Big Red Louie
Fansided

Louisville basketball: Comparing the class of 2020 to past Cardinals

By Presley Meyer

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 13: Carlik Jones #1 of the Radford Highlanders handles the ball on offense against the Long Island Blackbirds during the second half of the First Four game in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 13, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OH - MARCH 13: Carlik Jones #1 of the Radford Highlanders handles the ball on offense against the Long Island Blackbirds during the second half of the First Four game in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 13, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
louisville basketball, charles minlend
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 09: Charles Minlend #14 of the San Francisco Dons drives to the basket against Killian Tillie (L) #33 and Admon Gilder #1 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the West Coast Conference basketball tournament semifinals at the Orleans Arena on March 9, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs defeated the Dons 81-77. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Charles Minlend Jr. – Wing

6’4, 208-pounds

Player comparison: Chris Smith

This one was tough to figure out. To my recollection there has never been a player quite like Charles Minlend in Louisville. Just looking at Minlend, the way he is built and how he finishes at the basket reminds me a lot of a smaller Dwayne Sutton. But I think part of that is every Louisville fan’s obsession with every guy playing and acting like Sutton.

While Minlend has that blue-collar attitude you find in Chris Mack’s players, perhaps a better comparison would be another tough combo guard that transferred in.

Chris Smith is a guy who never really got his due on a team that really benefited from his style of play from 2010-12 (I wrote about Smith being one of the most underrated Cardinals of the 21st Century, check it out here). I got to thinking, and there are a lot of similarities in Smith and Minlend’s games.

Smith was an integral piece on the 2012 final four team that shockingly reeled off eight straight en route to New Orleans. At the time, Louisville had two smaller, blazing quick guards in Russ Smith and Peyton Siva and Smith had a bulkier frame and set the tone as a more traditional guard.

Smith was a marksman from downtown, was methodical but nonsensical in his drives to the basket, and he finished well around the rim. Smith was a solid rebounder from the guard spot and great role player and veteran presence on an otherwise young team.

While Minlend describes himself as a streaky (but improving) shooter, he has a similar approach in getting into the lane. Minlend is an aggressor with the ball and gets to the basket like an old school Big East guard.

While Louisville will have a bit more of a yin and yang with David Johnson and Carlik Jones at the guard spots this year, Minlend is an excellent change of pace. It obviously remains to be seen who among the three (perhaps all three) will start, but Minlend brings more versatility and more options to the Louisville backcourt.

Next. Way too early bold predictions for 2020-21. dark

Like Smith, I don’t envision Minlend as a leading scorer on a nightly basis, but he is capable of hanging 20 on you on a given night.

Home/Louisville Basketball