Washington transfer G Keyon Menifield joins Louisville’s watchlist

Coming out of high school, Flint, Michigan native Keyon Menifield was given a three-star rating and was touted as the No. 15 overall prospect in the state of Michigan for the Class of 2022. The two biggest Division I programs that were pursuing him were the Washington Huskies and the Boston College Eagles.

And on Halloween in 2021, he committed to the University of Washington over Boston College and a few other smaller programs. During his lone season as a Husky, he averaged 10.0 points per game, 3.1 assists per game, and shot 41% from the field.

However, there was a stretch towards the end of last year where he tore it up.

Those kinds of performances led him to be named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and confirmed the fact that he was severely under-recruited. It’s very clear the 6-foot-1 guard can play and now he is seeking to build on an impressive freshman season elsewhere as he officially entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Just a mere eight days ago, Keyon Menifield confirmed he was returning to the University of Washington.

Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies reported on March 20th that Menifield would return to the Huskies next season, but seven days later he entered the transfer portal. So, the question becomes: what happened?

It’s mere speculation at this point, but one fan from Seattle, Washington had this to say about the program:

With that kind of insight into how the fans view the program and with a season that he put together last season, it’s starting to make sense as to why he decided to enter the transfer portal. After an impressive freshman campaign, teams from around the nation will be vying for his services, and one of those teams could be the Louisville Cardinals.

Right now, Louisville has its sights set on Dayvion McKnight, Khalif Battle, Reese Dixon-Waters, and potentially another recent addition to the portal, Caleb Love.

Any of the above-listed guards would be huge additions to an impressive recruiting class that Kenny Payne seemingly put together overnight. Now, that Keyon Menifield is available, he also becomes a player that Louisville fans should keep an eye on. While he is not as seasoned as the other guards on the list, he could fit right into the fold of young talent that comprises the Louisville basketball team.

The paths between Louisville and Keyon Menifield haven’t really crossed any times before other than when he was in Louisville, KY for the GrassRoots Showcase in 2021.

But now, according to Rivals’ Louisville Cardinals site, Head Coach Kenny Payne and staff are fully expected to reach out to the former three-star recruit. The future of Louisville basketball continues to get brighter.