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\u2019s arrival of Pat Kelsey truly changed the story in Louisville.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Many faces are new to Louisville and we\u2019ll 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\u2019ll look ahead to the schedule and make a few larger predictions or expectations about what to expect in year two under Kelsey\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
Projected Starters<\/strong>Guard \u2013 Mikel Brown Jr. (Freshman)<\/strong><\/p>\n The lone major American recruit is a big one, as Brown is a 6-3 point guard from Florida who\u2019s 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\u2019s best young point guard.<\/p>\n Guard \u2013 Ryan Conwell (Senior)<\/strong><\/p>\n The first of three impressive pieces in this transfer portal class, Conwell <\/a>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\u2019s made more than 40% of his 3-pointers each of the last two seasons and brings elite shooting presence to Louisville.<\/p>\n Guard \u2013 Isaac McKneely (Senior)<\/strong><\/p>\n McKneely <\/a>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.<\/p>\n Guard \u2013 J\u2019Vonne Hadley (Senior)<\/strong><\/p>\n Hadley <\/a>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\u2019s the best returning player from last season.<\/p>\n Center \u2013 Aly Khalifa (Senior)<\/strong><\/p>\n A 7-footer originally from Egypt, Khalifa<\/a> is eager to get on the court for the Cardinals after sitting out last season while rehabilitating an injury. He\u2019s 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\u2019s not yet known how he\u2019ll bounce back from that injury.<\/p>\n Key Reserves<\/strong>Forward \u2013 Kasean Pryor (Senior)<\/strong><\/p>\n After riding the bench at Boise State and transferring a few times, Pryor<\/a> 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\u2019t be a surprise to see Pryor in the starting lineup at some point this year.<\/p>\n Forward \u2013 Khani Rooths (Sophomore)<\/strong><\/p>\n Louisville leaned on veteran experience last season, but Rooths <\/a>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.<\/p>\n