Louisville basketball fans recently learned that 5-star transfer and one of their top remaining targets, John Blackwell, committed to their ACC rival, the Duke Blue Devils. The Cardinals were one of the finalists for Blackwell as the 5-star was down to six schools, Arizona, Alabama, UCLA, Illinois, Louisville, and Duke.
2 Dream, 2 reach, 2 realistic targets for Louisville after John Blackwell's update
The Cardinals made a big push for Blackwell following that report, as they flew Pat Kelsey out to visit Blackwell, and then he was scheduled to make a visit. However, Duke was able to earn the commitment Tuesday after their visit on Monday,  closing the door on Louisville’s dreams of earning Blackwell’s commitment.
Blackwell was one of the top transfers in the portal, ranked No. 3 overall and No. 1 among shooting guards, but for the Cardinals fans, he isn't worth panicking over, and here's why.
Adrian Wooley is poised to take a huge leap this upcoming season
While Blackwell would have been a big-time splash, Louisville already has an elite playmaker, Adrian Wooley. The Cardinals' combo guard is a former 5-star transfer who ranked as high as No. 9 overall and No. 2 among combo guards.
Wooley started his career at Kennesaw State University, where he was a dominant true freshman, winning C-USA’s Freshman of the Year award and making the C-USA All-First Team. He averaged nearly 19 points per game, as Wooley averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Wooley then transferred to Louisville and committed to the Cardinals over Kansas, Auburn, and Alabama. In his first season, while he had some bumps, he was a consistent guard who was a key piece in Kelsey’s rotation.
Wooley averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc. The former 5-star transfer started in 16 games this past season for Mikel Brown Jr., and really began to flourish towards the end of the season.
He scored 15 points against Miami while shooting 56 percent from the field, including a step-back 3-pointer to win the game for the Cadinals, and then, in the NCAA Tournament, Wooley scored 17 points on 70 percent shooting against Michigan State.
Missing out on Blackwell was crushing, there is no question about it. The Wisconsin transfer would have been a huge addition to Kelsey’s backcourt and roster, but Louisville fans shouldn’t panic. Wooley will likely be Kelsey’s starting shooting guard next season, and he has the potential to take that next step and emerge as a dominant scorer like he was that freshman season at Kennesaw State.
He is a crafty guard who can hit contested step-back 3-pointers, as he splashed 73 3’s his freshman season, but also showed this past season with the Cards that he can attack the rim and finish through contact. Now that he has a year under his belt, next season, he is poised to take that leap and be much more confident and dominant.
Losing Blackwell stung for the Cards fans, but Louisville is still in great shape, with Adrian Wooley.
Related: Way-too-early starting five projection for the Louisville Cardinals 2026-27 season
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