Louisville basketball is having a monster offseason so far, as Pat Kelsey has landed three transfers from the Transfer Portal, including their most recent, Karter Knox. The Cardinals are off to a red-hot start as Kelsey has landed two 4-star transfers and one 5-star transfer so far, and they are not done yet.
Louisville's projected starting lineup with Karter Knox has Kelsey eyeing first Title
When looking at who Louisville has added, the Cards fans are quickly noticing Kelsey is making a key adjustment. Louisville struggled last season in many areas, but the two biggest areas were physicality and its defense. Well, Kelsey made it clear after the season ended that he understood Louisville fans' expectations and standards for the Cardinals, and he went out and brought in transfers who add real teeth to the defense.
Pat Kelsey wants to fix Louisville's physicality flaw from last season
Kelsey's intentions this offseason are crystal clear: he wants to address Louisville’s lack of physicality and go get some athletic forwards who can have an impact on both ends of the floor. Starting with their biggest splash, Flory Bidunga, the 5-star transfer is one of the best defensive centers in college basketball.
He ranked in the top five in total blocks (91) and blocks per game(2.6) last season with Kansas and went on to win the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award. The 5-star center is a physical center who isn’t afraid of anyone and is not only one of the best rim protectors in college basketball, but an elite lob threat on the other end that defenses can’t lose sight of.
As for Knox, he is an athletic small forward who ranked as high as a 5-star coming out of high school. With Kelsey going out and landing Knox, that makes it clear Louisville wants to be much more physical on both ends of the floor.
Last season, the Cards ran a 3-guard lineup for most of the time, but this upcoming season, Kelsey is making a much-needed adjustment by adding a true small forward. Knox has the potential to be an elite two-way player, as he has shown flashes of brilliance on offense, including a 15-point performance against St. John’s and a 20-point performance against Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament two years ago.
However, something Louisville fans are excited about with Knox is his defensive ability. He is a physical forward who can not only guard forwards but also switch and defend some guards. He has some work to do playing on the ball, but he has a big impact when he helps on defense and forces tough shots or turnovers.
Kelsey going out and getting the No. 1 center and Knox, who ranks No. 6 among small forwards, it shows Kelsey is making a key coaching adjustment, and rather than focusing heavily on his backcourt, he is giving love to his frontcourt and getting some physical players who can make an impact on defense.
Related: Predicting Pat Kelsey's next 3 moves after adding Karter Knox to Louisville's core
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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