Louisville basketball got big news Tuesday after they learned 4-star transfer Alvaro Folgueiras committed to the Cardinals. Louisville and Pat Kelsey are making a lot of noise this offseason for the second straight season, as the Cardinals are gaining some serious Final Four buzz early on once again, as Folgueiras now joins an elite Transfer Portal class.
2 Dream, 2 reach, 2 realistic targets for Louisville after John Blackwell's update
He is the fourth portal commitment for Kelsey, as Louisville has now landed three 4-star transfers in Folgueiras, Karter Knox, and Jackson Shelstad, and one 5-star transfer in Flory Bidunga. The Cardinals' roster is filling up, but Kelsey is not done yet. Louisville lost all five starters from this past season, and nine of its top ten guys, so Kelsey’s offseason haul isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
So, with Louisville landing the Iowa transfer, we want to throw out some big-name targets the Cardinals could target next. So, here are four win-now players Louisville basketball must target after landing Alvaro Folgueiras.
Chol Machot
This one might not be as flashy as some of the others, but Louisville needs frontcourt depth, and Chol Machot is a perfect option. The 7-foot Charleston transfer is an elite rim protector and an athletic center who can not only impact the game on the defensive end, but also be a spark off the bench on the offensive end.
This past season, he averaged 8.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 59.2 percent from the field. His 2.5 blocks per game and 79 total blocks on the season both ranked in the top 10 in Division I basketball, earning him the CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors. He would be the perfect bench piece behind Flory Bidunga and would be a major rim protector off the bench. Machot ranks as a 4-star transfer, No. 147 overall and No. 14 among centers in the portal.
Players in the Transfer portal that the Louisville Cardinals have reached out to
Juke Harris
Louisville was part of Juke Harris' recruiting process early on, but went all in on John Blackwell. Now, with the Wisconsin transfer officially committing to Duke, it might be worth Kelsey trying to go back to Harris. The Wake Forest transfer is an elite scorer who ranked No. 6 in Division I basketball and No. 2 in the ACC this past season, and had the most total points.
The 5-star transfer averaged 21.4 points and shot 44.4 percent from the floor and 33.2 percent from beyond the arc. He made the All-ACC Second Team and won the ACC Most Improved Player of the Year award after also averaging 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. The 6-foot-7 wing can play shooting guard or small forward, and emerges as a dream target following the Blackwell and Folgueiras updates.
Former ACC star enters portal-and Louisville basketball should shoot for the moon
Paul McNeil
If Louisville wants to attack the shooting guard position, someone Kelsey should go after is the 4-star North Carolina State transfer, Paul McNeil. The 4-star transfer is maybe the best 3-point shooter left in the portal, as this past season he spashed an impressive 105 3-pointers while shooting 42.7 percent from beyond the arc.
McNeil had an eye-popping 18 games this season with three or more 3’s, as he averaged 3.1 3-pointers per game, and made 11 3’s on 17 attempts against Texas Southern. Kelsey needs a pure 3-point shooter, and if McNeil is okay with coming off the bench behind Adrian Wooley, he would be a big-time target Louisville should go after right now. The NC State transfer ranks as a 4-star transfer, No. 23 overall and No. 3 among shooting guards.
Milan Momcilovic
Not many think the Iowa State transfer will return to college basketball, and many think Milan Momcilovic will declare for the NBA Draft. However, if he decides to return, the Cardinals should go target him immediatley and should go all-in on the 5-star transfer.
Folgueiras came off the bench for Iowa this past season, and he would be a huge piece to come off the bench for Louisville. Momcilovic is one of the top players in the portal at the moment, coming off a dominant season with the Cyclones. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward averaged an impressive 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.7 made 3’s per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from beyond the arc. He would be a dominant stretch four for Kelsey to play next to Bidunga, as he made 136 3’s this past season. His 136 3’s and 48.7 3-point percentage were best in Division I basketball, and his 3.7 3’s per game ranked No. 5 in Division I basketball.
He is a 5-star transfer and ranks No. 2 overall and No. 1 among power forwards.
Related: 5-star PF emerges as dream target for Louisville basketball’s National Title push
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