Louisville basketball: 5 players you probably forgot were Cards

Chad Millard – Forward (2005-06)

Louisville basketball stats: 32 games played (3 games started), 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg

Rick Pitino landed several highly-touted players over the years from the Northeast including guys like Donovan Mitchell, Samardo Samuels, Juan Palacios, Russ Smith, and a player who I bet you probably forgot all about – Chad Millard.

In the class of 2005, Millard was a blue-chip recruit who ranked in the top 110 nationally and was a consensus four-star player and apart of the 2005 class that included Terrence Williams as well as the guy responsible for the Katina Powell scandal and years of hardship (you know who I’m talking about).

Millard came to Louisville with a lot of hype and a guy who many thought could be a multi-year starter due to his size and ability to score inside and out. While there were small glimpses to help support that thought, the 6’8 big man was never able to get fully healthy as he dealt with numerous injuries to his ankles and feet as well as a broken jaw and it limited how effective he was.

In 32 games, Millard averaged a shade over two points and one rebound per game making three starts – which isn’t bad considering Pitino’s track record for “never playing freshman.” Millard hit 47 percent of his shots but was only a 25 percent three-point shooter and was a putrid 58 percent from the free throw line. His best game came in a loss to Villanova, when he scored 11 points and grabbed three boards.

Ultimately, Millard decided to transfer away from Louisville committing to Creighton where he’d play three seasons and averaged exactly 2.3 points (coincidence?) and 1.8 rebounds per game.