Charleston guard Reyne Smith decides to follow coach Pat Kelsey to Louisville basketball

Charleston's top scorer, junior guard Reyne Smith, became Pat Kelsey's first Louisville men's basketball commitment Saturday.

The 6-foot-2 Australian appeared in all 35 of the Cougars' games last season, making 28 starts, and received second-team All-Coastal Athletic Association honors.

He led the team with 12.8 points on 41% shooting. His 39.4% (112 for 284) clip from 3-point range ranked 42nd across Division I; and his 129.4 offensive rating ranked 32nd on KenPom.com.

Smith broke the Charleston record for most 3s in a game with nine during a Dec. 21 win against Saint Joseph's. On Feb. 29, he bested that mark with 10 en route to a career-high 32 points that powered the Cougars to a victory over Campbell.

"Reyne is one of the best shooters in the country," Kelsey told reporters afterward. "I've never felt what he felt tonight; I wish I could."

Smith's 112 3s during the 2023-24 season fell just 63 shy of Louisville's total number of makes from beyond the arc for the campaign, 175, and would have ranked second in the program's record book behind Taquan Dean's 122 in 2004-05.

He joined the Cougars from the Australian Institute of Sport. One of Kelsey's assistants, Michael Cassidy, is a fellow countryman and served as an assistant on its U19 national team in the 2021 FIBA World Cup.

Reyne Smith highlights: Watch Louisville basketball transfer portal commit

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Charleston guard Reyne Smith transferring to Louisville basketball