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Louisville basketball: Three areas of need for the 2020 recruiting class

By Presley Meyer

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 19: Malik Williams #5 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates from the sidelines against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 19, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 19: Malik Williams #5 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates from the sidelines against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 19, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) /
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uofl basketball; louisville basketball; dwayne sutton
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 23: Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals rebounds the ball in the game against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at KFC YUM! Center on February 23, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

A “dog” to replace Dwayne Sutton

It’s not talked about enough, but rising Senior Dwayne Sutton is a huge reason why Louisville’s first year under Mack can be labeled a success.

After inheriting a team full of players that fit much better for a Rick Pitino-led system, Mack certainly still had a gem that was perfect for what he likes to do in Sutton.

After transferring and sitting out a year under Rick Pitino, Sutton only played 15 minutes per game with David Padgett at the helm. During his redshirt Junior year, however, Suttons minutes more than doubled, and he became a glue guy for Mack.

light. Related Story. Dwayne Sutton was the "dog" the Cards needed in 2019

Sutton didn’t lead the team in any statistical category, but relegating him to only half the minutes probably would have left Louisville out of the tournament. That’s how much Sutton meant to his team.

Our Maddie Wood wrote about his fantastic season in which he averaged 10 points, 1.9 assists, and 7 rebounds per contest, but maybe, more importantly, was an absolute man among boys.

Regardless of the final outcome for Team 106, Sutton will be sorely missed the next year.

That’s why Mack, along with assistants Luke Murray and Mike Pegues, are looking for the Cards’s next “dog.”

Could the staff go with a little local flavor again by pursuing the future No. 1 Junior College player in the country in Jay Scrubb? Scrubb, a product of Trinity high school in Louisville, is tearing it up as a JUCO freshman and plays an aggressive brand of basketball.

Or, will the staff pursue an elite freshman?

That seems the most likely, and the name most Cards fans should be on the look-out for is Earl Timberlake.

In 2018, we spoke about how much of a game-changer Aidan Igiehon could be for the Cards. Timberlake is that guy in the 2020 class.

Related Story. Chris Mack pursuing Earl Timberlake hard. light

Timberlake is everything that Sutton brings to the table now for the Cards, but with more explosive athleticism. At 6’6,” Timberlake would bring elite size, defense, and passing at the guard position for the Cards.

Mack needs another dog, and Earl Timberlake is the guy that the Cards could be after the hardest in the 2020 class.

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