Louisville basketball recruiting: It’s not time to panic
By Jacob Lane
Louisville basketball has missed out on a few big name recruits in the 2020 class, but it’s still not time for Cards fans to hit the panic button.
After Louisville basketball closed out the class of 2019 in last October after the commitment of four-star big man Aidan Igiehon, Chris Mack and his staff turned their eyes to the class of 2020 – doing so early than most other programs.
Targets such as Jaemyn Brakefield, Isaiah Jackson, Caleb Love, Nimari Burnett, Earl Timberlake, Hunter Dickinson, Dain Dainja, DJ Steward, and plenty of others emerged as names to watch and it looked like the class that would join the program after the completion of the 2019-2020 season could be filled with multiple five star players.
Through the spring and summer, Chris Mack and his staff narrowed down their lists and focused in on a few players whom they had been recruiting for nearly a year and looked to get commitments and build on the successful recruiting of 2019.
Since then, things haven’t gone as some fans may have imagined.
Players like Dain Dainja and DJ Steward have committed elsewhere, after looking like potential Louisville leans, while other big-time players like Nirmari Burnett and Earl Timberlake have cut the Cards from their list as they narrow down their respective lists of college choices.
With Louisville Live quickly approaching, fans knew it would only be a matter of time before they got the big-name commitment for 2020. Though not having a commitment yet was frustrating, there was hope that a big recruiting event in front of thousands of fans could change everything.
The list of Louisville Live visitors was star-studded and added big-time needs seemingly daily throughout September.
Guys like Josh Hall, Devin Askew, Deivon Smith, Caleb Love, Jay Scrubb, Khristian Lander, Zion Harmon, and Jaemyn Brakefield scheduled visits to the program during the month of September and once again it looked like Louisville was closing in on a huge class.
However, with just two days until Louisville Live fans now seem to have good reason to panic.
After missing out on DJ Steward and Cam Hayes at the point guard spot, and Devin Askew announced his intentions to stay in the class of 2021, all eyes turned to Caleb Love. The 6’3, five-star point guard had been the top target for Chris Mack and staff in the class of 2020 for nearly seven or eight months and the program seemed to be in a great spot with him. When he made his top five, he was scheduled for an official visit during his birthday weekend and Louisville Live.
Unfortunately, Love announced his intentions to cut Louisville from his list after a visit to ACC foe North Carolina this past weekend, meaning he wouldn’t make the trip to Louisville for the big event on Fourth Street Live!
Now with Louisville swinging and missing on multiple five-star targets, fans have begun to hit the panic button – especially with news of the FBI Investigation leading into a notice of allegations for Kansas and potentially the Cards down the road.
While it may not be a popular opinion, I’m here to tell you there’s no reason to panic.