LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It might be just the first week of April, but it’s never too early to take a glimpse into the future and look at how the 2022-23 roster for the Louisville men’s basketball program could shake out.
Between players moving on to the next step in their respective careers, recruits donning the red and black for the first time, and players entering and exiting the transfer portal, very little is set in stone when it comes to how Team 109 will look like when they lace ’em up for the first time.
Departures and Arrivals
To say that Louisville’s roster has been in flux over the last week and a half is an understatement.
Gabe Wiznitzer was the first player to put his name in the transfer portal, doing so not long after the season ended, and the floodgates have since opened up. Samuell Williamson, Matt Cross, Noah Locke and Dre Davis have all followed Wiznitzer over the last week and a half.
Louisville has also seen an exodus of players out on the recruiting front, as class of 2022 signees Tae Davis and Frederick King both requested releases from their respective National Letter’s of Intent. Verbal commit Kamari Lands has hinted that he wants to remain a Cardinal, but has yet to officially sign an NLI.
This is on top of the three players that Louisville is already losing to graduation: Malik Williams, Mason Faulkner and Jarrod West. In total, eight players from last year’s squad are moving on to other ventures.
That being said, Louisville has received some good news. Over the past week, the Cardinals have gotten commitments from three current players that they will indeed be returning for next season: Sydney Curry, El Ellis and Mike James.
Louisville is still waiting on decisions from Jae’Lyn Withers, J.J. Traynor and Roosevelt Wheeler, and those should come sooner rather than later. With Kenny Payne hitting the recruiting trail hard, and already heavily in the mix with a few high school prospects and D1 transfer, he’s going to want clarity on someone’s status as soon as possible.
Projected Depth Chart
Given all that we know now about the current state of Louisville’s roster, below is an early look into what the depth chart next year could look like:
|
El Ellis* |
Kamari Lands |
Jae’Lyn Withers |
Sydney Curry* |
|
|
Mike James* |
J.J. Traynor |
Roosevelt Wheeler |
Scroll to Continue
*Confirmed to Return
El Ellis’ return to Louisville is a massive win for Payne. While his 2021-22 campaign certainly had its up’s and downs, the JUCO transfer displayed enormous potential on numerous occasions. He finished as Louisville’s third-leading scorer, and also their top three-point shooter from a percentage standpoint. But considering there are no other primarily ball handlers currently on the roster, Louisville will need to hit this position big time amongst the remaining ’22 prospects and the transfer portal.
Louisville will also need to take a strong look at shooting guard prospects. With Noah Locke entering the portal, there are no remaining shooting/scoring guards, and Ellis is now the only true guard on the roster. Mike James can slide over and play the two if need be, but he is coming off of an Achilles injury.
Over at the wing, there is no longer a log jam at this position with Williamson, Cross and the Davis brothers both opting to either transfer or decommit. Lands is a solid starting option for Louisville and James has some potential if healthy, but they’ll definitely need to add – at the minimum – at least one more small forward to the roster for depth and flexibility purposes.
The power forward position will be an interesting one to monitor for Louisville. Withers largely struggled this past season, but was able to turn in on over the final month and look like the pseudo-NBA prospect many expected him to be. J.J. Traynor was a no-show for almost the entire year thanks to setbacks last offseason, but working with Payne, who is known as a big-man whisperer, should be good for him if he decides to stay.
Oddly enough, the most potential on the entire roster right now is at center. Sydney Curry looked borderline unstoppable on offense over the final month of the season, but will have to drastically work on his defense. Roosevelt Wheeler also had flashes of potential, but got lost in the big man shuffle behind Curry, Withers and Williams. Louisville will need to add another big, but with Payne’s reputation as a stellar post player developer, there is a lot to be excited about in the paint.
(Photo of El Ellis: Jamie Rhodes – USA TODAY Sports)
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