Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals have been on an undeniable hot streak on the recruiting trail, landing top high school prospects and bringing in the No. 1 transfer portal class in the nation.
However, despite all their recent success, the Cardinals can't just land anyone and everyone that they want to.
That much became readily apparent when five-star center Isaiah Hill discussed his recruitment process so far, even though he is reportedly "hearing the most from Purdue and Louisville, right now."
Pat Kelsey may have dropped the ball with Isaiah Hill
As Kelsey has looked to land more and more top recruits, either directly out of high school or from the portal, it sounds like Hill is one that has slipped through the cracks slightly, even as Louisville works to build a relationship with him.
"My relationship with [Louisville] is on and off, but they've been in contact a lot recently," Hill said. "We're getting there. I don't really know a lot about their program, but I know they play fast, and I like the schools that play fast."
Meanwhile, when talking about the Purdue Boilermakers, the other team he's hearing the most from, Hill has a clearly cared-for relationship with the program and specifically named their head coach, Matt Painter.
"I have a good relationship with [Purdue], they play really well through their big men, they win a lot of games. Purdue feeds their bigs a lot; they work with their bigs to make sure they get the ball. My relationship with Matt Painter is good; he's been wanting me to commit for a while now, so."
He's absolutely correct about Purdue's success with big men. Just look at their former starting center, Zach Edey, who went on to become the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The importance of big men's success with a program makes complete sense for Hill to bring up. The class of 2027 prospect is already 7 feet tall and weighs in at 205 pounds. In other words, he's a high school junior who is already built like a collegiate center.
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While Purdue might be running away with his recruitment, also receiving a crystal ball prediction to land his commitment, the Cardinals can't give up on Hill, especially as other teams look to jump in on the race.
"I've heard from Duke and Kentucky recently," Hill said. "I don't have a timeframe yet for visits and all that. I want to make sure I get my education, but I also want to win. I want to play in a Final Four. I'm looking to go somewhere and get better.
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