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When the final buzzer sounded inside Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, the home of Louisville Basketball's arch-nemesis, a season of triumph and exultation turned to sorrow for the Cardinals. This loss stung for a multitude of reasons. Still, this feeling of despair was quickly transformed into a moment of acknowledgement for Pat Kelsey, senior leader Reyne Smith, and the entire program.
Although the Cards fell 89-75 in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament against Creighton, the 2024-25 Louisville Basketball team supplied their city with what one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases in America had been looking for.
Hope.
“People outside of the Louisville circle don't understand what playing for this program really means to these fans,” Smith told ClutchPoints in an exclusive one-on-one interview. “After Coach Kelsey decided to take the job and before I had even committed anywhere in the transfer portal, I had Louisville fans liking, commenting, and engaging with my social media stuff as if I were already a part of their family.
“To me, I thought I was just going there to play basketball. Now, I realize how much of an impact we made on these people's lives in the span of the last year.”
The fallout of Rick Pitino's time with the Cardinals and the dark cloud that surrounded the program in the wake of his exit was masked by Chris Mack in 2018. Immediately, the entirety of Derby City and its devoted fans rallied behind their new coach and those who came to the program to turn things around.
Despite Mack's tenure with the school lasting less than four years, those moments of glory he brought to Louisville will never be forgotten. After all, he led the program to the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 during the 2019-20 season, a year the Cardinals would have had an excellent chance at competing for a national title in the NCAA Tournament if not for the 2020 COVID shutdown.
Once again, Louisville was thrust into darkness and reached a point of abominable cruelty at the bottom of the college basketball world during the Kenny Payne era. It seemed like there was no path to glory for this program after the two worst seasons Louisville ever experienced.
These fans needed a coach they could once again relate to — someone who would eat, breathe, and sleep Louisville culture no matter what stood in his way. They needed players who wouldn't quit, who wouldn't be content, and who would be dedicated to reviving the program, no matter what.
Kelsey was hired, Smith followed his coach from Charleston, and thus began “The ReviVILLE.”
Reyne Smith's journey from Australia kid to Louisville icon
Throughout the history of college basketball, and even the NBA for that matter, you can find countless stories of programs and teams rising from the ashes and finding success. After all, sports in general are always a constant cycle of reaching pinnacles of success before ultimately overcoming adversity in the form of losing.
What Louisville achieved with Kelsey and Smith over the last year was different. This wasn't your ordinary comeback, nor was it just another instance of a program returning to relevance. Instead, it was a moment that has altered the landscape of the college basketball world for decades to come.
Louisville Basketball is back in the conversation to compete for national championships next to other blue-blood programs, and a small-town kid from the Australian island state of Tasmania left his fingerprints all over this ReviVILLE in The Ville.
Reyne Smith was like many kids growing up. He and his friends always spent time outside playing different games and sports, particularly cricket and Australian rules football. Those were the sports Smith loved to play growing up… that is, until he picked up a basketball for the first time.
“I was in first grade when I first got into basketball. I just wanted to try something different, something new, and I kind of fell in love with it,” Smith said. “Everything about the game immediately stuck with me, and I'll never forget being told that I couldn't play with kids my age and had to play a level up.
“That is kind of when the story started. From there, I kept leveling up to the point where I was on state teams and eventually made it on the national team.”
As the years went by and Smith continued to perfect his craft, especially as a shooter, many began to take notice. The best college programs in the United States always have their pulse on the international scene. While some smaller programs don't always have the resources to recruit overseas, Pat Kelsey and Charleston did.
It was then that Kelsey found this young, emerging sharpshooter who stood out among some of the best players in Australia.
“A lot of the recruiting with Reyne took place during COVID in that 2020 year, so there wasn't much in-person recruiting going on. Honestly, a lot of the information I was getting about him was from our assistants and scouts,” Kelsey told ClutchPoints. “The word I got about Reyne was that he was a gunner. In Australia, that's what they call sharpshooters from 3-point range.
“We immediately watched more of Reyne and truly believed he could not only be the best shooter in the conference at Charleston but also become the best shooter in the entire nation.”
