Is Russ Smith Finally Getting His Jersey Number Retired?
(Photo of Russ Smith via USA TODAY)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ever since Russ Smith completed his eligibility with the Louisville men’s basketball program following the 2013-14 season, fans have been clamoring to have his No. 2 jersey permanently retired.
If a cryptic tweet from Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra is to be believed, it seems that it is finally coming to pass.
On Thursday night, the official Louisville men’s basketball Twitter account posted a ‘Throwback Thursday’ highlight video of Smith during his time as a Cardinal, accompanied by a brief synopsis of his accomplishments. In a reply to the video, Tyra tweeted the following:
“2 will be 5 for MBB.”
Many are viewing this tweet as an clear indicator that Smith will finally have his jersey retired, as the program currently has four retired numbers: Charlie Tyra’s No. 8, Wes Unseld’s No. 31, Darrell Griffith’s No. 35 and Pervis Ellison’s No. 42.
Known for his wild and reckless play style, the man known as “Russdiculous” certainly is worthy of the honor. The shooting guard left Louisville as the program’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,908 points, and their career leader in steals with 257.
He helped lead Louisville to the 2013 national championship, their third in school history, averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals as a junior that year. His 2013-14 senior season was his best in a Cardinal uniform, putting up 18.2 points, 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, and getting named a Consensus First Team All-American as a result.
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