Louisville basketball: Chris Mack knows who will be this year’s Dwayne Sutton

Louisville basketball head coach Chris Mack provided an update on his team.

Chris Mack spoke to the local media on Thursday, providing an update on the Louisville basketball program and how things have been going since practice resumed after a few positive COVID tests earlier this month.

While other programs are still waiting to get their basketball team on campus, Mack and his team have been fortunate enough to be back in Louisville and around the facilities while gearing up for the upcoming season. Following a strict protocol, Louisville’s players were able to lift in groups with Strength and Conditioning coach Andy Kettler while also spending time in the gym getting shots up, sometimes as many as twice a day.

As Presley Meyer detailed in his recent article here at BRL, Louisville’s players and staff were ready to deal with the outbreak in the safest way possible as it led to a two week shut down of the facilities. That has since been lifted allowing coaches to get time with players for the first time this summer.

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Louisville basketball will have a new “warrior” this season

With players on campus for almost over a month, it has allowed for Mack to get a closer look and a better feel for what his team may truly look like whenever a season is able to played. As Coach Mack told us during his one-on-one sit-down on the BRL Podcast, Jae’Lyn Withers is one player he walked away impressed with not only because of his growth in height, but his ability to play the five in the ACC as well as his improved intensity level.

During Thursday’s media teleconference, Mack once again acknowledged a plyer he felt comfortable with in his role for the upcoming season – that being Charles Minlend Jr. The San Francisco graduate transfer has now been on campus since early June and Mack has seen enough to believe he could be the guy to replace one of the most important roles on the team.

Coach Mack said:

"“He’s smaller than Dwayne Sutton, but I think he gives us that type of mentality, that type of game. He sort of knows where the ball’s going. One skill doesn’t necessarily separate him, it’s all the things he brings to the table.”"

How many times over the last two seasons have we heard Mack compliment and praise the “warrior” mentality of Dwayne Sutton after a tough game? This quote from Louisville’s head coach after a win over USC Upstate may be my favorite example of him talking about the importance of Sutton’s mental toughness and mentality. He said:

"“Dwayne got recruited by a school like USC Upstate. I asked him in the locker room in front of his teammates how many Division 1 offers did you have coming out of high school, he said three. It just shows what heart, will, competitive character and a kick-ass attitude can do for a kid. 15 rebounds, 15. He’s not 6’9, he’s 6’5. He doesn’t look much different than a lot of the kids guarding him tonight. HE’s a warrior. WARRIOR. We need more of those on our team.”"

But much like with Sutton, there’s so much more than that to love about his game. Chris Mack would go on to say about Minlend:

"“He’s a pretty good passer. He’s a good finisher. He’s a good rebounder. I wouldn’t say hes elite or great at one thing, a little bit like Dwayne, but he’s a competitor and he adds good size in the backcourt, he can play the two or the tree at 6’4, 215-pounds.”"

Louisville will desperately need the experience, leadership, and versatility that Minlend will bring to the floor in 2020-21 after losing three upperclassmen Ryan McMahon, Darius Perry, and Fresh Kimble from a year ago. While he’s by no means a high-volume scorer, Minlend will bring a proven scoring ability, having averaged over 14 points per game each of the last two seasons that will be a boost along side Jones, the nation’s the nation’s top graduate transfer in 2020, rising sophomore Josh Nickelberry, and incoming freshman D’Andre Davis.

Sutton was the heart and soul of the Louisville basketball program each of the last two seasons, and while Minlend will only be here one season, he will be the guy responsible for bringing the energy and toughness to the floor each night.