It’s been a dominant offseason for Louisville basketball, led by head coach Pat Kelsey. As many Cardinals fans expected, Louisville lost its 5-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. to the NBA Draft, but also its entire starting lineup, as Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely, and J’Vonne Hadley graduated, and Sananda Fru transferred to Marquette.
Kelsey had to completely rebuild this roster, and he did it mainly through the Transfer Portal. Louisville has the No. 1 class in the Transfer Portal this offseason, led by the top transfer, Flory Bidunga. The Cardinals have landed six transfers so far this offseason, plus 5-star 2026 recruit Obinna Ekezie Jr.
It is hard not to be impressed by what Kelsey has done, and now Louisville is known as one of the biggest offseason winners so far. But, even as a projected top 15 team in the way-too-early rankings, Louisville still has some questions in the air, and Kelsey will try to find the answers to those questions before the season tips off.
1. Will Louisville have enough 3-point shooting?
It is crazy to even think this is a question for a Kelsey-led Louisville squad, but right now, the biggest offseason question is who their 3-point specialist is. The Cardinals added Jackson Shelstad who splashed 33 3’s this past season in just 12 games, and Adrian Wooley showed he has potential in his freshman season, making 73 3’s and shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc, but now the two have to take that next jump next season.
Louisville usually has an elite 3-point specialist under Kelsey, as first Reyne Smith, then Ryan Conwell, and this past year, Isaac McKneely. However, as of now, they don’t have that type of player for next season. So, right now, Louisville’s guards will have to shoot better from beyond the arc to help space the floor for the bigs.
2. How will Flory Bidunga and Obinna Ekezie Jr. play together
It sounds like Flory Bidunga is going to take Obinna Ekezie Jr. under his wing. The Cards added the No. 1 overall center and transfer in the portal in Bidunga, but just days ago, they also added the No. 1 center from the 2026 recruiting class and 5-star center in Ekezie. So, Louisville is loaded at the center position, but it sounds like Ekezie is willing to grow and develop at the power forward position.
And if that is the case, how will that look, and how comfortable will he be? Ekezie and Bidunga on the floor at the same time could cause nightmares for teams defensively, but on offense, how will that look? No one is concerned about Louisville’s defense at this point, but will the offense be able to put up enough points and have enough space to allow the guards to play freely?
3. What will Adrian Wooley look like?
Adrian Wooley committed to Louisville as a 5-star transfer and ranked as high as No. 9 overall and No. 2 among combo guards in the 2025 Transfer Portal. In his true freshman season, he was dominant, averaging 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He also made 73 3’s on 42 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
In his first year with Louisville, he showed how high his potential is at times, like towards the end of the season when he had 15 points against Miami, including a clutch game-winning 3-pointer against the Hurricanes, and when he scored 17 points on 70 percent shooting against Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament. But Louisville will need him to take that next jump. Kelsey needs Wooley to be aggressive and confident, and to be that dominant scorer he was with Kennesaw State.
So, entering next season, Louisville fans will have a close eye on Wooley and see how much he has developed this offseason.
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