ATLANTA — Squeezed into his Georgia Dome locker, the leading scorer in this year's NCAA Tournament is quick to offer encouragement for the "other" prep basketball players worried about achieving their college hoops aspirations.
"If I had any advice for any guys not ranked or not really being looked at," Louisville's Russ Smith says, "I would say, 'Don't worry about it.' "
Smith speaks from experience. An emerging star who is averaging 26.0 points during Louisville's four-game run to Atlanta, he was a two-star recruit in the Class of 2009, according to the Scout.com rankings.
— Final Four: Louisville vs. Wichita State, 6:05 p.m. ET | Syracuse vs. Michigan, 8:49 p.m. ET | Full NCAA Tournament bracket
"Man," he says with a shake of his head, "I really don't knock anybody for that. I always play hard, wherever."
This nearly unstoppable dynamo has garnered the praise of opposing coaches who are quick to acknowledge the player he has become.
"He's dynamite," says Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall, whose Shockers have the task of slowing Smith on Saturday. "He's so quick. He can contort his body in so many ways. He can shoot it, he's just ultra, ultra fast and quick and talented."
Teammate Wayne Blackshear has another adjective to add to the mix.
"Awkward," he says with a laugh. "I just thought it was crazy, the way he gets the shots up how he does. It's how he gets to the basket, how he dribbles. It was just funny, from the first day I got here last year … Russ, he just puts the ball in the basket. That's what a scorer does. I'd never seen a person play like Russ did until I got here."
Louisville guard Russ Smith is leading all scorers in the NCAA tournament. It wasn't long ago he was a no-name, two-star recruit. (AP Photo)
There is very little conventional about Smith's game, and maybe that's part of the reason he has always been underestimated. He arrived at Louisville — which was by far the biggest name school to offer a scholarship — as a 5-10 kid who weighed a whopping 147 pounds, according to coach Rick Pitino.
He barely played his freshman season, because of injuries and other reasons. Before a home game against West Virginia, he packed his bags and was ready to leave school in the middle of the season. His then-roommate, Rakeem Buckles, talked him out of making a rash decision, and he wound up playing nine minutes that game, which might not sound like much but was more than he'd played in almost a month.
by Sporting News
No comments:
Post a Comment