Player Bio: Chris Smith - LOUISVILLE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

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Chris Smith

Walk-on transfer who played the last two years at Manhattan College, starting 41 of his 50 games there. He will sit out this year and will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in the 2010-11 season.
Averaged 13.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots as a sophomore last season in helping Manhattan post a 16-14 overall record and fourth place MAAC finish. He led the Jaspers in rebounding and was second in scoring, ranking among the top 15 in the MAAC in both categories.
Scored in double digits in 20 games as a sophomore.
Poured in a career high 35 points against Princeton (12-14-08).
Grabbed a career high 13 rebounds and scored 12 points at William & Mary as a sophomore (2-21-09).
Named to the 2009 All-Metropolitan Division I Men's Basketball Third Team by the MET Basketball Writer's Association.
Averaged 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a freshman at Manhattan, reaching double figures in 10 games. He started 15 of his 21 games.
Scoring high as a freshman was 22 points at Rider (1/24/08). He was the third leading scorer on the team.
His brother J.R. plays for the Denver Nuggets. His father Earl played for Monmouth.

High School:

Averaged 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.8 steals for Coach Danny Hurley in his final prep season at St. Benedict's Prep.
Honored on the first team All-Freelance League team as a senior.
Prior to playing at St. Benedict's, he played at Lakewood High School for three years, scoring over 1,300 career points.
Also lettered two years in football at Lakewood as a wide receiver and kicker.

Personal:

Born Oct. 13, 1987 ... Son of Earl and Ida Smith ... Has an older sister (Stephanie) and an older (J.R.) and younger (Dimitrius) brother ... Major is exercise science.
Personal goal at U of L is to earn "a 3.0 grade point average and help win games."
Enjoys playing golf and tennis in his spare time.
Chose to attend U of L because "Coach P is the best coach in college basketball."
Best basketball advice given to him was to stay positive and go hard.
Most proud of "my family for all the bumps we've been through and continued to stay strong."
His parents have had the greatest influence on his athletic career.
Feels Chance from the show "Real Chance of Love" would be the best actor to play him in a movie.
When he played basketball as a kid, he pretended he was Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway.
Wanted to wear No. 5 because he and his brother decided to switch this year.
If you walked into his dorm room, the first thing you would notice is "I have a lot of shoes."
What impresses him the most about Coach Pitino: "how straightforward he is and he's the greatest at what he does in developing the skills of players."
Would most like to meet Barack Obama.

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