Louisville Recruiting: What Would Courtney Ramey Mean to the Cards?

Louisville basketball’s recruitment of four star guard Courtney Ramey has been ongoing for over a year now, and it seems it could be coming to a close in the coming weeks.

After several weeks of playing the is he being recruited by Louisville basketball or is he not game, it seems as though we may soon be getting to the moment everyone has been waiting for. An official visit.

As I’ve detailed numerous times over the last few days the recruitment of the big time guard out of Webster Groves, Missouri has had more plot twists than Shutter Island.

We all know how the story has gone thus far. Ramey committed to then head coach Rick Pitino and the Louisville basketball program way back in 2017, before backing off that due to the FBI Investigation.

When Chris Mack came on as the new coach, he initially didn’t reach back out to Ramey even though Interim coach David Padgett had kept the conversation going between UofL and the Ramey family, allowing for all the plot twists to continue over the last couple of weeks. Since the day Mack was hired a lot has happened:

Ramey released a top 10 (including Louisville)
Ramey was named by Coach Mack in his staffs press conference (which is against NCAA rules if you are actively recruiting a high school player that is unsigned) all but ending the recruitment
Chris Mack and the Louisville staff (All three coaches) scheduled a visit with Courtney and his family in St. Louis
Said visit was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with the Iverson Classic in Philadelphia
Ramey balled out at one of the nation’s top high school all-star games

Louisville fans have become fed up with what seems like another recruit who is more in love with the recruiting process than he is with actually playing college basketball. While that isn’t necessarily the case, it seemed as though it might be time to move on from the potential of adding Ramey.

But not so fast.

After several days of no action, things took another turn yesterday when CardinalAuthority.com’s Jody Demling broke the news that Courtney Ramey and his family would be in town for an official visit to the Louisville campus.

Finally!

That visit was confirmed by ESPN’s recruiting analyst Jeff Borzello via Twitter yesterday afternoon.

Uncommitted ESPN 100 senior Courtney Ramey will visit Louisville tomorrow, sources told ESPN.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 24, 2018

So what does all this mean for Louisville basketball recruiting? Is there any shot of Courtney Ramey, the 40th best player in the class of 2018 actually coming to the Louisville campus?

At this point we know that Chris Mack in his first season at the helm of the Louisville basketball program is desperately looking for depth at the guard position. With just two returning scholarship guards in Darius Perry and Ryan McMahon, there are immediate minutes available which should be attractive to a high school prospect with the talent of Courtney Ramey.

Ramey, who as mentioned is the 40th best player in the 2018 class and a consensus four star guard according to Rivals, is currently the top uncommitted guard in the class (some might mention Brandon Williams as well).

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Standing at 6’3, Ramey fits into the type of guard that Chris Mack likes to have on his roster, while also bringing the scoring punch that the Cards desperately need next season. Ramey averaged 21.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists during the early part of his senior season before missing the majority of the year with a broken wrist.

At this point the starting five for the Cardinals (wayyyyyyyy to early to tell) would consist of Darius Perry, VJ King, Jordan Nwora, Malik Williams, and Steven Enoch, but you could also argue that there are several variations of lineups that could be used.

With the Cards loosing their three top scorers, including guard Quentin Snider, there is going to be an immediate need for a guard who can score. Darius Perry will certainly add more scoring in his second season on campus, and first season as the team’s primary guard, and Ryan McMahon will add a deadly three point shooter, Ramey would provide Mack with a combination of both.

Ramey is still considered to be on the raw side when it comes to the defensive side of the floor, which is fairly common with incoming high school guards. While he does bring a college ready

offensive game, growing on defense will be an area of focus should he land on campus.His length and size combined with his athleticism give him all the necessary tools to become an elite defender.

Even with schools like Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma State in the hunt for Courtney Ramey, it seems as though Louisville could be in the drivers seat. Chris Mack is behind in the recruitment, but where he lacks in personal relationship with the Ramey’s, he has an edge in the love for the school.

It’s been no secret throughout the recruiting process that the Ramey family has had a love for the University of Louisville, and the city of Louisville in general. But now it is up to Chris Mack and his staff to close the deal.

If Mack can sell his long-term vision for Courtney Ramey as the next great Louisville point guard, in a free offensive system like his, look for the four star guard to close down his recruitment in the coming weeks and have the honor of being the first commitment for Chris Mack.

Next: Louisville Basketball: Monday Recruiting Update

Courtney Ramey’s visit is currently scheduled for Tuesday, April 24th.

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