Louisville basketball just added a major piece late in the game in transfer Mason Faulkner.
Louisville basketball has added a surprise late addition to the 2021-22 squad.
Mason Faulkner, once a Colorado commit, has committed to play for Chris Mack and the Cards.
Faulkner is a Glasgow Kentucky native who started his collegiate career under John Brannen at Northern Kentucky.
Following two seasons where he averaged 6 points and 2 assists a game at NKU, Faulkner departed for Western Carolina.
As a Catamount, Faulkner averaged a head-turning 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He scored double figures 46 out of the 53 times he took the floor.
Faulkner finished his first season as a first-team all-conference player in 2019-20 and tested the NBA Draft waters before returning for a final season. In 2020-21 his averages dipped slightly as the program struggled. He finished averaging right under 17 points a game and was named third-team All-SOCON.
At 6’1,” 200 pounds, Faulkner adds decent size and versatility to the roster.
How Faulkner fits at Louisville
At Louisville, Faulkner is a fringe-starter or complimentary guard who can come in and be a steady presence. Louisville basketball has had two solid guards each season under Mack. The third guard, however, has typically been a question mark.
In 2020-21, Carlik Jones and David Johnson struggled down the stretch after being forced into a situation where they played nearly 40 minutes per game.
Now, Louisville has a backcourt of Jarrod West, El Ellis, Noah Locke, Mike James, and Faulkner. That is considerably more experienced depth than last season.
Potential hometown hero
Faulkner played for Caverna high school, just 80 miles south of UofL. As a senior, he led the state in scoring averaging 35.9 points per game, 10 rebounds, four assists, and 2.1 steals. His local ties apparently played a role in his transfer to Louisville basketball.
After surgery in the offseason to ensure he didn’t further damage a previous ankle injury, he returned home to recover and be with his family. Faulkner realized that remaining in Kentucky might be a better choice for him, giving him closer proximity to his child.
Faulkner posted about this on Tuesday night via his Instagram.
“He had surgery on his ankle and he’ll be out most of the summer,” Colorado coach Tadd Boyle said. “We hope to get him back in August or September. We don’t know the timeframe really yet.
“It’s just something that’s been kind of nagging. We just felt like it was better off…he probably could have maybe played through it this year, but he was in a lot of pain. Rather than mask the pain with painkillers and risk further injury, he and his family decided it was better to clean it up now, get it behind us.
“It’s unfortunate he’ll miss the offseason and miss the Costa Rica trip, but he’s at every practice soaking things in mentally. Physically, he’s a strong guy, a mature guy. He’s put a lot of time in the gym over the last four or five years of his career. That stuff should come back hopefully relatively quickly. Having Mason Faulkner at 100 percent is a heck of a lot better than having him at 60 or 70 percent, which is basically where he was operating.”
It appears that Faulkner will be close to 100 percent and ready to roll when the season comes around.
Faulkner is the eighth and final addition to the 2021-22 Louisville basketball roster. With 14 scholarship players counting towards 13 scholarships used, the Cards should have much better depth heading into an important season for the program.
Next: Way-too-early Louisville football preseason predictions
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