Carlik Jones
Carlik Jones’ name surfaced this week in the transfer portal, and it felt right away like this is a guy that Louisville was going to be after.
Literally within a couple of hours of Jones putting his name in the portal, Jody Demling of Cardinal Authority tweeted out that Mack was the first head coach to reach out to Jones.
Jones has a direct tie to Mack, as he was a standout at Aiken high school in Cincinnati- Only six miles away from Xavier where Mack used to coach.
Louisville coach Chris Mack was the first head coach to speak with Carlik Jones once he entered the portal. https://t.co/fG2m8GuHoY
— Jody Demling (@jdemling) March 25, 2020
Jones is also one of the hottest names on the graduate transfer market at this point, and Louisville is in dire need of experienced depth in its backcourt.
If Louisville wants to add a do-it-all type of guy, Jones feels like the perfect fit. He was the primary ball-handler in his three years at Radford, but he also led the Highlanders in points and assists last season and was the third-leading rebounder.
At only 6’1,” Jones plays much larger than his size. He follows shots near the basket and crashes the boards like a forward. He doesn’t have ridiculous athleticism to his advantage, but he seems to find himself in the right place at the right time a lot.
Louisville could certainly use a player with Jones’ versatile skillset, but there will be a host of suitors. According to ESPN Insider Jeff Borzello, Jones is one of the two best grad transfers left uncommitted, and he has already heard from more than 15 schools, including Maryland, Connecticut, Xavier, Marquette, Ole Miss, and West Virginia.
Jones now becomes a must-get for the Cards in a situation where they appear to have a leg up on the competition.