The 2018-19 roster
The biggest questions remaining for Chris Mack and his new staff are what will the 2018-19 roster look like.
We know for sure that there are eight scholarship players and three walk-on’s returning from last years team. The leading scorer of the bunch will be junior forward V.J. King.
Guards: Darius Perry, Ryan McMahon, Jo Redding*, Jacob Perry*
Forwards: V.J. King, Jordan Nwora, Dwayne Sutton*
Centers: Steven Enoch, Malik Williams
Been saying this forever but I can’t wait for next season🤞🏾gonna be one to watch without a doubt. Couldn’t have asked for a better group of bros to strive through this past year as well as the one we have ahead of us‼️#L1C4 pic.twitter.com/hfcwTMku5A
— Steven Enoch (@StevenEnoch) April 9, 2018
Chris Mack noted that he wants to add several players to next years roster, as there are currently four available scholarships at the staff’s disposable. But the focus will be finding the right guys.
Two players we know won’t be coming back next season are Deng Adel and Ray Spalding. Both guys are now officially in the 2018 Draft pool after announcing their decisions to hire agents. Chris Mack touched on that as well during his press conference.
"“It’s not surprising. I was never under the illusion that either of them were going to be returning.” “I appreciate their contributions.. I want them to know they are always welcome in Louisville.” “I never thought either one of them would be in a Louisville uniform next year.”"
He also touched on the eight players returning.
"“I didn’t recruit them, but I wanted them to be apart of this.” “We have a great nucleus of returnees. We have eight scholarship players, two non-scholarship players. They’ve given their heart to Louisville and want to help rebrand the program, not just on the basketball floor, but off of it. It’s a tremedous responsibility that they share, that we share, and there’s an excitement about it” “They are very receptive. They appreciate the history of this program, and their parents have been the same way. We are really really excited”"
After the end of the 2017-18 season it seemed as though there could be a “mass-exoduos” of sorts, similar to what we’ve seen at Pittsburgh or Memphis over the last several years.
However, as Coach Mack emphasized, that’s not the case. The eight guys who decided to return to Louisville are extremely excited to be back, and are looking forward to a new future for the Cards.
We saw just how much fun the players had last season on the floor and on the bench, and every Louisville fan and the coaching staff think that bond could make this season very special.
The next several months will be entertaining for the Louisville basketball program, as Coach Mack and staff get familiar with the current players, and begin the recruiting process for many years to come.