How Khwan Fore is pushing Louisville basketball towards greatness

Louisville basketball needed another player to step up, and it Khwan Fore could be the next big-time contributor for the Cards.

The start of conference play has been a huge success story for Louisville basketball. Chris Mack’s Cardinals have gone from a bubble team to a near NCAA tournament lock in a matter of 7 games.

Louisville is now tied for second in the ACC, and ranked No. 15 in the nation. The Cards have taken down three top 10 teams, including two since the start of January.

Still, the Cards face their toughest challenge yet. They have the hardest remaining strength of schedule in the country and, after a mid-week match-up with Wake Forest to finish January, the Cards will face more ranked teams than unranked.

The Cards will play 6 out of their last 10 games against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25, including four against the current AP top 12. Mack’s squad is playing well, but that kind of February can break any team.

The Cards have been led in scoring and rebounding by Sophomore forward Jordan Nwora, steadied by veteran point guard Christen Cunningham, and greatly impacted by an ever-improving Dwayne Sutton. The Cards receive contributions in the middle by a talented duo of Steven Enoch and Malik Williams. However, where Louisville basketball has lacked all season has been at the two guard.

Rising Sophomore Darius Perry was expected to bring the Russ Smith-esque quickness and pesky on-ball defense that he became known for as a combo guard under David Padgett last season. The Darius Perry of old though, is still in a funk. Call it a Sophomore slump, or perhaps a poor fit in Chris Mack’s system, but Perry has gone from a starter to a guy who didn’t play a single minute against Pittsburgh.

This left a vacancy alongside Cunningham in the back court that redshirt Junior Ryan McMahon can’t fill on his own. And although Cunningham seemed to mesh seamlessly in his only year as a Cardinal, his fellow grad transfer back court mate had a much steeper learning curve.

However, since the beginning of conference play, Khwan Fore has grown from role player off the bench for the Cards into a comfortable starting role. And though a quick look at the stat sheet won’t tell you much, Fore is beginning to step up on both ends of the floor.

“Khwan is that guy,” Chris Mack said post- NC State. “He’s a jack of all trades who does whatever the team asks. He makes big time plays. He guards the other team’s best player on the perimeter a lot of the time.”

Fore was “that guy” against the Wolfpack in his coming out party. He hit two big buckets to stretch Louisville’s lead from 5 to 10 the second half,  and hit another clutch mid-range shot to put the Cards up six. His 9 points and 4 assists don’t jump off the page. Still, consider that as recently as mid-December, Mack was subbing Fore for McMahon offense for defense on every possible possession.

Fore is growing into a guy that can be relied upon to help Louisville’s offensive flow, not stagnate it. Often, Louisville has looked to Nwora and Sutton for the answers. Against North Carolina, the pair scored on seemingly every offensive possession to start the second half. But when teams double up Nwora or Cunningham can’t get penetration, Louisville’s offense becomes ineffective. Fore can help alleviate some of that pressure. If teams are going to start focusing all of their attention on one player, Fore can continue to be the guy who makes the play for the Cards.

Fore seems to have it in him. In league play, he has flipped a switch. He seemed content to only create offense when absolutely necessary, but lately he has been on  fire. He is 5 for his last 8 from three point range, and has been creating consistently off the dribble and on fast breaks. He has some of the best speed and body control on the team, and is Chris Jones accurate on mid-range pull-ups.

Fore’s KenPom offensive rating has skyrocketed in the last 5 games. He went from one of the worst on the team in the mid-40’s consistently to a rating of 128 against NC State and 129 against Pitt. In the last 5, he has scored 9, 15, 16, 14, and 12% of the team’s total points, and dished out 10 assists. Fore’s defense was a marvel in the early going, but his offensive prowess is beginning to catch up.

Perhaps the fall off in Darius Perry’s game was the push that Fore needed. Whatever the case, the Cards will continue to rely on him. They have five players who are playing at a very consistent level right now. If Fore can be yet another guy who can be called upon, Louisville can continue its ascent in the ACC, and continue it’s transformation from a good team to one that has potential to be great.