Louisville Basketball: Cardinals finally gets good news with Ty-Laur Johnson cleared
One quiet offseason storyline for Louisville Basketball was the reported academic status of freshman Ty-Laur Johnson. Now we have closure on the matter.
One criticism that first-year Louisville Basketball head coach Kenny Payne had was the lack of point guard depth on the 2022-23 roster that went a disastrous 4-28 overall. El Ellis, who is now at Arkansas, played 36 mpg, almost leading the country as the lone ball-handler they had.
The Cardinals tried to add some depth this offseason, landing several guards. Illinois transfer Skyy Clark and JUCO newcomer Koron Davis are players to watch but there were snags that occurred. One was Trentyn Flowers, a former five-star prospect who opted to go pro instead. The other was Ty-Laur Johnson, a four-star recruit who was originally a Memphis commit.
But even after choosing to play for Louisville instead, there were always whispers that Johnson’s academic eligibility was potentially in question, something the program itself even admitted to. The good news is that a month before the season starts, the Cardinals know where Johnson stands.
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Just a few weeks from the Flowers news, it’s good for Louisville Basketball to finally get something to go its way. More importantly, the program ow has real depth at the point guard position to withstand an injury. Clark, who is a proven D-I player, is likely to start but look for Johnson to now get minutes behind him in the rotation.
While not a five-star talent, Johnson still is ranked in the top-100 and known for being a quality scorer. With so many new faces, who knows who’ll be the consistent offensive threats the program can rely on in the ACC. Having him gives them another option.
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More importantly, it takes away an excuse Coach Payne can have for this season. There’s depth now both inside and out and real talent from 1-12. Now, we have to see how it comes together and what kind of role Johnson himself will play in it.