Louisville Basketball Has Plenty of Reasons to be Optimistic About this Season

In a offseason filled with change for the Louisville basketball program, I am optimistic there won’t be any drop off.

We are officially less than 100 days from seeing Louisville basketball tip off for the first time in the 2018 – 2019 season. Chris Mack takes over the program as just the third head coach in the last 40 years. It is only summer, but there is no reason why Chris Mack and his new team shouldn’t be getting a little more attention than they have thus far.

There is no doubt that Louisville loses its best two players from last year’s team in Ray Spalding and Deng Adel. Spalding was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Ray without question had his best year statistically in the 2017 – 2018 season. He became a player that Louisville would go to when they needed a bucket inside. Averaging around 12 points and 8 rebounds a game, Spalding will definitely be missed.

Deng Adel also turned professional, forgoing his senior year. Adel, like Spalding, was a “go to guy” for the Cardinals, putting up 15 points and 5 rebounds per game. The loss of these two players can’t go unnoticed, however there should still be optimism going into Chris Mack’s first season. Let’s dive in to why that is the case…

Chris Mack

Chris Mack was the favorite to land the job when it was announced that Louisville would move in a different direction. Up to this point, it is being proven he was the right guy for the job. Recruiting, off season workouts, and establishing a brand have all been things that Mack has succeeded in so far. The fan base seems to approve of it, and a new energy is in the air because of the hire.

However, I was worried how the returning Louisville players would mesh with the new staff. From that, I thought maybe there would be a mass exodus, maybe players would question their status with the team, and more. If anything, the total opposite has occurred. From what I’ve heard, the returning players love Mack and the staff. A lot of the returning players seem to be refreshed and relieved that an established guy takes over the grasp of the program.

Aside from this, Mack has won on the court as well. Mack boasts a career record of 215 – 97. Mack is coming off a season that saw him win Big East Coach of the Year and his team win a Big East regular season title. Mack, to his credit, also totaled eight seasons with at least 21 wins. Impressive is all you can say. What did the “experts” have to say about the hire?

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Johnson graded the hire as an “A” for Louisville, saying:

"That Louisville was able to persuade Mack to leave his alma mater in spite of that sustained success reflects well on the Cardinals’ stature in the wake of a seemingly unceasing stream of negative publicity—to say nothing of the looming possibility of additional punishments resulting from an NCAA investigation into the information turned up during the FBI’s ongoing probe into corruption across college basketball. Louisville can move forward confident it has an accomplished steward to navigate the program through this turbulent period."

While CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander said:

"Mack was Louisville’s top target; the school landed said target. Given Mack’s profile on the market in the past three years (he was viewed as an A-level candidate), Louisville did the best it possibly could have done. That’s a slam dunk."

Trust me, our new guy can flat out coach.

The Returning Cast

VJ King, a former McDonald’s All American, and five-star recruit, seems to be motivated more than he has ever been since he arrived at Louisville. He has been in the weight room, and it is paying off. The junior is up to 215 pounds and now looks the part. Now, with a little confidence, VJ could be the player we all hoped he would be with a big season.

Jordan Nwora showed flashes in limited minutes of being a scorer. Buried on the bench for most of the season, Nwora didn’t get many opportunities. But when he did, he made the most of it. There were spurts where this kid looked like someone who could play big minutes. This summer, Nwora lit it up for the Nigeria national team, further proving that Louisville fans weren’t wrong when they wanted to see Nwora get more minutes. I like Nwora to have a huge role this season for the Cards.

Aside from those 2 guys previously mentioned – Dwayne Sutton, Darius Perry, Malik Williams, and Ryan McMahon all are capable of providing meaningful minutes for the Cards. Darius Perry is a bulldog on defense, and provides immediate energy. Malik Williams is a guy who was heavily recruited, and was one of Pitino’s last coveted prizes. Look for Williams to come of age this season.

The Newcomers.

There are 4 players that will play this season that have never worn a Louisville uniform in a regular season game. Steven Enoch, Akoy Aqau, Christen Cunningham, and Khwan Fore. Let’s start off with Steven Enoch. I’ve heard from people around the program that Enoch is the real deal. A transfer from UConn, Enoch should slide into a starting role this season and provide a must needed post presence for Chris Mack.

Another front court player, Akoy Agau, was the perfect get for Chris Mack. Needing front court depth, Agau can provide that and has the veteran experience to have a positive impact in the locker room as well as on the court.

Now, let’s look at the guards.

Christen Cunningham is the all-time leading assist man at Samford. It is Samford, but that is awfully impressive. Cunningham has some Louisville roots, and from what I’ve been told from someone who would know, this kid is really good. I was told that when Cunningham used to train with Quentin Snider, that Cunningham was just as good, if not better. Look for Cunningham to start at the point for the Cards this season.

Lastly, we have Khwan Fore. Fore comes from a program who has had a lot of success at the mid-major level in Richmond. Averaging around 11 points a game, and being solid on defense, Fore will be a much-needed change of pace guy.

In my opinion, there shouldn’t be any sort of drop off in the expectations of Louisville basketball in Chris Mack’s first year. With plenty of returning talent, plus the additions via the transfer markets, this team will be a dark horse in the ACC.

If the season started today, my starting lineup would be Christen Cunningham, Darius Perry, VJ King, Jordan Nwora, and Steven Enoch. That is a lineup that can not only compete, but can win. Basketball season is slowly approaching and will be hear before you know it.