Louisville guard Russ Smith didn't wow us during the National Championship Game last night. He scored just nine points on 3-for-16 shooting and had a couple of bad turnovers late in the game. But, Smith has been impressive in most of Louisville's other games this season. So, it sounds like he's going to forego his senior season at Louisville and enter the 2013 NBA Draft this summer. At least, that's what his dad told Sports Illustrated shortly after the game ended last night.
"I told him, 'Man, this is how you go out.' All the people who doubted you since high school, you proved them wrong," Russ Smith, Sr. said. "You have back-to-back [Big East] championships, then you come back and win the national championship. All that hard work comes from working you out since you was three years old, running the beach, running the stairs, running with medicine balls, a boxing bag, it paid off. When you go out, you want to go out with a national championship. He's got five rings: back-to-back Big East, back-to-back Final Four, national championship. What other way to go out?"
Maybe a more impressive showing in the biggest game of his career? We can't hate on the guy for wanting to go and get paid. But, because Smith is only considered a second-round NBA draft pick at best, he might want to reconsider making the jump to the league. One more year in college could do him and his game a lot of good.
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[via SI]
