Louisville basketball: How 2019 class could lead to even stronger 2020 class

Louisville basketball landed a top 10 class of 2019, but the momentum from this year could lead to even more success in 2020.

The top priority for Chris Mack after he took over the head coaching position for Louisville basketball in 2018 was to establish the Cards foundation for the future.

Coach Mack appears to have done just that by landing one of Louisville basketball’s most dynamic classes ever.

When Mack took the reins from interim coach David Padgett, the cupboard was left bare by Louisville’s standards. The Cards were short three scholarships after NCAA investigations led to the stripping of seasons worth of wins. Then there was the matter of the second wave of scandals that rocked the college basketball landscape; This time, a pay-for-play scandal involving Louisville assistant coaches and former Louisville signee Brian Bowen.

Louisville certainly did not have a fun fall from grace after going to back-to-back final fours, winning a national title in 2013, and being one free throw away from making a third straight trip to college basketball’s most coveted stage.

The Cards were inconsistent in their first season without Pitino and then lost their four best players from the NIT season under Padgett.

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Chris Mack certainly had his hands full. And with only seven scholarship players on the roster and a high likelihood of further punishment being levied by the NCAA, landing a decent recruiting class would have been nothing short of miraculous.

A little over a year after taking the job though, Mack has already positioned his squad as a consensus top 10 team going into the 2019-20 season. The Cards will bring in a star-studded class of six freshmen- most of which should be able to make serious contributions right away.

Louisville basketball has already risen again to the upper echelon of college basketball and has done so even with a large target on their backs.

Now, Mack and his staff will look to go in for the kill on their 2020 class.

To do so, the Cards are going to try to reel in some even bigger fish than what they have coming in this season. The coaching staff has been hitting the recruiting trail hard, and they are getting serious interest from almost every big-name player that they like.

Players like Jaemyn Brakefield, Caleb Love, and Zach Loveday are all consensus high four-star and five-star guys who have a mutual interest with the Cards.

Louisville is also extremely interested in a local product, and the future No. 1 overall JUCO player in the 2020 class in Jay Scrub.

Coach Mack, along with assistants Luke Murray, Mike Pegues, and Dino Gaudio, will do everything in their power to seize the momentum that they established with the 2019 class going into next year.

If Louisville basketball can keep the momentum going, they will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.