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Pitino says Russ Smith now ’50-50' to return

russ-smith

Miller, Michael (501534472)

Russ Smith may not be heading to the NBA after all.

If you remember -- and if you’re a Louisville fan, how could you forget -- Russ Smith’s father told a reporter after the national title game that Russ wouldn’t be returning to school for his senior season.

And frankly, it makes sense. He’s already won a national title and become an all-american. What more does he have to play in college for? He’s not going to grow three inches. He’s never going to be a true point guard. Russ is always going to be Russdiculous. All that will happen if he stays is that scouts and critics will have more time to pick apart his game.

But it looks like Russ may be leaning towards coming back now.

“Russ, I think, is 50-50,” Rick Pitino said on Drew Deener’s radio show this morning. “He’s a very confused young man. He didn’t want his dad to say that. He wanted time to think a bit.”

With Terry Rozier and Chris Jones joining the program and Wayne Blackshear and Luke Hancock also returning, Louisville doesn’t need Smith, per se. But you never turn down a kid that’s been an all-american.

It will be interesting to see what happens from here.

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.