A year ago, I was concerned about Louisville Basketball and the guard position. Mainly, the lack of guards they had on the roster. El Ellis returning was good but having just Fabio Basili and Percy Miller as the only other perimeter options was definitely an interesting decision.
And it proved to be an awful one, as the Cardinals went a combined 4-28 this past season and dead last in the ACC. It was a bad first year for head coach Kenny Payne, who could be getting close to the hot seat sooner than later if things don’t improve.
The good news is that the team has already made some improvements to its roster. They landed a pair of five-star prospects this offseason in 6’8 guard/wing Trentyn Flowers, along with former Minnesota center commit, Dennis Evans.
Louisville also helped revamped the backcourt, landing Illinois transfer Skyy Clark, while also retaining JUCO transfer, Koron Davis. But with Ellis having transferred out to Arkansas, this team still has a lack of depth among the ball-handlers. They’re reportedly bringing in 6’7 guard and UMass transfer, RJ Luis.
That would be a good piece to add to the backcourt but still, having just Clark, who averaged 24.5 mpg in 13 games as a freshman, as the current lead guard is another risk. It would be good for the Cardinals to land at least one more point guard.
But who’s still out there that’s a realistic transfer target? Here are eight available free agent ball-handlers in the portal that Louisville could offer a sizeable role to.