne and Chris are the captains this season. Out of these guys Wayne is the only one who has been around the program for four years. Wayne and Montrezl are the only guys left from the national championship team. I think that Wayne and Chris are the lead by example kind of guys and Montrezl is the more vocal leader. Talking with them on Sunday I think they are aware of how important it is that they provide leadership for this young team.
Talking with all of the guys during media day I can tell you that they are all good kids. It’s going to be fun watching them grow into the program and to see how far each of them take their game over the next four years.
The very first public scrimmages of the season are always fun to watch. It’s great to see how much the returning guys have improved and great to see the potential that the new guys bring to the team.
-Montrezl Harrell has a jump shot. I don’t know how much we’ll see of the big fella outside of the arc but he showed in the scrimmage yesterday that he is capable of knocking it down. It will make him tougher to guard and he was already a match-up nightmare for most teams. As far as his energy level Mr. Enthusiasm Personified still has a lot of it. He was also a vocal leader on Sunday and that will be very important going forward.
-Wayne Blackshear is ready for a great senior season. No nagging injuries for the first time in his career and he was making plays all over the court on Sunday. He showed that he is capable of playing with power and finesse making plays both ways. I think he looks more physically ready than he’s ever been also. Not only could he be the break out player to propel this Louisville team but he may be the breakout player in college basketball this season.
-Chris Jones is a no nonsense speedy, hardnosed guard. His gritty character comes out when he is on the basketball court. If you are in front of him he wants to beat you, and when he beats you he will make it count with an assist or a score. He is going to be the spark plug for the Cardinals offense this season and with his quickness be a headache for opposing teams on defense. He’s got that Memphis moxie and the teams we play this year will learn quickly what that means.
-Terry Rozier is the total package. If you are a coach this is the kind of kid you hope will cross your path in your career. He has the ability and aptitude that is rarely seen at the college level. He was the best player on the court Sunday and will be the best player on the court in most of the games this season.
-Mango Mathiang has got a lot of game but just doesn’t know it yet. He is a soft spoken and humble young man who needs to learn to be more confident when he steps between the lines. On Sunday I saw that out of him on a few plays but it needs to be every play. He reminds me so much of Gorgui and his game is taking a very similar path. This will be a very good season for him and we’ll need his production especially on defense.
-Anton Gill is now physically ready and he looked more confident on Sunday. He will be a very important part of this team and will be called upon to rest Terry. I’m confident in his offensive ability but his consistency on defense will be key.
-Anas Mahmoud “The Big Egyptian” quickly became a fan favorite on Sunday. He was the biggest surprise of the day and even shocked the coaches. A lot of folks had thought that it may be a while before we got to see this guy get any playing time, but after yesterday I don’t think we’ll have to wait long. This team is desperate to find a solid 8th or 9th contributor and Anas might be that guy. He has great court presence and has great hands. His timing and positioning is also very good. Seems to always be in the right spot at the right time. For a big guy his ball handling and footwork is also very good. Very likable kid and is going to be fun to cheer for over the next four years.
-Matz Stockman “The Big Norwegian” will take a little longer to adjust to the college game than his foreign counterpart. Matz is another guy that will have to learn to be more aggressive and will have to learn to leave his very humble personality on the sideline. He will have to get stronger and also gain more weight. Very excited to see how he develops. The possibility to see him and Anas in the line-up at the same time is also very exciting unless you are an opposing team.
-Quentin Snider showed a lot of moxie playing in front of the hometown crowd for the first time in a Louisville uniform. He has that added pressure that the other freshmen don’t. Talking with him yesterday he’s very happy to be a Cardinal and really wants to represent his hometown well. Coach Pitino is adjusting his jump shot so he’ll struggle with consistency, but I do expect him to see some minutes giving Chris a breather.
-Chinanu Onuaku is the most physically improved of the Freshman. His transformation into that college ready body is apparent, but now his game will have to catch up. He will have to adjust to the speed of the college game especially on the defensive end. He might end up seeing the most time out of the freshman. Those 10 rebounds he grabbed on Sunday was a very good start.
-Shaqquan Aaron is the guy who has the biggest upside of the freshman class. He’s got all of the skill in the world but has to get Stronger and get his body more college ready.
-Jaylen Johnson hasn’t been around long enough to know anything about. Don’t think he’s made a very good first impression on coach Pitino who said on Sunday that Jaylen lived in his own universe. Hope I’m wrong but he didn’t leave a very good first impression on me either.
