Kenny Payne did not have a full calendar year to recruit for the Class of 2023 because he arrived on-campus at the University of Louisville almost a year ago now. But, his activity in the Class of 2024 pool of players is to hone in on the top athletes and compete for their commitment. Despite Louisville basketball’s record this season, Louisville’s history of greatness cannot be overshadowed by one season.
And that is precisely what Head Coach Kenny Payne and Assistant Coach Nolan Smith are communicating to their recruits. Not only that, but if Louisville lands at least half of the talented players they have offered to date, then the program could experience a seismic shift in comparison to the production this season.
The latest to receive the nod of approval from Kenny Payne Wisconsin’s Kon Knueppel. Knueppel is currently ranked as the number one overall prospect in the state of Wisconsin and is reportedly a deadly shooter. Brandon Jenkins, a recruiting analyst for 247 Sports, compared him to a former lethal shooter in the NBA, one Kyle Korver.
But, if Knueppel does decide to don the red and white, then he will be reminiscent of another Kyle who left an imprint on the city of Louisville, Kyle Kuric. Kuric had a very similar build to Knueppel in college, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 175 pounds, while Knueppel is 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds.
With Knueppel’s big frame and ability to shoot at a high level, he earned himself a four-star rating from 247 Sports and joins five-stars Trentyn Flowers, Karter Knox, and Carter Bryant as the only small forwards to receive offers from the University of Louisville in the Class of 2024.
This season, Knueppel is leading the Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings to a 10-3 record and averaging 18.6 points per game along with 8.9 rebounds per game and 3.8 assists per game. The Vikings started off on a raging hot streak of seven straight wins before dropping two back-to-back. They bounced back with three more wins before dropping one to De Pere High School by two points, falling 54-52.
Kon Knueppel has a significant amount of time before he makes his collegiate decision, but if he decided to come to Louisville, he could make a huge impact on the coalescent of this team. Recently, fellow member of the Class of 2024 and Louisville offeree Karter Knox interviewed with Jamie Shaw of On3 Sports and said this about Louisville:
"Louisville: “It’s a good program with a lot of history. They’re not doing great this year, but they have great facilities, and their fan base is great. Things are looking up over there. Me and Coach (Kenny) Payne got a really close relationship. You know, he coached my brother at Kentucky and with the Knicks, so we are kind of close like family.”"
If somehow, Kenny Payne could snag both Knueppel and Knox to build as part of the core of the 2024 class, then the future of Louisville basketball would lie in good hands and the production on the court could change at a significant pace.