Smith began following college basketball more closely as his journey took shape. From watching March Madness to seeing highlights of top players in America on ESPN, Smith realized this is something he wanted for himself. The challenge was there for the taking, and that dream of playing college basketball became his reality when Kelsey and Charleston went all-in for him.
Funny enough, Kelsey and Smith never met face-to-face during his recruiting process. However, there were plenty of FaceTime calls that made Smith realize how special a coach there was in Charleston. The energy, passion, and excitement Kelsey displayed during these recruiting calls were unlike anything Smith had experienced prior.
It was then that the Aussie sharpshooter realized that Charleston, a city almost 10,000 miles across the globe from his hometown in Tasmania, was going to be his new home.
“There is this story I always tell about PK and my recruiting,” Smith laughed and explained. “He said, early on in the recruiting process, that if I ever committed to play for him, he would immediately do a flip into the pool. About a month and a half later, I told him I was committing, and he knew exactly what to do. He gave his phone to his son Johnny, and Coach Kelsey did his flip into the pool fully clothed.
“I was like, ‘Oh man, what am I getting myself into with this guy?' But that was an amazing moment — one I'll never forget for the rest of my life.”
Of course, this memory is a lot different from Kelsey's perspective, as Smith decided to pick one of the coldest days of the year in South Carolina for his commitment video call. When asked about this pool moment with Reyne, Coach Kelsey smiled and immediately knew what to say.
“I think I was in traction for about two weeks after that,” Kelsey jokingly said. “I definitely remember doing it. It was a little bit chilly, and I think I froze my butt off, but it was well worth it. I knew this kid was going to be special, and he's one of my favorite players I've ever coached. I truly mean that.”
As a freshman at Charleston, Smith made 90 threes in 32 games, the most in the conference.
This was also Kelsey's first season at the helm in Charleston, a year in which the Cougars finished with a 17-15 record. During the 2022-23 season, Smith and Kelsey continued to form their unbreakable bond, leading the team to a 31-4 season, a regular-season title, a conference tournament title, and a trip to the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Aside from this being the best season in program history, it was also Charleston's first tournament appearance since 2018 and the first time they had been ranked inside the nation's top 25 since 2003. It is safe to say that Smith and Kelsey found a lot of success together, and the legacy these two forged in Cougars lore continued into the 2023-24 season, where they went 27-8 and claimed the same accolades.
Smith ranked 10th in the nation in made threes that season and was one of the deadliest perimeter threats in the country. Immediately following his third year with the program, Kelsey became a focal point in the coaching carousel. Kelsey had proved to be one of the elite rising head coaches in the country, and that's when his phone rang with an offer to become the next head coach of Louisville.
Pat Kelsey, Reyne Smith, and The ReviVILLE
When it comes to tradition and college basketball hierarchy, it doesn't get much better than leading the Cardinals program. This was a big responsibility that Kelsey understood perfectly, and to find the most success possible, he was going to need the one guy who helped pave the way from Day 1 in Charleston — Reyne Smith.
“It really wasn't much of a decision,” Smith said, reflecting on his decision to transfer from Charleston after three years. “That's my coach, and there was never any doubt in my mind that I was going to play for him in my final college season. The Louisville fans basically committed for me as soon as PK took the job, and I think coming to Louisville was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life.
“As soon as PK got the job, he began selling all of us who were joining him on this ‘ReviVILLE' thing. The fans, city, and entire university were counting on us to revive the program. Actually seeing that come into play was really cool, and it's something I never thought I'd be a part of.”
The ReviVILLE, a term coined by Kelsey upon his first day as the head coach of the Louisville Basketball program, was a culture setter. It was a term that came out of nowhere to represent the rebirth of one of the most tradition-rich programs in the entire nation and prove to the world that Louisville was going to be a force once more, even if everyone else doubted them.
This may have been the case early in the 2024-25 season, but as soon as other teams around the country saw the energy and passion Kelsey's new and well-improved Louisville team had on the court, not to mention the skill some of these guys possessed, the Cardinals quickly put themselves on the map.
Those Louisville teams that lost to some of the worst college basketball programs in the country and made a mockery of the program's history with their lack of effort and respect were a thing of the past. Kelsey and The ReviVILLE were the now, and it became abundantly clear that Smith was going to help lead it next to fellow senior transfers Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr.
