LOUISVILLE, Ky. – We still have about five and a half months until the return of college basketball, but the Louisville men’s basketball program’s first roster under new head coach Pat Kelsey has finally been established.
After all 12 scholarship players on the 2023-24 roster opted to enter the transfer portal following the firing of former head coach Kenny Payne, Kelsey and his staff got to work. About two months after signing him on March 28, the Cardinals have filled all 13 open scholarships, 12 of them for transfers and one for a high school prospect.
On paper, Louisvile appears to have a roster that could be competitive in year one under Kelsey. According to On3’s team transfer portal rankings, which takes into account both incoming and outgoing transfers, Louisville has the number one transfer portal in all of college basketball. The Cardinals also ranked No. 4 in the 247Sports post-spring ACC Power Rankings.
Related: Louisville HC Pat Kelsey ‘excited’ about first-year roster
With the number of impact playmakers Louisville is bringing in, you can create a variety of different lineups that cater to the different strengths of the roster. Starting with our projection of *the* starting five, here are our projections for some lineups the Cardinals could employ for the 2024-25 season:
Five initials
Break down: With how versatile and productive the entire roster is, it seems like there could be any number of starting five that Pat Kelsey could prepare for the season opener. That said, this one seems to make the most sense.
Hepburn and Koren Johnson are the only point guards on the roster, so if you start both at the same time, you won’t have a backup at your disposal this season. So Hepburn gets the nod by default since he’s a multi-year starter.
Edwards is arguably the best player on the team right now given that he was the Sun Belt Player of the Year, so starting him is a given. He is the definition of a playmaker and could be the focal point of this team.
With Hadley, you could play him at either the two or the three, as his overall game is bigger than a guard and he is an underrated shooter.
With Waterman and Pryor, of course, they are both technically stretch fours. But both have been incredibly productive throughout their careers and are a better fit for the system than traditional back-to-the-basket big men.
Backups
Break down: As far as backup lineups go, the one Louisville could present as incredibly good.
Johnson could easily earn a spot in the starting lineup, considering he was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year last season. But to have a primary ball handler on the court at all times, he will likely start the season on the bench.
Smith will likely see a lot of runs against defenses that have a propensity to give up the 3-pointer. He is one of the best shooters in all of college basketball and regardless of lineups, he will have a role.
Traore may not fit perfectly into the system as he is not a shooter at all and is undersized for his style of play. But he also has a chance to thrive in Kelsey’s frenetic offense thanks solely to the grit and hustle he provides.
Rooths has a potentially very high ceiling in college in part because of his versatility. It is a hybrid of cutting wing and four sections, and performs both roles very well.
As for the real central place, it is really chaos. Both Scott and Anselem-Ibe are excellent rim protectors, the staff really likes Scott’s NBA potential and Anselem-Ibe has some ACC experience.
Heavy defense
Break down: Sure, Kelsey-led teams haven’t really been known for their defensive prowess, but he’s put together several transfers who are impact playmakers on that end of the floor. How shocking? See below:
There are a handful of other players on the roster who are solid defensive assets. But right now, this group of five gives Louisville the best chance to stop him.
three point shot
Break down: There are very few players on this team who *can’t* shoot threes. In fact, the 12 transfer commitments combined to average 36.1 percent from three-point range at their respective previous schools last season. But this group here is the best of the best.
small ball
Break down: Louisville will face several different types of teams in the ACC next season. If the Cardinals wanted to play small teams to exploit mismatches, their “small ball” lineup is more than useful.
As previously stated, it wouldn’t be ideal to have Hepburn and Johnson on the court. But if the matchup calls for it, Louisville absolutely can do it. While Hepburn is a tried and true point guard, Johnson is more of a combo guard and can play off the ball.
Edwards and Hadley are both 6-foot-6, but Edwards is 15 pounds lighter. While both players were extremely productive last season, Edwards’ status as Louisville’s likely focal point cements him as the three in a small lineup.
“Little ball four” is the absolutely perfect way to describe Traoré’s game. While he is only 6-foot-5, he is also extremely athletic and aggressive around the rim. He would thrive in a small-ball lineup.
While inserting Pryor into the lineup here would make some sense considering he can handle the ball well for a big man, in the spirit of being “small,” Rooths gets the small-ball nod here.
heavy guard
Break down: There can never be too many ball handlers, right? If Louisville really wanted to lean toward a small-ball style lineup and employ a guard-heavy lineup, well, this is it. Here are Louisville’s five scholarship players with “guard” somewhere at their position. Technically, Edwards is a guard/forward, but he’s not even the tallest “guard” on the roster: Hadley is.
high ball
Break down: On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are many teams in the ACC that have a lot of overall length and size. Fortunately for Louisville, they have the pieces to counter that.
At the real crux, Scott presents the best option. As noted above, he has NBA potential written all over him and is by far the best rim protector.
At the four, it really comes down to what you would want from your high-ball lineup. If you want defense, Pryor is your guy here. If you want a three-point threat, Waterman is probably the best option.
Then on the wing you have Traore and Rooths. In this situation, Rooths would probably be in the three, as Traore is a better ball handler. Not to mention, Rooths are much more versatile.
As for your ball handler in a lineup like this, Edwards is probably the guy. While he is a scoring playmaker, he was also very good at finding open teammates.
*Super* High Ball
Break down: Do you want to get weird? Let’s be weird. In this lineup, you have every player on the roster who is 6-foot-10 or taller. Not a single spot of paint is allowed here.
Of course, someone has to handle the ball. In this purely hypothetical lineup, I would pick Traore as he has the game of a taller player and actually dished out 4.5 assists per game last year.
(J’Vonne Hadley Photo: Ron Chenoy – Keynote USA Sports)
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook – @LouisvilleReport
Twitter- @UofLReport
Instagram- @louisville_report
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic on @Matt_McGavic On twitter
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow @Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.