Louisville basketball fans crushed after losing 4-star fan favorite to Transfer Portal

Louisville basketball fans just learned Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals will lose their second player to the Transfer Portal, as On3 Sports Joe Tipton reported that former 4-star commitment Khani Rooths is planning to enter the Transfer Portal once it opens.

3 Louisville Cardinals on transfer watch after Sananda Fru enters the Transfer Portal

Rooths is the second Cardinal to announce he will enter the portal in two days, as it was reported Sananda Fru will enter the portal as well. The Transfer Portal will officially open on April 7 and will remain open for a two-week window until April 21.

Louisville's Khani Rooths will enter the Transfer Portal

Rooths was a fan favorite among Cardinals fans over the past two years, bringing tons of energy and a huge spark off the bench. The 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward is a former 4-star recruit out of high school who ranked as high as No. 33 in the 2024 class and No. 6 among power forwards.

In his first season with Louisville, after Kasean Pryor went down with a season-ending injury and the Cards were hit by a rash of injuries, Rooths saw his role increase. While he only averaged 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds, he was a huge spark for Kelsey in the second half of the season and was a key piece off the bench in the Cards' historic season last year.

He then saw his role increase this past season, starting in two games and playing in 15.9 minutes per game. The former 4-star was an athletic wing who could play physical basketball and was an elite slasher to the rim, averaging 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

The former 4-star showed flashes of excellence this past season. He earned consecutive double-doubles in late January and early February against SMU and Notre Dame. He logged a total of three double-doubles on the year, and he also scored 10 points or more eight times, including a career-high 20 points in the season opener. However, he struggled both years to find his shot and to shoot the ball at a reasonable rate, especially from beyond the arc.

Rooths shot below 40 percent from the field his freshman season at 39.3 percent, and improved it to 44.9 percent his sophomore season. However, the former 4-star power forward struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 23.1 percent in his freshman season on 52 attempts, and 22.4 percent on 58 attempts his sophomore season.

Cardinals fans aren’t totally surprised to see Rooths enter the portal, as many expected this departure, but it still stings, as he quickly emerged as a fan favorite in his two seasons. Louisville will have a lot of work to do this offseason, as Kelsey has already lost two major pieces to its frontcourt, which was their glaring weakness last season.

Related: 5 Win-now players Louisville basketball must land after Sananda Fru enters portal

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