Terrence Edwards Jr. sends message to Reyne Smith after suffering another injury

The Louisville Cardinals lost an excellent shooter in guard Reyne Smith during their opening round loss to the Creighton Bluejays. An excellent shooter, the injury made it that much more difficult to try and come from behind for Louisville while taking the wind out of their sails as a team.

Smith went down with an apparent ankle injury and had to be helped off the floor by trainers. That injury came after he previously suffered an ankle injury in Louisville’s game against California on March 5th, and it cost him better than four games.

After the NCAA Tournament game, Smith’s roommate Terrence Edwards Jr. sent a heartfelt message to him. The devastation that came from seeing him get injured was only made worse for Edwards because he saw how much effort Smith has put in to get healthy and on the court again.

“Our heart goes out to Reyne,” Terrence Edwards said. “We already knew he wasn’t one hundred percent but what he did today is something I’ll remember forever. He sacrificed his body and put his body on the line tonight for us so we could try to come out with the win. He knew how much we needed him.”

Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Smith shared that he was feeling great about his ankle injury and that treatment was going well. He even suggested he could have played in the ACC Tournament if it had been the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, even with his ankle improving, he still re-injured it in the Creighton game.

“I’m his roommate in the hotel,” Edwards added. “And I see him, how much he’s grinding in treatment and trying to get one hundred percent. He never not once told me he wasn’t okay. I always ask him, ‘Are you good? Are you sure you’re good?’ And he always responded above the line. Always told me, even though I knew he was hurting. Yeah, I’m just so proud of him, and he’ll get back right for sure. What he did for us today is something that will go a long way outside of basketball.”

Smith has been a vital offensive player throughout the season for Louisville and is considered an excellent shooter. He averaged 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists for the season. On top of that, he also shot 39.1 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from three-point range, and 94.4 percent from the free-throw line. However, he had a disappointing NCAA Tournament. In one game, he shot just 1-of-5 from three-point range with five points scored and two rebounds before going down with the injury.

Prior to his time at Louisville, Reyne Smith played for head coach Pat Kelsey at College of Charleston. This was his fourth full season of college basketball.