Pat Kelsey has this program continuing to head in the right direction, and a big reason is his ability to dominate the Transfer Portal. Right now, Louisville basketball ranks No. 1 overall in the portal class, and last year, they ranked No. 3.
3 biggest offseason Louisville basketball worries still nagging at Pat Kelsey
And in his first few months, during his first offseason, while he didn’t have a top-five portal class, he completely rebuilt this program's roster, which ultimately launched a brand-new program. Louisville won just 12 games in two combined seasons before Kelsey took over, and he went on to add 14 new players from the transfer Portal.
Louisville added some hidden gems who went on to be big-time playmakers for the Cardinals during the 2024-25 season, like Chucky Hepburn, and many emerged as fan favorites, like James Scott. The center ultimately played just one season with the Cardinals, and now, after one year with the Ole Miss Rebels, he hit the portal for the third straight season and found his new home with the Georgia Bulldogs.
NEW: Ole Miss transfer forward James Scott has signed with Georgia, @PeteNakos reports🐶https://t.co/b7aab3EbMO pic.twitter.com/djuzsjRsVI
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 30, 2026
Former fan-favorite finds new home with the Georgia Bulldogs
Scott was someone who started in Charleston with Kelsey and followed the Cards' head coach from Charleston to Louisville. His minutes and role grew with Louisville once the Cardinals got hit with an injury bug, and he fully took advantage of his opportunities.
Scott quickly etched his name in Louisville history books, as he dunked the ball 79 times in his sophomore season with the Cardinals, which ranks as the third most dunks in a single season in program history. He played in 35 games for Louisville, starting 31, and averaged 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game.
He was a dunking machine and a huge lob threat, shooting 75.5 percent from the field and 78.1 percent from two-point attempts, both league leaders.
He quickly became a fan favorite, but Kelsey added pieces last offseason, like Sananda Fru and Kasean Pryor, and Aly Khalifa decided to return, which forced Scott to enter the portal and transfer to Ole Miss. After just one season with the Rebels, he entered the portal for the third straight year, playing just 18 minutes per game and averaging 3.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
He is staying in the SEC and will look to be a big piece on the Georgia Bulldogs as he committed to Georgia after being ranked as a consensus 4-star transfer for the second straight season.
Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball finally embrace the crucial blueprint fans begged for
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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