Louisville basketball: Most underrated players of the 21st century

Louisville basketball: The most underrated players of the 21st century

SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 20: Wayne Blackshear #25 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates after defeating the UC Irvine Anteaters during the second round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyArena on March 20, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

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LOUISVILLE, KY – FEBRUARY 2: Ellis Myles #2 of the Louisville Cardinals and Jason Maxiell #54 of the Cincinnati Bearcats reach for a loose ball during the game on February 2, 2005 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville won the game 77-70. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Ellis Myles

Career Stats: 8.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.1 SPG

Is there a more underappreciated player in Louisville history than Ellis Myles?

Myles was an absolute load for the Cards down low in the early 2000s, and he played like a man on a mission on every single possession.

At 6’8,” 250-pounds the power forward out of Compton played more like a five-man and was the anchor in the middle for Rick Pitino in his first three years.

Myles was a jack of all trades. He was an extremely aggressive rebounder, had solid post moves, and could distribute from the post extremely well.

Overshadowed by a team with a core group of players that feature Taquan Dean, Francisco Garcia, Reece Gaines, and Juan Palacios among others, Myles never truly received the recognition that he deserved.

However, without Ellis Myles, the Pitino era could not have gotten out to the start that it did.

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