The Louisville basketball roster is nearly complete.
Louisville basketball is officially returning its most productive player entering 2025-26.
After super senior J’Vonne Hadley announced his return last week, fellow forward Kasean Pryor announced his intention to return today.
Pryor was a coveted transfer entering the 2024-25 season and was a unicorn for the Cards for the first quarter of the year.
Prior to tearing his ACL in Louisville’s 7th game, Pryor averaged 12 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks. He was a do-it-all playmaker who was a menace on defense and an athletic freak getting to the rim.
What Pryor brings to Louisville basketball in 2025-2026
Pryor can be a versatile four or five, or even slide to the wing. He shot 35 percent from beyond the arc two years ago at South Florida and presents a unique threat at 6’11 as a floor spacer.
Per Kenpom, Pryor was by far the highest-used player for the Cards last season on a per-possession basis. Not even Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards had their finger prints on this team like Pryor in the first quarter of 2024.
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Where Pryor’s return puts Louisville basketball
Coming off of the ACL injury, Pryor should be in the fold by July or August. One would imagine he will be close to one hundred percent by the start of the season.
The exact parameters of Pryor’s return are unknown, but it doesn’t feel like a stretch to think his decision to stay likely hinged on a decision from five-star freshman Nate Ament. Louisville’s front court has a lot of pieces that will be vying for heavy playing time in ‘25-26. The addition of a burger boy at the position would certainly alter most decisions. But Ament’s waffling late in the process left Louisville and Pryor in a difficult situation.
Now, we know a couple things. 1. Rumors of Louisville basketball cooling on Ament probably have some validity (he’s now committed to Tennessee). 2. The UofL front court is essentially set.
With Pryor and Hadley returning for an extra year, this gives Louisville two massive veteran pieces in the front court.
Add in redshirt senior Aly Khalifa, German big man Sananda Fru, and mainstay James Scott, and the Cards are in a solid spot.
Louisville’s two leading rebounded also versatile playmakers who can bang in the post or hurt you from deep.
Now, they join forces again for a season that could be as special as any in the last couple of decades.
