Louisville basketball: Cards close to landing point guard of the future?

Is Louisville basketball close to adding second commit?

Chris Mack and the Louisville basketball staff have been looking to land their second commitment of the class of 2021 for quite some time now after being the program selected by four-star forward Bryce Hopkins.

Hopkins’ announced his commitment back during November 2019, leaving a gap of nearly six and a half months without any other big recruiting news for Louisville. During that time Mack and company have been hard at work building out an extensive big board for the class of 2021 while building relationships with a ton of top 50 and top 100 players as well as a few “diamonds in the rough.”

Louisville will once again likely take a big class with multiple players set to graduation while others will have NBA chances come their way. With one scholarship open currently and the potential for as many as four or five spots to open up depending on how the season goes and what decisions players make about the draft – that means Louisville could have somewhere from four to six scholarships.

After a long wait, it appears that the Cards could be closing in on landing their second commitment in the class this time from under the radar point guard, Bobby Pettiford Jr.

Get to know Louisville basketball’s next potential point guard

For quite some time it looked like the top priority at the point guard position for Louisville was El Ellis, another JUCO product who much like Jay Scrubb, had a massive breakout season and it resulted in his recruitment blowing up. The Cards were a school Ellis mentioned as being one he really liked but as we’ve seen before, oftentimes other schools get involved and things change pretty quickly.

With things cooling off with Ellis, Mack extended an offer to Pettiford Jr. a 6’1, 175-pound high-flying guard out of Creedmoor, NC, who was a top 200 player but was ranked much lower than any player on the board for the Cards at the time.

Ranked as the 157th best player in the class of 2021 and 26th best point guard (at the time), the offer sheet of Pettiford consisted of mostly low to mid-major programs and a few high major programs who got involved with the three-star guard around the same time as Louisville. Many wondered if this was the new norm of recruiting levels or at least the temporary norm, as the program navigates the impending punishment from the NCAA.

Those worries subsided significantly if not all together when watching the film and highlight tapes of the North Carolina product. The first thing that instantly pops out is his speed, something we’ve yet to really see from a point guard at Louisville since Chris Mack took over. Pettiford is lightning quick both laterally and north/south, and he’s adept at using that ability to become a human fastbreak. There aren’t many recruits I’ve seen UofL go after with end to end speed like this and it could allow Mack to get creative with his future offense.

Secondly, the athleticism. Not only is Pettiford Jr. a fastbreak waiting to happen but he’s also an incredibly physical attacker and finisher around the rim. Getting to the basket is just part of the equation, the other part is being able to finish over taller and stronger players – something Pettiford Jr. excels at due to his athleticism and concentration. Whether it’s under the rim or even over the rim, Pettiford displays impressive hops for a guy of his stature and someone who will try and put anyone who gets in his way on a poster.

The list goes on. Pettiford is a pesky defender who is capable of staying in front of nearly anyone thanks to his quickness but also displays the ability to use his length to create steals and turnovers as well as provide defensive versatility. He’s a streaky scorer who is more than capable of getting hot and turning a game upside down in a matter of minutes. Whether it’s from deep, on a pull-up jumper, or around the rim, Pettiford Jr. can flat out score.

Sold yet?

Now with Pettiford Jr. set to announce his commitment to one of four schools (Louisville, Providence, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss) on Wednesday, June 10th a new crystal ball selection seems to show that things are looking good for Louisville.

247 Sports Lead Recruiting Analyst, Evan Daniels, put in his crystal ball projection for Pettiford Jr. selecting Louisville as the school of choice, which was followed up by the same projections from prominent recruiting writers including Jerry Meyer, Josh Gershon, and Brian Snow.

While Pettiford Jr. may not necessarily fit “the mold” of a prototype Chris Mack guard or the talent range that the Louisville basketball program has known for recruiting but neither matter in this instance.

The original rankings for Pettiford Jr. don’t tell the full story, much like we’ve written about with multiple other recruits this spring and summer across both basketball and football. The impacts of the global pandemic have been felt all across recruiting as players who would normally receive extra notoriety and attention in postseason play and on the AAU circuit haven’t gotten that and it’s led to rankings and recruitments not matching up to the talent. Pettiford very much fits that bill as bigger schools have yet to really get involved and it could lead to Louisville getting a major steal.

Don’t get it twisted; this is not a charity case. Pettiford Jr. isn’t just being a scholarship because he’s interested in playing at Louisville and the program is about to encounter tough waters. In fact, quite the contrary.

Pettiford Jr. is an under the radar gem who recently got a huge bump in ratings, going from a three-star, fringe top 200 recruit to the number 91st ranked athlete in the country and a consensus four-star player.

Mack found his guy. It may not look the same as it has in the past but as Louisville heads into an unsure time, having guys who can be three and four-year stars is crucial.

Get ready folks, it could only be a matter of time before we the much anticipated “Uh Oh, L’s Up” tweet.