Louisville basketball starts off the Kenny Payne era by signing two four-star wings in the Class of 2023.
Wednesday marked the start of Early Signing Period for college hoops, and Louisville basketball has officially locked up the first two signees of the Kenny Payne era.
According to Travis Graf of Rivals.com, two players have already signed their National Letter of Intent, locking them in as future Cards.
Kaleb Glenn
Kaleb Glenn, a 6’7″, 210-pound junior is the 65th-ranked player in his class and former standout at Louisville Male High School.
After transferring to La Lumiere school in Northern Indiana, he has led his squad to a 2-0 start.
Via Matt McGavic of Louisville SI:
“Frame: Extremely broad shoulders, good wingspan. Upper arms and lower body are well toned, core could use some work. Overall, he’s already ahead of schedule physically for a high school junior.
Athleticism: Fire up the film, and his athleticism jumps out immediately. Has a great vertical, and it’s one that doesn’t require a lot of effort to reach the peak. For a prospect of his stature, he moves well both as a ball handler and as a defender. Has good lateral quickness, and is a solid mix of shifty and physical.
Instinct: The combination of his frame and athletic ability makes him a matchup nightmare all over the court. He can physically overwhelm smaller defenders and blow by bigger ones. Has an incredible nose for the basket, as he is prolific in attacking the basket, and is constantly involved with offensive rebounds and put-backs off teammates’ misses. He puts himself in the correct position defensively more often than not, and is a solid chase-down defender.
Polish: He can stretch the defense both with a solid outside shot, and with effective and fundamentally sound passes (i.e. not flashy). As physical as he can be, he doesn’t play with a reckless abandon that could get him in foul trouble. He is a tremendous finisher, and possesses really good body control through contact.”
Curtis Williams Jr.
Curtis Williams Jr. is the second Louisville basketball signee.
A 6’7″ wing from Bloomfield, Michigan, Williams looks to add length, athleticism, and toughness to the Louisville basketball roster.
Williams is the 68th-ranked player in his class according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
From Jeff Rabjohns of 247Sports this spring:
“(Williams) made several 3s off the bounce, also hit an elbow jumper off the bounce in his first game on Friday. Kept making shots throughout the weekend. Has the strength in his frame already. Used his shoulders very well on drives, both to clear space and create contact. He made three 3s in the first half of the semifinal game on Sunday, finishing with four made 3s, including a four-point play when he was fouled on a dribble pull-up 3 near the top of the key. Does have some funky sideways spin at times on his three-point shots.”
From Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports this weekend:
“Kenny Payne is putting himself in a position to build a solid class with or without the Camden duo. He already holds a pledge from Kaleb Glenn, who is taking his official this weekend alongside Curtis Williams, who has an announcement set for Monday afternoon on 247Sports. If everything goes according to plan, Payne will have solidified an interchangeable forward tandem…”
Wiliams on his own game:
“I can really shoot the ball, but aside from shooting, I can do everything else. I can rebound, guard your best player, get steals and do anything you need me to do.”
