Confirmed: David Padgett Picks Louisville

During his last press conference, men's basketball coach Rick Pitino hinted about the possibilty of the Cards accepting a transfer.

"We are right now pursuing transfers, and there are some tranfers interested in us, so we are pursuing that," said Pitino.

Well, the wait is over. Saturday night, CardinalSports.com confirmed that former Kansas Jayhawk David Padgett has been accepted as the newest member of the Louisville basketball team. Padgett's mother, Debbie, spoke with Howie Lindsey Saturday about her son's recent commitment.

"It was a tough decision, but in the end he felt really comfortable with Louisville and the coaching staff. Rick Pitino has been wonderful and he can't wait to come to Louisville," Mrs. Padgett said. "UCLA's coaching staff was great too and the history of that program is so impressive."

A 6-11 center, Padgett saw action in 31 games, starting in 19 of the Jayhawks' 33 contests during the 2003-04 season. A native of Reno, Nevada, Padgett averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while playing 19.2 minutes per contest. For the season, Padgett shot 53.1 percent from the field. He also led the Jayhawks with 43 blocked shots, the second-most rejections by a Kansas freshman in school history.

A McDonald's All-American as a high school senior in the class of 2003, Padgett ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the class.

Although Padgett would have to sit out a year under NCAA transfer rules, he would have three years of eligibility remaining and would be a welcome addition to a Louisville front-court in need of size and depth.

Padgett informed Kansas coach Bill Self of his intentions to transfer on April 15, citing wishes to play in a system where he would be able to showcase more of his face-up skills. As the tallest player on the Jayhawks' roster and one of only two players over 6-9, Padgett was primarily used as a back-to-the-basket player. At Kansas he was resticted to the center position where most of his action involved posting up.

"I've made the decision to transfer from KU at the end of this semester," Padgett said in April. "I think I'll have more opportunities to be a face-up player and play the four-position at another school. I want to wish my ex-teammates and the great KU fans all the best, and I hope they have a great season next year."

At the conclusion of the spring semester, Padgett was given his release by Kansas Director of Athletics Lew Perkins and began taking his official visits. His top schools at the time included UNLV, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, North Carolina, Nevada, San Diego State, UCLA and Louisville.

Padgett first visited Louisville on the weekend of May 8. During his visit he spoke with Pitino and was introduced to several members of the current Cardinal basketball team. He then toured the University's Belknap Campus and Billy Minardi Hall, the basketball team's dormatory. While in Louisville, Padgett also visited Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Debbie Padgett said her son text messaged his parents from the track with a note about how much he enjoyed his time in Louisville.

Padgett then flew to Los Angeles on May 23 to meet with UCLA head coach Ben Howland and tour the campus.

Though Pitino cannot publicly comment on Padgett until he signs a letter of intent and enrolls in school, during a press conference on May 7, the coach was not shy about his feelings for a possible transfer.

"I think a couple of transfers right now would be awesome," Pitino said. "I love transfers, if the transfer is available. The reason I love it is Derek Anderson and Travis Ford and Mark Pope just to name a few. They all do very well, because they sit out that year and they practice. They are on strength and conditioning, they are learning the system and then they play".