Louisville Basketball: Chris Mack Lands First Commitment as Head Coach

Chris Mack and the Louisville basketball program landed their first commitment for the 2018-19 season.

The first few weeks on the recruiting trail for the 2018-19 season haven’t gone as the Louisville basketball staff would have liked.

With the team only having eight scholarship players available for the 18-19 season, the staff put a heavy focus on graduate-transfers, going after guys like Zach Johnson, Joe Cremo, Mike Cunningham, Keyshawn Woods, and Joseph Chartouny, all of which landed at other programs.

Courtney Ramey was another target that the Cards showed serious interest in, having him on campus last week after getting back into his recruitment, months after he decommitted from the Louisville program, only to see him commit to Texas over the weekend.

Fans have been scratching their heads, wondering how the roster would be filled out next season, even as the staff went to work on the class of 2019. But today, the Cards have finally landed their first commitment.

Christen Cunningham, a graduate transfer from Samford committed to the Cards over Pac 12 programs Arizona State, and Oregon State according to 247 Sports Evan Daniels. Cunningham will be eligible to play right away, and will have one season to play in Louisville.

So with this commitment basically coming out of left field, we should answer the question everyone is likely asking: who is Christen Cunningham?

Hailing from Georgetown, Kentucky, the 6’2 guard played his high school ball at Henry Clay in Lexington before committing to the Samford Bulldogs.  He was a three star prospect coming out of high school, holding offers from 15+ D1 schools including Houston, Marshall, and Western Kentucky, according to his player profile on the Samford basketball roster.

In 2016-17 Cunningham put up averages of 11 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds per game as the teams starting point guard, but only played in nine games during the 17-18 season. Cunningham is known for his great passing ability. He finished his last full season 4th in assists, totaling a school record 225 assists, and in just three years became Samford’s all-time leader in assists. Cunningham is one of three graduate transfers to land at big time programs over the last few days, as the team’s leading scorer Justin Coleman committed to Arizona and big man Wyatt Walker to North Carolina State .

"“That was huge. Getting to come home and play in front of one of the best fan bases in the country and one of the best arenas in the country. It’s an hour away from my house. I grew up watching Louisville. I understand what comes along with being a point guard at the University of Louisville. That played a big part in my decision. I feel like this is a team that can compete for a national title.”"

Cunningham will give Louisville much needed depth at the guard position. Until his commitment, the Cards only had sophomore Darius Perry and junior Ryan McMahon returning next season. Perry will be the team’s lead guard, while McMahon is likely to play off the ball due to his shooting, rather than being a primary ball handler.

The staff isn’t done recruiting and still hope to land one or two more players for the 2018-19 roster.

Next: Louisville Football: 2018 NFL Draft Recap

Louisville still has three open scholarships available for next season.