The Louisville basketball program was something of a rudderless ship in recent years, flailing ever since Rick Pitino was forced out in 2017. Things really hit rock bottom for the Cardinals under Kenny Payne, with just twelve wins across his two seasons at the helm, but last season’s arrival of Pat Kelsey truly changed the story in Louisville.
A brilliant debut season for Kelsey saw the Cardinals take a massive step forward. A new-look roster won 27 games, the most for the program in a decade, while returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the pandemic. In fact, Louisville finished tied for 2nd place in the ACC standings with an 18-2 mark in conference play and were even nationally ranked in the Top 10 at one point in the season.
It’s a new age of college basketball with NIL and the transfer portal and that allowed Kelsey and his staff to quickly build Louisville into contenders, but it was a senior-laden lineup that accomplished that job. The Cardinals lose top scorers and contributors Terrence Edwards Jr., Chucky Hepburn, and Reyne Smith and several other names up and down this roster. However, the Cardinals had one of the finest offseasons with what they added back to this team to fill those holes.
Many faces are new to Louisville and we’ll be sure to give a few words on the important pieces in this rotation, though the Cardinals do return a couple of important players from last season as well. After running through the roster, we’ll look ahead to the schedule and make a few larger predictions or expectations about what to expect in year two under Kelsey’s leadership.
Projected Starters
Guard – Mikel Brown Jr. (Freshman)
The lone major American recruit is a big one, as Brown is a 6-3 point guard from Florida who’s a consensus 5-star athlete and one of the most impressive freshman backcourt players in the nation. He immediately slides into a major leadership role thanks to his talent as a scorer, ball handler, and creator. Brown should be one of the best freshmen in the ACC this year, and perhaps the nation’s best young point guard.
Guard – Ryan Conwell (Senior)
The first of three impressive pieces in this transfer portal class, Conwell spent one year apiece at South Florida, Indiana State, and Xavier and brings great experience into this backcourt. After exploding onto the scene for that sensational Sycamores team, Conwell showed no signs of slowing down in the Big East, putting up 16.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game for the Musketeers. He’s made more than 40% of his 3-pointers each of the last two seasons and brings elite shooting presence to Louisville.
Guard – Isaac McKneely (Senior)
McKneely is a former Top 75 recruit from West Virginia who comes to the Cardinals from familiar grounds, spending his first three collegiate years over at Virginia. He was a starting guard the last two seasons for the Cavaliers and is coming off a junior season where he averaged 14.4 points and 2.9 assists per game, leading the ACC while knocking down 42% of his 3-point attempts.
Guard – J’Vonne Hadley (Senior)
Hadley came to Louisville last season after previous work with Northeastern and Colorado and immediately found a major role for the Cardinals. This 6-6 guard out of Minnesota put up 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a full-time starter one season after similar production out at Colorado. His experience and touch are important here and he’s the best returning player from last season.
Center – Aly Khalifa (Senior)
A 7-footer originally from Egypt, Khalifa is eager to get on the court for the Cardinals after sitting out last season while rehabilitating an injury. He’s a former starter for both Charlotte and BYU, with solid numbers for the 49ers two seasons ago. Khalifa has the size and presence to be a major factor on defense for the Cardinals, though it’s not yet known how he’ll bounce back from that injury.
Key Reserves
Forward – Kasean Pryor (Senior)
After riding the bench at Boise State and transferring a few times, Pryor really stood out at South Florida as a junior before arriving at Louisville last season. Unfortunately, the 6-9 forward from Chicago suffered a season-ending injury after just seven games. He was averaged 12.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per outing to that point and had similar production with the Bulls. If he get back to that level, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pryor in the starting lineup at some point this year.
Forward – Khani Rooths (Sophomore)
Louisville leaned on veteran experience last season, but Rooths was a major get on the recruiting trail. He was a Top 40 prospect last season who put up decent production as a reserve, averaging 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds. Opportunities will be greater this season for this athletic player who has the size and potential to make a leap this season.
