Louisville to Retire Russ Smith's No. 2 Jersey

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – "Russdiculous" is officially heading to the rafters.

Former guard Russ Smith, one of the top players in the storied history of the Louisville men's basketball program, will have his No. 2 jersey permanently retired, the Cardinals formally announced Monday. It will be retired at halftime of Louisville's upcoming home matchup against Notre Dame on Jan. 22.

"Thank you to all of my teammates, coaches, fans & friends during my time in school & making it the greatest college experience ever," Smith tweeted last month, jumping the gun on the announcement. "I’ve also made relationships here for life & I’m forever grateful. Thank you UofL"

Smith will be the fifth player in Louisville history to have their jersey number retired. He joins No. 8 Charlie Tyra, No. 31 Wes Unseld, No. 35 Darrell Griffith and No. 42 Pervis Ellison.

Known for his wild and reckless playstyle, the 6-foot-0 shooting guard is Louisville’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,908 points, and is the Cardinals' career leader in steals with 257. He is also second in career free throws made with 488, and is tied for ninth in career three-pointers with 180.

The Brooklyn, N.Y. native helped lead the Cardinals 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 Louisville uniform, putting up 18.2 points, 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, and was named a consensus First Team All-American for his efforts.

(Photo of Russ Smith via USA TODAY)

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