-David Levitch “Levitch Nation” will be in full effect again this season. Coach Pitino said on Sunday that David was the most improved player on the team. Good kid to cheer for when he sees his time.
-Trent Gilbert the “HENDO” lookalike has some big shoes to fill to be like Tim, but he is a kid that comes from a solid program and will give his very best effort every day. I think Trent will get his chances in the next four years to hit some of those Hendo like shots.
-Dillon Avare hit a three point shot on Sunday and regardless of his size he can shoot the ball from deep. He’s a good kid who might see clean-up minutes.
-Akoy Agau did not play on Sunday and has been out due to a sports hernia. Coach Pitino said that they have taken their time with him because they are going to need him when the season arrives.
It was great spending four hours with the 2014/15 Cardinals on Sunday and I can tell you that we have another great group of young men to get behind this season.
We have a very exciting football season to watch before they officially roll out the round ball. But around these parts it’s considered basketball season all year long. That’s why it was great to hear from the head man himself today. Coach Pitino gave us an update on the progress of his team and seems very excited about the guys coming back and the new guys coming in.
You can hear what coach Pitino had to say about the 2014-15 Cards today at his press conference:
(Photo “The Intimidator” by TJ Parks)
We all watched this past season as Montrezl dunked his way into the Louisville record books. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a player go to the basket so aggressively and I enjoyed ever minute of it. Most speculate that Montrezl will take his dunks to the league next season, but it would really be nice if he’d give us one more year of “Enthusiasm Personified”.
Until then for our viewing pleasure Every Montrezl Harrell Dunk of the 2013-14 Season (HD)
By TheLouisvilleShow:
So the college basketball season is over and it’s never to early to look towards next season. The Cardinals have a very good recruiting class coming in next season and maybe one of Coach Pitino’s best hauls since becoming the Louisville head man. It is considered #4 by ESPN, #9 by 247Sports, #8 by Scout, #7 by Rivals and he has done a very good job at addressing all the needs in this next group. He’s got a great back-court duo with Shaqquan Aaron, and Quentin Snider. Aaron has tremendous playmaking and scoring ability at 6-8. He could end up the biggest star of the group. Snider is also a great scorer and has a lot of ability. He will be one of those long term impact players that Louisville fans have grown accustomed to.
This group will also feature some great long term impact players in the front-court with Jaylen Johnson and Chinanu Onuaku. These guys fit Coach Pitino’s system ideally. Onuaku has rapidly improved and is very skilled for a big man. Once he drops some weight, he will make a big impact. Johnson brings a lot of intangibles to the team, and is a great baseline player. Then we have the twin towers with 7-foot-2 Matz Stockman and 7-foot-1 Anas Osama Mahmoud. These guys are a bit of a mystery to most people on the left side of the Atlantic, but apparently, they are loaded with potential. You can’t teach size and these guys have that.
We have a solid group of guys coming back next year as well. In the back-court we will have Chris Jones, Terry Rozier and Anton Gill getting most of the minutes. Jones improved drastically towards the end of this season and once he became more accustomed to coach Pitino’s system was a different player. That will only get better as he has another summer to adapt. Terry Rozier will be a star in his sophomore season. This guy is gonna make some noise in college basketball and the ACC. Anton Gill will be another major contributor on the offensive end of the floor, but will have to get the defense down. Returning is also the next Tim Henderson spark plug off the bench in David Levitch. He is gonna hit some big shots before he is done, and is a great kid to cheer for.
With the news of Co-Captain Montrezl Harrell returning it adds even more depth in the Louisville front-court and I don’t need to tell you what kind of impact he will make next season. He makes the Cardinals a legitimate contender for another National Title run. Not that they wouldn’t have been anyway but Montrezl guarantees it. Having this much depth in the front-court will also give the young guys more time to develop and get comfortable with the college game. The Cards will also have Wayne Blackshear, Mango Mathiang and Akoy Agau returning. Wayne is a real big question mark at this point in my opinion. Will he finally breakout and be the 5* All-American we have expected since he arrived? Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m behind him 100%, and being a team captain next season may help his confidence also. Mango is the most promising of this group and his upside and potential is off the charts. If he adds the weight this summer he’s going to have a huge year, and be a beast in the middle of that Pitino defense with his shot blocking ability. I have confidence that Akoy will get some solid minutes next year also. He is a skilled guy. He just needs to keep his attitude positive.