Louisville won five of their first six games, picking up the program's first win against a top-15 team in the country since Chris Mack did so with his top-ranked team during the 2019-20 season, a year Cards fans still reflect on and think about what could've been given the team's national-champion mold.
The Cardinals ran through ACC play, finishing with an 18-2 conference record. One of their losses came against the Duke Blue Devils and Cooper Flagg, who was the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Overall, Louisville finished the year with a 27-8 record, the program's most wins in a decade. This ReviVILLE was a success, and Smith played a huge role in the Cards regaining their relevance.
With Louisville, Smith averaged 13.1 points and 3.5 triples per game while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point range. He led the ACC in both made and attempted threes and was widely considered by esteemed college coaches around the nation as one of the premier shooting threats. Every opposing team's scouting report started with pinpointing Smith, as his 3-point shooting was key to the team's success.
Despite finding so much success on the court, the end of Smith's collegiate career did not go as planned. The 3-point specialist suffered an ankle injury in the team's second-to-last game of the season, an injury that would force him to be sidelined for Senior Day and the entirety of the ACC Tournament.
Even so, Smith remained engaged and became an extension of Kelsey's coaching staff on the Louisville sideline, willing the team to the ACC Championship Game against Duke and giving it his all in their NCAA Tournament game against Creighton.
"His first shot in about three weeks and he knocks it in" 🔥
Reyne Smith is dialing in 📞#MarchMadness @LouisvilleMBB pic.twitter.com/kaonhvOL1v
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2025
Once again, Smith's ankle did not hold up, and he was forced to exit the court for the final time in his collegiate career. Since that moment, Louisville fans have lifted Smith into the spotlight and continue to support his journey to becoming a professional basketball player because of what he meant to the program.
As much as people want to give Pat Kelsey the credit for The ReviVILLE, the coach will always give all the love and attention back to his players. Without Smith, there is no ReviVILLE, which is why he is forever etched in Louisville lore.
“It's surreal,” Smith admitted of his celebrity-like status in the city of Louisville. “I think for me, especially coming from a small town in Tasmania, it's something you never really picture and never really think is possible. So sometimes I just kind of put it into perspective of how crazy it is. Nowadays, just pretty much anywhere I go in Louisville, any restaurant or coffee shop… anywhere I go, fans will come up and ask for a picture and thank me for everything I did.
“To me, I was just out there playing basketball and playing a sport I love, and I didn't realize how big of an impact it made on the people around here. This is such a special, special place, and I am glad to call it one of my homes now.”
Louisville Basketball is back on the map in a big way, in large part because of Smith. Now, the real journey begins for the Aussie 3-point threat.
A professional path already in motion
NBA Summer League is right around the corner, and Reyne Smith is already locked into a chance to prove himself with the Denver Nuggets. Smith will showcase his shooting skills in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the 11-day event, and he will do so in front of agents, scouts, and executives not just from the NBA but from various organizations and clubs overseas.
The path to the pros is not an easy one for any player, as we constantly see some of the nation's top prospects fail to create real, sustainable careers after their collegiate days. What stands out for Smith, though, is his determination and proven track record of success. Oh, and it helps when you can shoot threes at a high rate and knock down shots from anywhere on the court.
Every NBA team is always looking for reliable shooters, which is why Smith has a real chance to draw some attention in his four Summer League games with the Nuggets.
“Wherever he ends up, whoever takes him, they're going to get one of the best shooters on the planet,” Kelsey said of his beloved 3-point threat. “He is a real shooter. I had a couple of NBA executives I talked to, and they said there's a difference between a shooter and a real shooter. He's a real shooter.
“When somebody takes a chance on him, they're going to be glad they did. Reyne is a winner, and his record of success is there for anyone to see. He will be able to hold his own in the NBA.”
The way basketball is played in the NBA has changed drastically over the years.
While teams still play through their frontcourt talents and we still see talented centers making a difference, championship teams are built through depth on the perimeter. It is not a coincidence that each of the last five NBA championship teams was among the best 3-point shooting teams in the league.
