Throughout the college basketball offseason, one major storyline to watch has been the NCAA's waiver process for select players. Just a few days ago, the NCAA denied a waiver for Memphis center Dain Dainja to get another year, which forced him to move on to the pros.
Earlier this offseason, the NCAA had already denied a waiver to Louisville forward Aly Khalifa. This was originally a surprise, as he had redshirted this past season after transferring from BYU. However, reportedly, having already taken a redshirt year at Charlotte previously caused issues with his eligibility.
The good news for the Cardinals is that, following an appeal of the original denial, the NCAA reversed its decision.
Could not have happened to a better person. The NCAA and the appeal committee did the right thing for this young man. Aly Khalifa’s amazing story and journey continues…and will inspire thousands! https://t.co/l3zTBaPEFc
— Pat Kelsey (@patkelsey) June 27, 2025
Louisville is a consensus preseason top-25 team, thanks in part to a great transfer portal haul that includes Isaac McKneely and Ryan Conwell. 5-star prospect Mikel Brown Jr. is set to run the offense, while Kasean Pryor returns after suffering a season-ending injury.
The hope is that Khalifa will be the missing link to make the offense as good as possible. He’s one of the best passing big men in the country, and when he was at BYU, he played a key role in their elite offense, averaging 4.0 assists per game as a big man.
Khalifa and Pryor are the leading bigs for the Cardinals next season. Joining them in the frontcourt are a trio of international prospects, including Vanglis Zougris, Sanada Fru, and Mouhamaed Camara. If any of them break out into key contributors, then this team will be a contender to compete for another ACC title.
Khalifa’s stats don’t scream “all-league” on paper, but that won’t be his role. He gives the team another facilitator and takes pressure off the freshman Brown on the offense, which may be the biggest beneficiary. This news caps off what has been a great offseason for Coach Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals.