Pat Kelsey has the Cardinals set to compete after hitting the transfer portal hard. The program’s history is filled with success. Yet, since Rick Pitino’s unfortunate departure, they’ve struggled to regain their elite status among college basketball teams. Kelsey plans to change that with a brand new roster. The new head coach is coming off a great tenure at the College of Charleston, where he led the Cougars to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Can Kelsey invigorate the Cards with his winning aura? Let’s dive into a Louisville basketball preview for 2024-25.
Louisville Basketball Preview: Cardinals Set to Compete
The Kenny Payne hire turned out to be a mistake. The team went 12-52 in just two seasons under Payne, who is now an assistant coach at Arkansas. Despite being an alumni of the school, it was clear the former Cardinal was not fit to be Louisville’s head coach. Nevertheless, the program now finds itself in the Pat Kelsey era. Not a single player from the 2023-24 roster remains on the team. With that said, it may take some time for the team to mesh. On the contrary, the new head coach has brought with him a couple of former Cougars. Kelsey seems ready for the challenge and is familiar with the conference having been an assistant at Wake Forest.
Whole Lotta Transfers
From Cougars to Cardinals
James Scott, Kobe Rodgers, and Reyne Smith are all transferring in from the College of Charleston. Obviously, Kelsey wanted to bring some good chemistry into the locker room to start things out. What better way than scooping up a few of his favorite Cougs on his way to Derby City? Smith has played under Kelsey for three seasons, appearing in over 100 contests for Charleston. The Aussie was named the 2023-24 CAA Tournament MVP, and he finished 9th last season in total three-point field goals. Rodgers was named to the 2023-24 All-CAA Tournament Team in his only year at Charleston. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury during the Cougs first-round contest against Alabama. Thus, he has decided to redshirt for the 2024-25 season. Scott made the 2023-24 CAA All-Freshmen Team and led the team in blocks per game averaging 1.3 on the season.
Bye BYU, Hello Louisville
Aly Khalifa and Noah Waterman are both transferring from BYU to The ‘Ville. Khalifa spent just one year at Brigham Young after playing two seasons for Charlotte. In his first collegiate season, Khalifa was named the 2021-22 Conference USA Freshmen of the Year. The big man has a knack for finding teammates as he was 10th in assists per game in the CUSA his freshman year, averaging 3.5 on the season. In limited playing time last season, he averaged four assists per game. Waterman is somewhat of an NCAA journeyman. The Savannah, NY native is in his sixth collegiate year, after redshirting his freshmen year at Niagara, then two years at Detroit Mercy, and finally two years at BYU. Waterman’s ability to stretch the floor and finish at the rim will be a great addition to an already-loaded roster.
A pair of Pac-12 Transfers
J’Vonne Hadley and Koren Johnson will both be traveling coast-to-coast as they join Louisville for the upcoming season. Hadley comes from Colorado where he was third last season in the Pac-12 in free throw percentage and true shooting percentage, averaging 83.9% and 63.7% respectively. Also, the former Buff led the conference in offensive rating averaging 130.5, beating out players who are now in the NBA like Boogie Ellis and Jaylen Wells. Johnson is transferring in from Washington after being named the 2023-24 Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year. The Seattle native was 13th in the conference in assist percentage last season averaging 20.1%, and he looked fantastic in the team’s recent exhibition matches against Bahamas and University of Calgary.
KJ is HOOPING@KorenJohnson3 has 13 on the board and seven assists#GoCards pic.twitter.com/RwNNK6nIxm
— Louisville Men’s Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) July 31, 2024
The Other Guys
Kasean Pryor, Terrence Edwards, Aboubacar Traore, Chucky Hepburn, and Frank Anselem round out the 2024 Louisville transfer class. Edwards is one of the better-known transfers after he led James Madison last season. Hepburn joins Kelsey’s squad after three years at Wisconsin and was named to the 2023-24 Big Ten All-Defense Team. Pryor is coming off a fantastic season at USF. Impressively, he led the AAC in defensive win shares and defensive rating, averaging 2.0 and 94 respectively. Traore comes from Long Beach State where he spent three seasons. Notably, he was awarded the 2023-24 Big West Tournament MVP. Additionally, the big man finished his Big West tenure 15th in career rebounds. Anselem spent two seasons at Syracuse, and then two seasons at Georgia as a Bulldog before joining Kelsey’s team.
Cards Incoming Freshmen
Louisville only has one incoming freshman, Khani Rooths. The team has high hopes for the six-foot-eight 205 lbs. forward, as his upside is “crazy high” according to Pat Kelsey. Originally from DC, he spent his last two seasons playing at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. He’ll be facing off against two of his former high school teammates during conference play, Donnie Freeman at Syracuse and Cole Certa at Notre Dame. Rooths is ranked 38th nationally and sixth at his position. On top of that, he’s the ninth highest-rated prospect the Cardinals have ever had grace their campus.
Staying HOT 🔥🎯 @Khani_Rooths
Watch Live: https://t.co/86SCbUDaBH pic.twitter.com/QJThZsmxAC
— Floyd Street Media (@FloydStMedia) July 31, 2024
Louisville Basketball Schedule Preview
For the Cards’ non-conference portion of their schedule, they’ll face Morehead State, Tennessee, Bellarmine, Winthrop, UTEP, Kentucky, and Eastern Kentucky. For the SEC-ACC Challenge, they’ll take on Ole Miss. Kelsey has wisely scheduled some easy wins early on, while still testing his squad against opponents like Tennessee and in-state rival Kentucky.
Furthermore, they’ll be traveling to the Bahamas for the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis. So far, Louisville’s first matchup is unknown. They could face Gonzaga, Indiana, West Virginia, Davidson, Oklahoma, Arizona, or Providence. As always the ACC finds itself among the most competitive conferences in college basketball. It’ll be interesting to see how Kelsey fares in his first year in the conference. Having said that, expectations are extremely low after the team went 8-24 last season.