He may not be a star-like talent or an incredible athlete like other players entering the league, but Smith adds value in a multitude of ways outside of his 3-point shooting.
Not many young basketball players have made the journey that Smith has from Tasmania to Charleston to Louisville and still been able to find high-level success at all three levels. It takes a special kind of leader to motivate and guide a program to immediate success. That is exactly what Smith did, and without him, the Louisville Basketball “ReviVILLE” would not have happened.
“Nobody believed in what we were trying to build more than Reyne. Nobody can lead and hold people to a standard like Reyne. He was a huge, huge, huge part of our success this year. And to achieve what he did battling through an ankle injury late in the year, I mean, he was willing to literally die on the court for his guys on one leg just to be out there. He wasn't worried about this or that or his future playing basketball. It was about being in the moment and winning with those guys, this team, on the court.
“Reyne thrives in big moments and is a winner not just on the court, but in life. He instills confidence in everyone he meets, and that energy he brings is infectious. He will have his team ready to go in Summer League, for sure.”
Despite everyone always labeling him as only being a 3-point threat, there is so much more to Smith's game.
Reyne Smith was on fire tonight 🔥
His 🔟 triples set a @LouisvilleMBB record for 3-pointers made in a game 👏 pic.twitter.com/YU0v4dFYKc
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 22, 2025
He is an extremely underrated defender, and Smith truly is an extension of his coaching staff on the court because of his communication and toughness. Every day presents new challenges for growth, but Smith continues to evolve his game and focus on becoming a well-versed wing who can do a little bit of everything.
“I have really been focusing on every aspect of my game before Summer League,” Smith admitted. “Shooting, spacing, awareness, passing, defense… You name it, I've been working on it. A lot of my time since the season ended has been spent rehabbing my ankle injury and making sure I am 100 percent for Summer League. I am finally at that point, and I can't wait to show everyone the improvements I've made.”
As much as fans want to see players score in Summer League and throw down jaw-dropping dunks, that isn't what talent evaluators and teams are looking for. These scouts and front-office members look to see who is making the extra effort to dive on the ground for a loose ball, who is picking up their teammates after a hard foul, and who is making a positive difference outside of scoring.
Of course, shooting lights out from 3-point land and consistently scoring 20 points in a game will get you a lot of recognition and, eventually, a contract for the new season, but there is so much that goes into Summer League that regular NBA fans don't understand.
This is a time for players like Smith to prove that they can handle being a professional athlete, and that is why he continues to study the league's best to understand this process.
“Guys like Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard have helped me understand not just how to become a better shooter, but how to handle different aspects of my role on the court. Even smaller guys who can shoot, like Gabe Vincent and Seth Curry, offer a lot to learn from. All of these guys are some of the most successful shooters in the league, and that is why I continue to learn something new every time I watch them play.”
Outside of his shooting, Smith is focused on proving to everyone in Summer League that he can be a 3-and-D threat on the perimeter. Kelsey and Louisville basketball fans know what Smith brings to the table in this department, but there is always a stereotype that exists for shooters like the Aussie on the wing.
Most importantly, Smith is just ready to get back on the court, compete to his fullest, and let the basketball gods do the rest of the work. The path to becoming a professional basketball player is right in front of Smith, and this is a journey he has prepared for over the last several years. Now that the moment has come, the Louisville leader is ready to show what he is made of on the biggest stage.
“I don't have any expectations for myself because I just want to work hard,” Smith explained. “Whatever opportunity comes my way, I'll take it and put my best foot forward, regardless of the situation. Nobody is going to outwork me, and I am only going to control the things I can control. I take a lot of pride in my shooting, defensive, and leadership abilities, and I can't wait to display all of that in Las Vegas.”
Pat Kelsey is already on edge of Louisville Basketball glory
If you were told to describe Pat Kelsey in one word, many would come to mind.
Exuberant. Energetic. Passionate. Intense. Positive. Authentic. These six words are the most common among many of Kelsey's past players, but one word really sticks out for the Louisville coach throughout his entire coaching career.
Winner.
You don't make it to the NCAA Tournament with three different programs and be named your conference's Coach of the Year in three different conferences without knowing what you are doing. Everywhere Kelsey has been, he has found success at the highest possible level, and he's established himself as the best culture-builder in the NCAA.
