Louisville basketball: Putting together the 2020 recruiting wish list
By Jacob Lane
Nimari Burnett, CG
National ranking: 23
Position ranking: 2
Napa, CA, 6’3″ 185 pounds
Next up on the Louisville basketball recruiting wish list is Nimari Burnett, a dynamic combo guard out of California, who the Cards have been pursuing for months now.
The five-star guard received an offer from Chris Mack and the Cards back in January of this year and scheduled an unofficial visit (flying coast to coast, keep in mind) just weeks later. Burnett spoke highly of his time at Louisville and left feeling like his game could easily fit into the Cards style of play.
Since that visit, things have been quiet between Burnett and the Cards, as other schools like USC, Marquette and Michigan seemed to have become the favorites, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a connection between Mack and Burnett.
As our own Stephen Kalayil wrote back in February, Burnett’s game is a perfect fit for Mack’s system. At 6’3″ Burnett has the size that Mack looks for at the guard position and with his ability to score at all three levels as well as play on the ball as a primary handler, he’s a recruit who could play heavy minutes from day one even with David Johnson and Josh Nickelberry.
Burnett talked to Endless Motor shortly after his visit saying,
"“Coach Luke and I talked and he was saying I can come there and make a big impact right away. Me and Coach Luke went over how I would be playing the 1 and 2 guard positions and how I will thrive on and off the ball.”"
A commitment seems unlikely at this point, but because of his talent and scoring prowess, Burnett earns the nod as our combo guard in the 2020 class.
Secondary option: DJ Steward