Louisville basketball just learned earlier Saturday afternoon that former 5-star transfer Adrian Wooley will return to the Cardinals. Pat Kelsey continues to dominate the portal this offseason, as Wooley will now officially join three key additions in Flory Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad, and Karter Knox.
Adrian Wooley finally gives Louisville and Pat Kelsey the news they were hoping for
Louisville will remain heavily involved in the portal as Kelsey’s offseason is not yet done. The Cardinals are still in contact with some big-time transfers, including Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell. The Cardinals were listed as one of the six finalists for the 5-star transfer, but with Wooley officially returning, could that impact the Cardinals' chances of landing Blackwell?
Adrian Wooley news could have major Louisville impact with John Blackwell
Many Louisville fans already knew Wooley was planning to return after the buzz began to build earlier this week. However, the guard made it official Saturday morning, and now, with Wooley returning, it feels like that could impact Louisville’s chances of landing Blackwell.
Both Blackwell and Wooley play shooting guard, and both guards are 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. It is hard to imagine Kelsey runs a 3-guard lineup like he did last year, which means if Louisville were still to go all-in on Blackwell, Wooley would likely come off the bench.
Now, it is possible that Wooley is okay with coming off the bench, but entering last season, he was trending toward a potential second-round pick in the NBA Draft, and if he wants to live that NBA dream, it is hard to imagine he would want to come off the bench his junior season.
Now, all that said, Louisville has remained heavily involved for Blackwell this week as the Kelsey flew to the 5-star earlier this week, and Shelstad was recruiting Blackwell to Louisville on social media.
The 5-star cut his list to six schools, but it appears Illinois, Arizona, and Alabama are out. So, now it’s Louisville, Duke, and UCLA. And with Wooley returning, could this be good news for Louisville’s ACC rival, with the Blue Devils emerging as the clear favorite?
Yesterday, 247Sports Travis Branham reported, “So, now that brings this race down to Louisville, Duke, and UCLA. He (Blackwell) visited UCLA and there’s continuing, growing talk around the industry as Duke being a real, real contender here.”
So, Branham makes it clear Louisville isn’t out of the race, but that was before he knew Wooley was returning. So, yesterday he reported UCLA had a visit and Duke is gaining momentum, while Louisville might be falling behind. Wooley returning could mean Louisville is pivoting from Blackwell, or it could mean he truly is okay with coming off the bench. Only time will tell and give Louisville fans the answer.
Related: Predicting Pat Kelsey's next 3 moves after Adrian Wooley returns to Louisville
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