Louisville basketball: Three forwards who could replace Bryce Hopkins

Trey Kaufman – Power forward 

6’8, 210-pounds – Sellersburg, IN

One way to get over the news of Bryce Hopkins decommitting is to get back into the thick of things with another top recruit. That’s exactly what Louisville basketball head coach Chris Mack is likely going to do and he’ll do so with four-star forward and Kentuckiana native, Trey Kaufman.

Playing right over the river in Sellersburg, Kauffman may just be the best recruit to come out of the area since Romeo Langford back in 2018 and he’s a player who still seems to be at least considering Louisville in his recruitment.

Ranked as the 58th best player overall in the class of 2021 by 247 Sports Composite ranking, Kaufman has fielded offers from several big name programs across the country including local’s Indiana and Purdue, Virginia, and his most recent offer, North Carolina.

What made Hopkins such a dangerous player and one of the nation’s biggest risers overall, was his ability to score in a variety of levels. Throughout his junior season, there was so much improvement that Hopkins was nearly a completely different player, showing the ability to score from all three levels and play multiple roles.

Kaufman plays a very similar game, having the ability to score around the rim as well as step out and knock down jumpers from mid-range and behind the three point line. That and his proximity to campus have made him one of the top targets on the big board for Mack and staff for quite some time now.

With Hopkins in the fold it didn’t seem likely that Louisville was going to be able to land the local forward, but now that things have changed I expect the communication pathways to open back up. While other schools have had plenty of time to build relationships with Kaufman while also pushing the same negative narrative that Hopkins heard, the uncertainty being caused by the pandemic could allow for Mack to make up ground.

Being able to play close to home and still be in the ACC should be an extremely attractive option for Kaufman, as will the amount of playing time that should be available that was slotted for Hopkins in 2021-22. Kaufman likely has the same concerns and questions that Hopkins did, and it could make him decide to stay close to home, just at another school. However, I’m not ruling out Chris Mack.

As he told us on the Big Red Louie Podcast, he feels comfortable with the “non-negotiable” that Louisville has to offer including playing in the nation’s top conference against the best opponents, playing in front of a rapid fan base in the heart of basketball country, as well as the exposure players will still have – even if it means not playing in the tournament.

Things should heat up with Kaufman and Louisville relatively soon.