Some of the different sports sites and talking heads have already came out with their early top 25 rankings:
I look for these rankings to be adjusted with the news of Harrell’s return. My guess is that Louisville will be firmly in the top 10 of every pre-season ranking. We could possibly crack the top 5 in some of them also.
This season has shown us all that it’s really hard to predict how a season will turn out, but I know I’m looking forward to it. It will be fun to see how all the new guys mold with the returning guys and how the returning guys step up to fill the shoes of those that left the program in such great shape. See you in 2014-15 Cardinal Fans..
Some college sports fans live a lifetime without getting to see their beloved team reach the pinnacle. For 25 years I was starting to think that I may never get to watch my Louisville Cardinals win a National Championship, but in the last four years I got to see that and so much more.
I got to watch great young men lay it on the line for their university, their fans and their city every time they took the floor. I got to watch young men start at the bottom and work their way to legendary status and I got to watch a basketball program transcend into greatness. I’ve enjoyed moments over the last four years that I will hold onto for the rest of my life. I am so grateful for that and words can’t express the gratitude that I feel.
This past weekend was such a low point for me and I have grieved and sulked since walking out of Lucas Oil Stadium. But when I took away the part where we lost to our arch rival it allowed me to put things in perspective. What a great ride we have been on as Louisville Basketball fans and while it is the end of an era those who leave it behind have done so at a level much greater than when they got here. Isn’t that what it’s all about? The group of guys who wore the uniform the last four years have set a new standard for the ones coming in next to maintain. As a fan I have learned that it’s not where you start, but where you finish. It is the End of an Era, but the start of another. I can’t wait to see what the next one holds.
An awesome video was just put out today and it captures a lot of those great moments and really put a big smile on my face today. Hope it does the same for you:
Louisville Basketball- “The End Of An Era”
ByEvan Westendorf
Here we go again folks. Once again the NCAA Committee has set up the brackets so that The University of Kentucky and The University of Louisville will face each other in the NCAA Tournament. This will be the second time in the last three years that these bitter rivals will do battle in the post season. In 2012 it was the Final Four and this time the Sweet 16 will be the battle ground for the Bluegrass’s modern version of a Civil War. We have called these meetings in the past “The Dream Game”. Is it still a dream?
The original “Dream Game” happened in the 1983 NCAA Tournament. That year Louisville defeated Kentucky 80-68 in the Mid East Regional Final. The game took place in Knoxville Tennessee. I wasn’t old enough to appreciate that game, so in 2012 I vowed that I would take full advantage of the moment. I wore my colors proudly all week. Then loaded up and headed to the Big Easy with a group of guys I had grown up arguing this rivalry with. One side of the car had a blue flag and the other side had a red one. When we reached Tennessee we stopped at a local restaurant for a meal. We walked in decked out in our colors and sat at the bar. Some of the local patrons asked if we were headed to the big game and then asked how we could all be friends while cheering for opposite teams. We explained to them about how that made this rivalry so special, and this game so big.
We reached New Orleans early Saturday morning and had an awesome time that day partaking in the festivities of the French Quarter. While there we met up with other friends and family to celebrate our teams’ achievements. Later that night we would attend the Final Four version of the Dream Game. My Cardinals gave a valiant effort and came up short against the arch rival Cats losing the game 69-61. But on this night and on this weekend in March I didn’t feel like there were any losers. It was just an awesome time to be a college basketball fan in the state of Kentucky.
This time it’s much different. When the brackets were reveled on selection Sunday and I seen the possibility of a potential Sweet 16 match-up with Kentucky I didn’t feel any type of excitement or jubilation. This past weekend when both teams advanced to the round of sixteen I didn’t feel excited about playing our arch rival again and if I’m being honest it really put a damper on the whole post season for me. I will be heading to Indianapolis on Friday afternoon, but this time I won’t be with my friends that cheer for Kentucky and this time there won’t be any meeting up for pre-game pleasantries. I will be with Louisville fans from beginning to end.
Maybe in 2012 knowing that both teams had won a regional championship and made it to the Final Four there was a sense of accomplishment without having to worry about who would win the game. Maybe I was just so thankful that our Cardinals had made it to the Final Four that year I didn’t even care about advancing any further. Or maybe this rivalry has become so hate filled, so vitriolic that it’s just not that much fun anymore.
