YEAR FOUR of Reyne Smith’s college career will see him in a brand-new environment as the Australian senior has opted to move to Louisville to play out his 2024/25 season with the Cardinals. 

The Tasmanian product played his first three college seasons at the College of Charleston, where he impressed with his ability to shoot the ball.

His success at the smaller university allowed him to gain interest from Louisville where, although he is no longer starting, he will still be a crucial part of the team’s plans, particularly offensively. Smith’s Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey made the move to Louisville this past off-season and Smith became his first commit to the organisation. 

Smith provides essential spacing to offences as his shooting has always been his most impressive attribute. He has shot the three-ball at 38 per cent, 34 per cent and 39 per cent across his college career. At six-foot-two, Smith can struggle to create his own shot at times, but his ability as a catch and shoot specialist diversifies him and means that he is always a target on offence.

He has a quick trigger which makes him awfully tough to guard as he often shoots as soon as he touches the ball, and with the confidence he has paired with his sensational shooting touch, it usually goes in. 

Through the Cardinals opening two games of the season, Smith has scored 12 and 18 points off the bench, shooting 38 per cent from beyond the arc. All but one of his baskets have been threes. His 18 points in Louisville’s second outing against Tennessee led all comers for his side, as no other player took more than half the three-point attempts that Smith did.

Despite being blown out, Smith was a shining light for the Cardinals, and he may have put himself into a position to potentially enter the starting line-up going forward, as two starters did not manage to score a point in that game.

Coming off a lowly season that saw the team finish with a record of 8-24 and a head coaching change, Louisville will be desperate to turn things around and return to March Madness, where it has not competed since 2019 when it exited in the first round.

Signs were highly positive that they could put the last two seasons, in which they combined for a record of 12-52, behind them after winning all four preseason games coming into the year, and following their 48-point demolition of Morehead State in their first game spirits would have been high.

The Cardinals will look to put the blowout loss to Tennessee out of their minds as their attention turns to Bellarmine on Wednesday November 20.