Louisville basketball roster watch 2.0: Portal Pandemonium

In our second look at the Louisville basketball roster, we examine where the Cards stand now and what players stand out in the transfer portal.

It’s one of the busiest times of the year for the Louisville basketball staff, or any staff looking to bolster its roster heading into the 2023-24 season.

With new NIL and transfer rules, the free market is more volatile than ever.

However, choosing from a list of ever-expanding players is a daunting task. Figuring out how those players would fit on what’s left of your existing roster is even tougher.

That’s why we are breaking down the Louisville roster on a bi-weekly basis to gather our bearings and figure out exactly where this team stands.

From departures to returnees and transfer madness, here is everything you need to know about the Louisville basketball roster as it stands now.

2022-23 Players Leaving

Before we dive in, here are the players that were on the Louisville basketball roster this season that have since announced their intention to transfer.

Name	Position	Year	Height	Weight
Fabio Basili	G	Freshman	6’4	180
Sydney Curry	F	Senior	6’9	260
Kamari Lands	F	Freshman	6’8	195
Devin Ree	G/F	Freshman	6’8	185
Roosevelt Wheeler	C	Sophomore	6’10	220
Jae’Lyn Withers	F	RS Junior	6’9	230

Of Note: It’s likely that rising junior Hercy Miller will not be occupying a scholarship spot this season. That makes at least 7 spots that opened up.

Incoming Freshmen

Replacing those departures, Louisville will add the following five freshmen.

Name	Position	Hometown	Height	Weight	Stars	Ntl Ranking
Trentyn Flowers	SF	Charlotte, NC	6’8	210	*****	21
Dennis Evans	C	Riverside, CA	7’1	210	****	38
Kaleb Glenn	SF	La Porte, IN	6’6	205	****	66
Curtis Williams	SF	Bloomfield Hills, MI	6’6	205	****	69
Koron Davis	SG	Los Angeles, CA (JC)	6’7	200	NR	NR

Of note: Glenn, Davis, and Williams have already signed with the Cards. To my knowledge, Flowers and Evans have yet to ink with UofL officially.

Incoming Transfer

Name	Position	Year	Height	Weight	Previously
Skyy Clark	SG	Sophomore	6’4	200	Illinois

Former Kentucky commit and now-Illinois transfer Skyy Clark is Louisville’s lone transfer commit.

Roster if Louisville basketball season started today

Here it is in all its glory. The Louisville roster if things started today.

JJ Traynor	F	Senior	6’8	200
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	F	Junior	6’10	246
Mike James	G/F	RS Sophomore	6’6	195
Skyy Clark	G	Sophomore	6’3	200
Koron Davis	G/F	Sophomore	6’7	200
Emmanuel Okorafor	F	Sophomore	6’9	210
Dennis Evans	C	Freshman	7’1	210
Trentyn Flowers	F	Freshman	6’8	210
Kaleb Glenn	F	Freshman	6’6	205
Curtis Williams	F	Freshman	6’6	205

Note: El Ellis can return to Louisville in 2023-24 if he removes his name from NBA Draft consideration and does not enter the transfer portal.

That leaves either 2 or 3 scholarship spots open, depending on Ellis’ decision.

Top Targets to watch

Presently, these are the players that we know the Louisville basketball staff has reached out to.

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Class	School
Khalif Battle	SG	6’5	185	Junior	Temple
Sean Conway	SG	6’5	215	Junior	VMI
Reese Dixon-Waters	SG	6’5	210	Sophomore	USC
Keyshawn Hall	SG	6’7	250	Freshman	UNLV
Keyon Menifield	PG	6’1	170	Freshman	Washington
Charles Pride	SG	6’4	200	Senior	Bryant
Kowacie Reaves	SG	6’4	200	Sophomore	Florida
Myles Stute	SF	6’7	215	Junior	Vanderbilt
Josh Uduje	SG	6’5	175	Sophomore	Coastal Carolina

Let’s take a look at some of these names, as well as names that feel likely to have a connection with the Cards.

Caleb Love, North Carolina

The Good:

Caleb Love is a former five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American who was instrumental in North Carolina’s 2021-22 Final Four run.

He considered Louisville basketball among dozens of other programs back when Chris Mack had things rolling on Floyd Street.

Love is a special talent who is considered a top-five player in the portal right now.

The Bad:

However, Love is just a career 36% shooter (which is pretty horrendous) and shot only 29.9% from deep last season while taking 7.4 threes per game. To put that into perspective, in Noah Locke’s one season at Louisville, he shot 34% from deep on 6.2 tries per game.

North Carolina fans were most frustrated by Love’s inability to create compared to his high volume of shots taken. He finished 2022-23 with nearly a 1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8 to 2.4).

Love is crazy talented but has grown increasingly inefficient on the offensive end.

The Takeaway:

While Love was maddening this season, opinions vary on exactly why things soured for him so quickly at UNC. He averaged 16.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in the postseason during UNC’s magical run to the title game, including 30 points against UCLA and 28 in the Final Four against Duke.

When Love gets it going, there are few guards in the country better than him. And pairing him with someone like Skyy Clark could be exactly the kickstart he and Louisville need.

Whether you hate it or love it, there appears to be serious momentum here for Louisville.