Guard – Kobe Rodgers (Senior)
Rodgers followed Kelsey from Charleston and played an important role in the Cougars’ success, averaging 9.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in his lone season with that program. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss all of last year, taking a redshirt while sitting on this Louisville roster. The Cincinnati native is a feisty guard who could certainly be an important role player for this team, with solid scoring and defensive metrics earlier in his career.
Forward/Center – Sananda Fru (Junior)
Regardless of what’s out there, Fru could become a very underrated addition for the Cardinals. A 6-11 big man from Germany, he has every opportunity to slide into a major role for this team, perhaps even becoming the starting center this season. He’s a sizeable athlete with the ability to space the floor and be both a shot maker on offense and a versatile factor on defense.
Guard – Adrian Wooley (Sophomore)
Fresh off an outstanding freshman season at Kennesaw State, Wooley slides over to Louisville and could be quite the steal for the Cardinals. He was named both First Team All-CUSA and the league’s Rookie of the Year after averaging 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game with the Owls while making 42% of his 3-point attempts. The Alabama native now has a chance to earn major minutes, especially with that sharpshooting ability.
Forward/Center – Vangelis Zougris (Junior)
Another intriguing international prospect coming to town is Zougris, a 6-8 big man from Greece who adds depth after impressive work in the Greek Basketball League. He makes things happen inside the paint and has competed at a high level in European basketball over the years; he could be an important depth piece in this frontcourt.
Schedule Outlook
Many eyes go to that exhibition against Kansas, but the real action starts with four straight home games, including November 11’s rivalry showdown against Kentucky. The Cardinals aren’t part of a holiday tournament this year, but there’s plenty of other intrigue, including playing The Hoops Classic at Cincinnati near the end of the month.
A tough matchup in the ACC/SEC Challenge sends this team to Arkansas on December 3 while just three days later they’ll be in Indianapolis, playing Indiana as part of the CareSource Invitational. Later that month, the Cardinals welcome Memphis to town for another premier home matchup before heading out to Tennessee just a few days later.
The ACC schedule remains imbalanced, though the Cardinals will face off against favorite Duke twice this season, at home in early January and on the road later in the month. They’ll only see North Carolina in Chapel Hill for an intriguing game in late February and finish the season at Miami in early March, though there’s also a nonconference matchup tucked in there, as Louisville faces Baylor in Fort Worth on February 14.
Season Outlook
Last year was a massive step in the right direction for a Louisville team that surprised many across the nation. All of those wins, especially in conference play, were impressive but the Cardinals still fell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Kelsey and his staff were certainly pleased with the strides the program made, but the deep postseason runs are still the goal in this town.
As a result, the staff attacked the transfer portal and found three names that will all be major playmakers this season for the Cardinals. It’s not just that Conwell, McKneely, and Wooley were all highly ranked transfers, it’s that they all shoot the cover off the ball. Louisville ranked 244th in the nation in 3-point percentage last season and now add three incredible sharpshooters into the mix to fix that issue.
While he was rated as one of the top freshmen in the nation, Brown still has a lot of pressure on his shoulders right off the bat. He’s not the same type of sharpshooter as those other names, but he’s going to be counted on to put them in that position for success. Kelsey has built these two teams with veteran talent and experience and leaning heavily on a freshman like Brown is a change. There’s going to be a lot of trust that Brown lives up to his preseason billing as a top-level freshman and perhaps a future NBA star.
Questions remain about the frontcourt, especially with Khalifa and Pryor both battling back from injuries. If they play up to their potential, then Louisville might have one of the most talented rotations in the nation. Pryor is a phenomenal athlete who impacts the game with his scoring, rebounding, and presence. The big question is who asserts themselves in that 5 spot, whether it be Khalifa, one of those new international recruits, or if the team finds its groove without a natural center in the lineup.
From what we saw last season and what Louisville added it’s hard not to be excited again about this basketball program. Kelsey seemed like a great hire a year ago and has only shined in his first two offseasons with the Cardinals. The work ahead is important for this roster that should shoot the ball better and play even more cohesive basketball, but do they have enough here to make a deeper postseason run and perhaps unseat the Blue Devils as the ACC’s top team?