Louisville basketball earns huge national recognition after dominant offseason

Louisville basketball has been dominant in the Transfer Portal this offseason. The Cardinals knew they had to rebuild their roster after losing Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, Issac McKneely, and J’Vonne Hadley. Pat Kelsey had his work cut out for him this offseason, and well, he didn’t disappoint.

Louisville basketball and Pat Kelsey making major push for elite 4-star SF

Just earlier Sunday morning, On3 Sports’ Joe Tipton ranked college basketball’s biggest Transfer Portal winners based solely on the additions from the portal, and by no surprise, the Cardinals got ranked and the respect they deserved.

Louisville basketball ranked right where deserve to be

When looking at the number of additions and the quality of additions, it is hard to put anyone in front of the job Kelsey did this offseason. And well, Tipton didn’t. Louisville comes in ranked No. 1 for their additions from the well-respected College Basketball National Reporter.

Louisville had high expectations last year, ranking No. 11 entering the season but having the sixth-highest odds to win the National Title. Well, with Kelsey’s dominant offseason, Tipton is here to tell Louisville fans this offseason they should have high expectations once again, and this roster Kelsey is building could be a Final Four contender.

"Louisville entered this past season with high hopes, and at least relative to expectations, fell short with a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.

Once again, expectations are just as high, if not higher, with one of the best portal classes in the country. As Pat Kelsey returns just one key contributor in Adrian Wooley (8.7 PPG), the ‘Cards dove head first into the portal, loading up on talent.

Kansas’ Flory Bidunga was their splashiest addition, as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year is the No. 1 overall player in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings. Landing a proven point guard in Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad was also vital, while Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras gives Louisville a stretch four who had some massive moments in the NCAA Tournament for a team that made the Elite Eight."

Joe Tipton

The Cardinals added six players from the portal, putting them No. 1 in Tipton’s rankings, and when looking at who Louisville landed, it is hard to disagree.

Kelsey landed the 5-star transfer and the No. 1 overall transfer in Flory Bidunga, who earned 13 double-doubles this past season, and ranked in the top five for total blocks and blocks per game. He also landed the No. 4 point guard from the portal, Jackson Shelstad, who was trending to be an All-Big Ten guard this past season before he got hurt, as he averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, and made 33 3-pointers in just 12 games.

Then Kelsey added Karter Knox, a former 5-star recruit and a 4-star transfer who ranks No. 60 overall and No. 7 among small forwards, and Alvaro Folgueiras, who rounds out Kelsey’s starting five. Folgueiras is a 4-star transfer who is a stretch four at 6-foot-10 and went viral for hitting the game-winning 3-pointer against Florida for Iowa, sending the Hawkeyes to the Sweet Sixteen past the defending National Champions.

As for the bench, Kelsey added depth in his backcourt, landing two-way guard De'Shayne Montgomery, who averaged 13.4 points and 2.1 steals per game and ranked as a 4-star transfer, No. 134 overall and No. 24 among shooting guards. As for their frontcourt, he added 7-foot-5 elite rim protector Gabe Dynes, who transferred from USC. In his sophomore season, he averaged 3.1 blocks per game and ranked No. 2 in Division I basketball with a dominant 104 blocks on the season.

So, Kelsey and Louisville get the love and respect they deserve from Tipton, because this transfer class has the Cardinals trending to be legitimate Final Four contenders.

Also Read: Louisville basketball's new No. 1 target is clear after major Obinna Ekezie Jr. update

For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow