Just over 48 hours after Coach Pat Kelsey’s introductory press conference, College of Charleston junior transfer guard Reyne (pronounced “Rain”) Smith has announced he will be joining his coach at the University of Louisville.
Twitter.com/reynesmith/status/1774180606164848976?s=20
The Australian guard is the first commitment for the Kelsey-Era Cards and brings a shooting threat that UofL hasn’t had in arguably over a decade. His 39.4% 3-point percentage in the 2023-24 season would place him fourth all-time at Louisville, behind only Taquan Dean (‘03-’04, ‘04-’05) and DeJuan Wheat (‘94-’95).
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Reyne is coming off a career high 12.8 points per game on 41% shooting. The 6’2 Aussie is lethal off the catch-and-shoot while also having the ability to create his own shot. He helped lead the Charleston Cougars to the NCAA tournament in each of the past two seasons, earning the 2023-’24 CAA Tournament MVP, and spots on All-CAA Tournament and All-CAA 2nd-Team.
This past season, Smith broke the Charleston record for threes in a game when he hit nine in a December matchup against Saint Joseph’s. He would later break that record in February with 10 3-balls against Campbell en route to a career high 32 points.
The Ulverstone, Tasmania native has started 89 games in his three seasons and brings multiple years of March Madness experience. With zero high-school commits and a limited number of unsigned prospects, Reyne seems to be the first of many to join the Cardinals from the transfer portal.
Coach Kelsey is off to a hot start and has already galvanized the fanbase in the short time of being here. Louisville will look to build more momentum as James Madison star transfer and Sun-Belt Player of the Year Terrence Edwards Jr. is scheduled to visit this coming Tuesday.