While nothing official has been reported that UofL has reached out, there is quite a scuttlebutt around Love locally. There is likely a fire where there is smoke here.

Churchill Abass, NBA Africa

The Good:

By now, you’ve likely heard the name Churchill Abass circulating the Louisville basketball twitisphere. And, perhaps, with good reason.

Abass is already being talked about as one of the next monster rim rockers to wear a Cardinals jersey.

One look at his highlight tape reveals that Abass is a dude that just hates every rim he’s seen. He is a 6’9 forward with lethal bounce and tenacious finishing ability around the rim.

According to Andrew Slater Abass has been recruited by Ole Miss, Louisville, Memphis, Nebraska, UCLA, and DePaul.

247 Sports describes Abass a “Big Ten football player” due to his size and frame. Abass has a 7’2 wingspan and a unique skill set that makes him one of the more intriguing prospects the Cards have been in on.

Travis Branham writes, “When he picks a school he will be ranked as a four-star prospect.  If you didn’t catch on, Abass is a certified monster.”

The Bad:

Not much is known about Abass outside of his intangibles.

His highlight tapes are mostly camera phone videos of a computer screen. And there is not quite the same level of exposure and hype from the NBA Africa as there is in AAU or college basketball.

Abass, to those who don’t travel to recruit players, is relatively unknown.

The Takeaway:

An almost mythological recruit, Abass is tough to figure out. There were murmurings dating back to this winter that Abass was a lock to be a Card.

Since then, however, the Louisville basketball staff and recruiting experts in the know have gone radio silent.

This usually signals issues with getting Abass eligible to join the roster right away.

With all of this in mind, it feels like Louisville would not have taken Abass’s former teammate Emmanuel Okorafor in January had they not already locked in Abass himself.

I’d say some patience will be required, but that it’s more likely than not that Abass eventually winds up on this roster.

Khalif Battle, Temple

The Good:

One of the first transfers that Louisville reportedly reached out to, Khalif Battle, is perhaps the transfer I am highest on.

Battle brings all of the intangibles that Louisville needs heading into this season.

He is experienced. He’s played 69 career games between Temple and Butler.

He has NBA size as a 6’5″ shooting guard.

And he can shoot the heck out the ball, knocking down 36% of his career three point attempts.

The Bad:

A lot of teams will be after Battle, however, and perhaps the former Owl is looking for a place where he can round his game out a bit more.

He is already a volume shooter, taking more than 8 threes per game this past season.

The other knock on Battle is that he is injury-prone, having not completed a full season yet at the college level.

The Takeaway:

I’d love to have a guy like Battle in Louisville.

To compare him to recent guards, Battle is like a combination between Noah Locke and Dre Davis. He is a big-bodied guard with the ability to get open in a variety of ways.

He has been comfortable coming off the bench in three seasons at Temple. If Louisville is looking for a veteran guard to bolster this rotation, I think Battle is a guy that they should give a serious look to.

Keyshawn Hall, UNLV

The Good:

Keyshawn Hall is among the latest to have Kenny Payne and the Louisville basketball staff reach out.

He fits the mold of what this staff has been after. He is young, having only played 10 minutes per game in 18 games of a freshman season with UNLV.

He is also a massive 6’7, 250-pound guard- Something the staff loves.

The Bad:

Hall is inexperienced, and for one reason or another, didn’t get much clock during his time in Vegas.

He was also not highly regarded coming out of high school, only receiving offers from mid and high-major level schools.

The Takeaway:

Clearly, the staff values Hall because of his guard-like abilities at his size. He also chipped in 19 and 10 in the games where he got over 20 minutes this season, so he has shown the ability to be productive when given the opportunity.

I am not sure I see Hall as a take right now given the number of players available in the portal.

Keyon Menifield, Washington

The Good:

One of the more intriguing names the Cards have reached out to, Keyon Menifield is a 6’1 electric factory from the PAC-12.

The rising sophomore speedster was not highly regarded out of high school, but averaged 10.0 points, shot 41.0% from the field, and 33.0% from three, chipping in 3.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds over 32 games and 21 starts.

He was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team as well.

The Bad:

Menifield averaged 1.7 turnovers per game while shooting only 69 percent from the free-throw line this season.

He is also considerably smaller than most of the guards this Louisville staff is after.

The Takeaway:

It’s difficult to find reasons why Menifield wouldn’t be a great addition to this Louisville basketball roster.

He is one of the fastest players in the country and gets to the rack at will.

Menifield’s 1.1 steals per game are indicative of a player with quick hands who can create extra possessions, and he has the ability to create for himself and others.

There could be serious traction for Menifield and Louisville if the staff ultimately offers him a scholarship.

Final Addition Predictions

I think Louisville still needs to add two more guards and a big or wing.

The big man issue could resolve itself if the Cards ultimately end up signing Churchill Abass.

Abass is the perfect compliment to JJ Traynor and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield at the four.

The guard outlook is a bit foggier because UofL awaits Ellis’ decision.

For the sake of this discussion, however, I think Ellis is gone.

That would leave Skyy Clark, Mike James, Trentyn Flowers, and Koron Davis as the guards left on this roster. What stands out among those players is Louisville’s need for shooters and ball handlers.

Based on this, I think Louisville goes all-in on Caleb Love and Keyon Menifield with Khalif Battle as a tertiary option.