Preseason Outlook: Louisville Men's Basketball
The Louisville men's basketball program has had quite the change over the offseason since finishing with a 4-28 record in the 2022-23 season. The Cardinals saw seven players exit the program and enter the transfer portal, namely: Fabio Basili (Texas-Arlington), Devin Ree (Louisiana Tech), Kamari Lands (Arizona State), El Ellis (Arkansas), Sydney Curry (Grand Canyon), Roosevelt Wheeler (VCU), and Jaelyn Withers (North Carolina). Even with all the subtractions lost, UofL rebounded pretty nicely with returnees coming in the form of Mike James (10.1 points per game last year), Emmanuel Okorafor (4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game after joining the team in mid-December), Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game), and JJ Traynor (6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds per game). Freshmen Kaleb Glenn, Curtis Williams, Dennis Evans, and Ty Laur Johnson along with transfers Skyy Clark (Illinois), Koron Davis (JUCO), Danilo Jovanovich (Miami) and Tre White (USC) made for a positive revamping of the roster. Here are my thoughts about each scholarship player as the season is coming up right around the corner.
Mike James - In the few times we have heard Coach Kenny Payne talk about the team this offseason, he has mentioned James a good amount as someone who has improved and bought in to turning things around. As someone who didn't play the guard spot in high school, a 10.1 point per game average playing primarily at the two guard spot shows me that James has a lot of potential and different ways of being utilized. I think you will see him at the 2, 3 and the 4 all throughout the season because of his athleticism, toughness, and build.
Emmanuel Okorafor - I'm not sure how much court time he will see this season due to the presence of Dennis Evans and Huntley-Hatfield potentially manning the 5 spot, but Okorafor is a good option nonetheless. With experience playing over at the NBA Africa program and the game time he got during this past season (with his averages being listed above), I think he can make an impact with the frontcourt. His tenacity for rebounding and blocking shots was a welcoming thing to see, given that UofL hasn't exactly played that type of style in years.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield - BHH is another player who Payne has praised for his improvement over the offseason (with body fat percentage being reduced). I think this year is set up perfectly for Huntley-Hatfield to showcase his game. I believe he fits best as a mismatch five, who can handle the ball, shoot mid-range jumpers, and block shots. With his physical nature, he is going to have to learn to initate and absorb contact better, but I think his skillset can be unique at the 5 spot.
JJ Traynor - Traynor had a solid bounce-back year this past season. As someone who didn't get on the court much his first couple seasons, he showed what he was capable of with a career high average of 25.6 minutes per game in 2022-23. With the limited amount of experience at the PF position, I think he will start there this season. JJ's length, shooting touch, and ability to guard 1-4 will be valuable this upcoming season, and as long he keeps his confidence going and plays through mistakes, I think you will see an even better statistical year from him.
Kaleb Glenn - The 6'6, 205 Glenn had been committed to Louisville for over two years before he finally made it to campus this past summer. As someone who has seen him play high school ball at Male, the first thing that jumps out to me (and everyone else) is his physicality and how hard he plays. I think the key to Glenn's development has been learning how to play out on the perimeter due to his being undersized, and he achieved that his senior year at La Lumiere, with averages of 15.2 points and a 39% clip from the three-point line. As far as what you can expect from him this upcoming year, it will take some time to get adjusted to the college level and continuing to get comfortable on the perimeter, but Glenn's a guy who is going to get better and better. It's going to be hard to keep him off the court after a while.
Curtis Williams - Williams (6'5, 205) was runner up for Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan after posting averages of 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists as a senior. To me, his primary strength is his shooting ability. I think that will be a welcome sight for UofL fans as we have missed those kinds of players the past few seasons. I don't know how much I expect to see him on the court this upcoming year, but I think he will be a key player for this program in time.
Dennis Evans - This is a guy who I expect to have a major impact right away. With his size at 7'1, he is going to be the rim protector that Louisville has not consistently had since Ray Spalding, Anas Mahmoud, and more recently Malik Williams. As with any young big man, his offense and adjusting to the higher level of competition will have aways to go, but with his athleticism and length, he will be a primary target for alley-oops and dump-off passes for dunks.
Ty-Laur Johnson - It is still uncertain if we are going to be able to see Johnson play this upcoming season, but with recent developments, it sounds like it's moving in the right direction as far as eligibility goes. Should we see him in action this year, I think he is in line for big minutes off the bench, and deservedly so. With averages of 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a senior, his skillset at the PG spot will be very valuable. The 2.5 steals per game jumps off the page to me, because as any Louisville fan knows, ball-hawks and great defenders at the guard spot has been sorely missed. He was a great grab for Coach KP and staff this past spring.
Skyy Clark - Clark is undoubtedly going to be the leader of this team, as is evident by his presence in connecting with Louisville fans and how excited he seems to be here. At 6'3, 200 pounds, he has great size for the PG spot that can be used in a number of different ways. With his high school accolades and numbers this past year at Illinois, (7.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game) he has been a highly regarded player for a long time, and it seems he is settled and ready to prove his worth at the highest level of college. I think he is in line for a good year.
Koron Davis - I expect Davis to see regular rotation minutes this upcoming year off the bench at the guard spot. Coming over from JUCO to NCAA D1 is always a tall task for any player, but with his averages (23.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game) he is talented enough to contribute for the Cards. At his size (6'6, 185 pounds), he can play the 1, 2, and the 3 (in spurts potentially). With the guard position being fairly limited over the past 2-3 years, it is nice to finally have options, and I think Koron will prove his worth with minutes being available.
Danilo Jovanovich - There's not much to say about Jovanovich's college career so far, given that he suffered an injury and practically redshirted his first year at Miami. Looking at his high school resume though, he put up good numbers throughout his HS career, with his primary billing as a shooter from the forward spot. At 6'8 and 220 pounds, he has enough size to be able to handle physicality when matched up with other 4's. I don't know how often I would expect to see him consistently on the court, but I definitely believe he will be used in spurts. It never hurts to have a three-point shooter out on the floor, as all basketball fans know.
Tre White - I expect big things from White this upcoming season. As someone who was highly regarded coming out of high school and made big contributions for a 22 win Southern Cal team, he is in line for a potential breakout year. At 6'7, 205, he has the right size for a 3 and D type player. Putting up 9.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in the Pac 12 as a freshman is no small feat. Defense, athleticism and rebounding seem to be White's core three strengths, and even though his three-point shooting wasn't the greatest this past season, I do believe he has a lot more to offer in that department (hence the 3 and D label). Looking forward to watching him play this year.
Go Cards!