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Basketball Recruiting: Could Louisville Pursue Recently Decommitted Four Star 2018 Recruit?

By Jacob Lane

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Chris Mack and his staff have set their focus on the 2019 recruiting class with few prospects on the board. Could there be a new name to watch for though in 2018?

Next: Chris Mack Brings a New Culture To Louisville

At this point the majority of programs across the country have shut down their recruiting in the 2018 class and moved onto the 2019 and 2020 classes. While it’s not unheard of for kids to decommit, or ask out of their LOI if coaches are fired or move onto another program, the majority of big time prospects are signed, enrolled, and gearing up for summer practices with their respective Universities.

Due to the FBI Investigation into college basketball, which unfortunately named Louisville, and many other factors, such as the Cards hiring a new coach, there hasn’t been much traction with high school recruits in the 2018 class.

Of course former top 10 prospect and now NBA hopeful Anfernee Simons and top 50 prospect Courtney Ramey were long time commits, but both are now long gone and preparing for the next step in their basketball journey’s. That leaves with zero commitments from the class of 18, aside from graduate transfer Christen Cunningham, who decided to commit to the Cards after playing three years at Samford.

While the Cards did try to get back into the race for Courtney Ramey, it ended with seeing him commit to play ball at Texas.

Chris Mack and his staff have been working extremely hard in the class of 2019, and so far have received a few visits, with others planned from elite prospects. Recruiting should be no issue for the Cards moving forward, as we heard from Mack himself through Pat Forde.

"“People may say, ‘Hey, they’re not going to play in the NCAA tournament.’ Which I don’t believe. But half the programs we recruit against must have a ban I don’t know about, because I never see them in the tournament. We’ll take our bullets and well be all right.”"

Though the Louisville basketball program has just nine scholarship players currently on the 2018-19 roster, there seems to be a sense that the staff wants to add one more player who can play right away, and maybe even a transfer who would need to sit out.

But the Cards won’t recruit a player, just to build a full roster. Mack mentioned in his staff’s introductory press conference that they will not make a recruiting mistake, and will only recruit players who make perfect sense for their roster.

We’ve already seen a few players who were once recruited by Mack at Xavier come available on the market again, such as three star guard Keonte Kennedy, 2018 forward Bryce Golden and Dartmouth graduate transfer Evan Bordeaux, but none were pursued by the Louisville staff.

However, there’s a new prospect who’s recently become available after being committed to another program for a while, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Cards pursue him.

That player, is former North Carolina State commitment and signee Saddiq Bey. The four star forward had been committed to Kevin Keatts and the Wolfpack program since November of 2017, and only asked for his release after the team landed multiple transfers at his position, including former Kentucky player Sacha Kileya-Jones.

Bey has now become the best available prospect in the country, and multiple elite programs are gearing up to pursue the 6’6, 185 pound small forward out of Washington, D.C.

What instantly stands out is who Bey spurned when he committed to North Carolina State several months ago. Pittsburgh, Miami, Virginia Tech, and a school that might link Bey to Louisville this time around, Xavier, were all finalists.

If you remember, Chris Mack applauded his long-time Xavier assistants and now Louisville coaches Luke Murray and Mike Pegues for their ability to be able to recruit. And the later has a strong connection in the Washington, D.C. area which is where Bey is from.

While there is no way to tell just yet if the Cards will actually offer Bey a scholarship, as the previous regime (Pitino & Padgett) had not. Regardless there will be an already existing relationship there.

The recruitment could be a little messy when it comes to some of those ACC schools who recruited Bey previously, and those who may want to now. Due to Bey already being signed at NC State, other schools may not be able to sign Bey this time around. 247 Sports Recruiting Expert Evan Daniels seemed to believe they would not.

If Louisville is able to sign him, which we will know quickly based off of if the staff spends time recruiting Bey, the Cards would be getting an impact player, who could fill a big need right away.

The Cards are thin in their front court and on the wing, even with several players returning from last year’s roster. It’s likely that V.J. King will be starting on the wing next season, but the decision on where to play him could have impact on adding Bey.

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If the Cards see King as a shooting guard, deciding to play a bigger lineup with a combination of Jordan Nwora, Dwayne Sutton, or Malik Williams, the bench will likely have no real “wing” backup.

But if Mack decides to go smaller, playing King at the SF position, and pairing Christen Cunningham or Ryan McMahon at the other guard spot, and Jordan Nwora or Dwayne Sutton at the PF spot, the Cards will lack size on their wing off the bench.

What kind of player would the Cards be getting in Saddiq Bey?

As I mentioned, Bey is currently the best player available in nearly every major recruiting services rankings for 2018. Listed as the 118th best player in the country by Rivals, Bey is a big forward with a lot of skill. After upping his game during his junior season, followed up by a strong showing on the Under Armour Circuit playing for DC Premier, Bey’s recruitment took off. The 6’6 wing is known for intensity on the floor, and ability to lock down just about anybody on the opposing team.

Bey is a  good shooter, who has the ability to score at three levels while also creating his own shot, and also has the ability to guard multiple positions due to his size. Bey’s coach Eric Singletary told the Washington Post back in November, “He’s got so many skills and contrary to what people may not see, he’s a really good passer. He brings defensive versatility, perimeter shooting and post-up shooting. He’s just a really good shooter, can create own shot, plays well with others.”

Recruiting Bey is not a given by any means, as Mack and staff may have decided to keep the roster as is or keep their options open for another graduate transfer, and because ACC schools may not be able to pursue the former NC State signee. If the staff does decide to pursue Bey, the Cards would be getting a very good player, which this late in the game is a big win for the ’18-’19 season.

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