Every player Kelsey has coached raves about his abilities to lead a program, yet his most unique quality that makes him one of the best coaches in the nation is his compassion and belief for every single person associated with his team.
“PK wants the best for everyone,” Smith explained. “Players, managers, other coaches — he's such an amazing person, not just a coach, but a person. My four years with PK were the best of my life. He brings extreme amounts of energy every day, which can sound threatening at times, but it's everything any college player wants in a coach.
“Through him, I learned to always show up with energy in everything you do and to do so with a smile on your face because if you aren't having fun, then you aren't living life to the fullest. Louisville Basketball is in great hands with PK. This new team coming in is going to be better than we were, and I know it won't be long until we see this program back in the Final Four and competing for a championship.”
While Kelsey, Smith, and the 2024-25 Louisville team had hoped things would've ended differently in the NCAA Tournament, they exceeded expectations by a mile. For the first time in quite some time, that dark cloud that always loomed large over this program has dissipated.
A path forward has presented itself in Louisville, and it is because of Kelsey. No matter where he has been, the 50-year-old head coach has exceeded expectations immediately. It is no longer crazy to make the argument for Kelsey being one of the premier coaches in the country, especially since his resume of being a program-altering coach speaks for itself.
Whether it was Winthrop, Charleston, or now Louisville, Kelsey has won his conference's Coach of the Year award and taken each program to the NCAA Tournament.
This isn't a coincidence. Kelsey is a winner, and more importantly, he brings out the best in his players as young men. In regard to what he achieved this last year in Louisville, Kelsey knows this is just the start of history to come in the Derby City.
“Life, in so many ways, is just about timing. I think the timing for the ReviVILLE to happen was perfect,” Kelsey told ClutchPoints when thinking back on this past year. “We had nowhere to go but up when you consider where the program was when we took over. These fans, though, man, it's one of the most passionate and one of the most knowledgeable fan bases in the entire country. The love that this city has for the Louisville Cardinals and Louisville Basketball is unrivaled.
“Just in my first year here, you won't believe the amount of people I meet on the street, and they tell you about the lineage of their Louisville fandom. It is generations of family members passing down tradition after tradition and the love for that name we wear across our chests. It is in the DNA of the citizens of this city. These fans could've stopped caring at any time, but they didn't. Times were tough, but they knew there was a brighter horizon.
“We made it our mission to be the change this program, this university, and this city needed, and we reignited the fuse to that energy that seemed to fade away. The ReviVILLE wasn't about us. It was about this city and these fans. They are the ones who made it possible for me, Reyne, and the entire program to find success.”
Kelsey was extremely successful in his first season as Louisville's head coach because the fans rallied behind him. Smith had one of the best seasons out of any shooter in the entire nation and is now on the verge of beginning his professional career because the fans supported him as the leader of the team. This program is back on its feet because of the love it's received from the fans.
“You know, I still walk into that empty arena and pinch myself,” Kelsey said. “I savor every single day that I'm the head coach at the University of Louisville. I know the responsibility, and I embrace it. And I know I'm unbelievably blessed. But as fun as last season was, we came up short of our goals. The standard around here is to compete for championships and Final Fours, and I'm well aware of that.
Louisville Basketball is a special program.
While everyone always wants to talk about UCLA, Duke, and other “blue-blood programs,” you can't tell the tale of college basketball's history without including the Cardinals. As the game and landscape of college basketball recruiting change, so does the hierarchy of power across the nation.
It's now Kelsey's turn to run the college basketball world, and with the best high school talents wanting to play for him, it's only a matter of time before Louisville finds itself back on top.
“Our ultimate goal is to have the number one culture in the country, which will lead us to ultimate glory. The potential and caliber of the roster that we've assembled, you know, I am as excited as they are. I've never been more motivated and inspired than I am right now. More than anything, to the fans and citizens of Louisville, we are ready to put Louisville Basketball back in its rightful place on top of college basketball.
“Will it happen this year? Only God knows, but I know there's not going to be anybody that pours their heart and soul into it more than we will.”
