Louisville basketball is retiring Russ Smith's No. 2. Here are his other notable numerals

The Louisville men's basketball coaching staff was trying to scout J.J. Moore, an eventual Pitt commit, in 2009 when they stumbled upon a 6-foot, 160-pound scoring guard. His name was Russ Smith, he was a three-star prospect, and he’d go on to become one of the most exciting players in U of L history, wowing fans from 2010 to 2014.

Today, at halftime of Louisville’s 4 p.m. game against Notre Dame, Smith’s jersey number will be retired.

Here’s a look at Smith, by the numbers:

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7 games started during first 2 years at Louisville

Number of games started by Smith during his first two years at Louisville. He played sparingly as a freshman, was a significant bench contributor as a sophomore — 11.5 points per game — and then exploded as a junior and senior, averaging better than 18 points per game and becoming one of the top players across college basketball.

9 minutes played in 2011 game vs. West Virginia

Minutes played by Smith in a Jan. 26, 2011 game against West Virginia. Smith, then a freshman, has said that he was frustrated by injuries and lack of playing time and was prepared to transfer following that game, but he sparked a comeback in that game, U of L won, and Smith decided to stay.

257 steals

Steals tallied by Smith during his career, a Louisville record. He averaged better than 2 steals per game during each of his final three seasons.

488 free throws

Free throws made during his career, second in school history. He posted a 76.0% clip at U of L.

1,908 career points

Career points scored, the fifth-best mark ever by a Cardinal.

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47 NBA selection

Smith was selected No. 47 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft following a season as a consensus All-American. He played 27 career NBA games and has since played overseas and in the NBA’s G-League (formerly called the D-League).

65 points in NBA D-League in 2016

Points scored by Russ Smith in an NBA D-League game in 2016, setting a record. He went 24-of-42 from the field, passing the record of 61 points that had been set by Jordan McRae just two months before; to this day Smith’s record still stands.

5 numbers retired by U of L men's basketball

Numbers retired by Louisville men’s basketball. Charlie Tyra (8), Wes Unseld (31), Darrell Griffith (35) and Pervis Ellison (41) are the others.

2 - his jersey number

Smith’s jersey number. Quentin Snider, Darius Perry, and, this season, walk-on forward Sam Bearden have worn No. 2 in the years after Smith, but beginning next year, no Cardinal will.

Hayes Gardner can be reached at hgardner@gannett.com; Twitter: @HayesGardner.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville men's basketball to retire No. 2: Russ Smith by the numbers