Watch: Russ Smith Gets His No. 2 Jersey Retired
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - There will never be another No. 2.
During halftime of Louisville's game against Notre Dame, former guard Russ Smith was permanently etched in Cardinals lore, and had his No. 2 jersey officially retired by the school. He joins Charlie Tyra, Wes Unseld, Darrell Griffith and Pervis Ellison as the only other players in Louisville men's basketball history to have his number retired.
Known as "Russdiculous" 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.
You can watch the halftime jersey retirement ceremony in its entirety below, which includes numerous tribute videos from former Louisville teammates and coaches - including Rick Pitino - the unveiling of his name and retired number in the rafter of the KFC Yum! Center, and a speech from Smith himself:
We also have provided a photo gallery from the ceremony, courtesy of Louisville Report's Cindy Rice Shelton:
Video:
Gallery:
(Photo of Russ Smith: Kim Klement - USA TODAY Sports)
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