I never thought I’d see the day where I didn’t love the rivalry between UK and UofL. I have defended it so many times to those who have claimed that they didn’t want to play it. I have been to 20 games between the Cardinals and the Cats. I used to look forward to this game more than any on the schedule, but something has changed. Back in December I was given the opportunity to watch the premiere of the Red vs. Blue movie. It was a fun night that I shared with my brother and his sons. They are UK fans and we’ve always had a good time with it. But attending the game in Rupp the next day didn’t make me feel the excitement it had in years past.
I don’t know what has happened to my passion for this game and this rivalry. Maybe I’ve outgrown it, and for the first time in my adult life I think I could live without it. I do think it’s the greatest rivalry in college basketball and I’ll continue to give it the proper respect it deserves. But if there ever comes a day when it comes to an end I don’t think I’ll miss it.
After years of being undervalued and underrated it seems as though this just might be Russ Smiths year to finally get the respect he deserves. With two Big East Titles, Two Final Fours and a National Title he is the most decorated senior in college basketball. Russ is playing some great basketball and has the Cards primed and ready for another run. When he decided to come back last year he wanted to improve on two aspects of his game his three point shooting and his assist per game totals. Last season his three point average was .328 and this season it’s .394. Last season his assist per game was 2.9 and this season it’s 4.8. Just like every other goal this kid has set for himself he has reached yet another.
Russ has become a more complete basketball player this year and has really grown into a true team player. These things haven’t gone unnoticed and that RUSSpect has started to roll in as NBCsports, BleacherReport, Sports Illustrated, TheSportingNews and The U.S. Basketball Writers Association have named Russ to their First Team All-American list. Glad to see him get the credit he so rightfully deserves.
USBWA NAMES 2013-14 ALL-AMERICANS
Guard Russ Smith, the District IV Player of the Year from defending national champion Louisville, is a 6-0 senior from Brooklyn, N.Y. He is the American Athletic Conference’s fourth-leading scorer (17.5), while ranking third in assists (4.8).
Sports Illustrated:
Russ Smith*, G, Louisville. Russdiculous has tamed his game this season. Although he’s still scoring at a prolific pace (17.5 points per game), he has also learned how to distribute the ball better, averaging 1.9 more assists per game as a senior than he did for Louisville’s national title team as a junior. The Cardinals’ postseason hopes will once again rest on his shoulders.
NBCSports:
Russ Smith, Louisville (17.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, 39.4% 3PT) The key to Louisville’s season has been Smith’s ability to embrace being a point guard isn’t of simply being Russdiculous. It should tell you something that, on his Senior Night and just three days after exploding for 22 second half points and six threes in eight minutes in a come-from-behind win at SMU, Smith finished with 13 assists and just two shots from the floor.
BleacherReport:
Russ Smith didn’t exactly retire his Russdiculous persona, but he has become a much wiser version of himself in his senior season.
Take Saturday, for instance. Smith, the guy who has always loved to shoot, took only two shots and dished out 13 assists in a blowout win over Connecticut.
Smith has done whatever Rick Pitino has needed him to do this year. He’s averaging a career-best 4.8 assists and still leads the Cards in scoring at 17.5 points per game.
And if you’re not convinced yet that he’s not just a chucker without a conscience, look at his shooting percentages—39.4 percent from deep and 51.7 percent inside the arc. He’s evolved into a much headier, patient scorer than the old Russdiculous.
TheSportingNews:
Stats: 17.5 points, 4.8 assists, 39.4 percent 3-point shooting
From perhaps the humblest beginnings of any NCAA champion/first-team All-American, Smith developed into a player whose own nickname no longer fit. Russdiculous? That’s certainly unique, but Smith has advanced to the point where he now plays solid, winning basketball and rarely is guilty of the brain-freeze moments that led to coach Rick Pitino assigning that label. Smith returned to Louisville after the 2013 Cardinals won the national championship with an eye toward completing a spectacular college career and demonstrating he can function as an effective playmaker. The guy who once made silly decisions a regular routine passed for 13 assists in the final game against Connecticut and 16 times had five or more. He still could rip up the nets, as well, such as hitting 6-of-6 on 3-pointers against SMU and 10 total games of 20 or more points.
Coach Rick Pitino on Smith: “He’s made it a lot of fun for me. With Russ, he works hard. All I ask for is everybody works hard, plays for the right reasons. Everybody’s got their peculiarities you deal with. With Russ, you just have to give him more latitude at the offensive end.”
1- A Cause: “Win one for the Gipper”
