Louisville basketball: Three potential transfer targets for Cards
By Jacob Lane
Guard
Andrew Nembhard – Florida
Status: Sit one, play two
2019 stats:11.2 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.0 rpg
With a commitment date already announced, it’s unlikely that Chris Mack and Louisville basketball have gotten involved to any level with Andrew Nembhard a 6’5 guard transfer from Florida, but that doesn’t mean that theoretically that they couldn’t; much like we saw with Charles Minlend Jr a few months back. Neither Nembhard nor the other names included on this list have officially been connected to Louisville, so keep in mind this is just about prospecting who would fit.
After surprising most people across the college basketball landscape with an announcement to transfer, following entering the 2020 NBA Draft, Nembhard was contacted by several of the top programs across the country including Duke, Gonzaga, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Memphis, and Georgetown.
Nembhard is reportedly set to make a decision on Monday, July 22nd, and while it may be silly to write about a player set to commit we have no idea of what goes on behind the scenes and we’d be discounting just how quickly things can change.
At 6’5, 195-pounds, Nembhard has elite level size at the point guard position and plays with a very similar style to what we’ve seen from current guard, David Johnson. While operating as more of a scorer than a playmaker, the rising junior has the ability to score in a variety of ways and excels in an offense that plays in the half-court. His size gives him the ability to see over most opposing guards as we’ve also seen with Johnson, and while he’s not the same level of passer, he’s more than capable of making the right play and even thrives in the pick and roll.
Nembhard has shown the ability to be a high-level scorer, averaging 11.2 points last season to go along with nearly six assists and three rebounds, but he’s not grown into the shot-creator many expected as a former five-star recruit.
We’ve seen plenty of former five-star players transfer elsewhere and find better fits and I expect that to be the case with Nembhard. While it’s likely going to be Duke or Gonzaga, Louisville would be a damn near perfect fit. Not only would Nembhard bring elite-level talent but he’d also help break up the roster for Louisville, giving them a junior (something they don’t currently have any of) to help offset the seniors and big recruiting classes. He’d also be able to slide in and potentially take over as the point guard right away (after sitting out per NCAA transfer rules) assuming that Johnson heads off to the NBA.
Playing alongside pieces like Josh Nickelberry, Bobby Pettiford Jr., D’Andre Davis, Nembhard could provide Louisville another versatile, tall & long guard capable of doing several things at an elite level.