While Louisville basketball landed two elite transfers in Jackson Shelstad and Flory Bidunga, it is no secret that they are not even close to being done this offseason. Louisville has lost nine of its top 10 players from the 2025-26 season, including four who entered the transfer portal.
So, while the Cards are off to a hot start this offseason and currently rank No. 1 in the nation for their additions, Kelsey can't slow down and must keep being all brakes. Yesterday, we highlighted the areas Louisville still must attack, and two of those areas were a sharpshooter and a true forward.
Louisville will lose its top three 3-point shooters from this past season in Isaac McKneely and Ryan Conwell, and this offseason, the Cards will lose five forwards after four of them entered the portal. Kelsey is pushing hard for some transfers, but as he pursues some of these top guys, he has already missed on a few,, including a couple who committed early this week.
Brant Byers
Just hours ago, one of the Cardinals' targets for the power forward position, Miami Redhawks' transfer Brant Byers, committed to Penn State. Byers was the perfect target for Louisville at the power forward position if they wanted a stretch-four who could space out the floor and shoot from beyond the arc.
Byers commits to Penn State after averaging 14.2 points per game and shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc after making 69 3’s on the season. Louisville needs some 3-point shooters on its roster to space the floor, and Byers was a great option, as he made 2.0 3-pointers. per game. The 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward ranked No. 101 overall and No. 14 among power forwards. Other options Louisville is targeting at power forward include Paulius Murauskas, DeSean Goode, and Thomas Dowd.
Related: 5 Elite small forwards Louisville must target after Oregon landed Tyrone Riley IV
Brett Decker Jr.
Another target that committed elsewhere was the 3-point sharpshooter Brett Decker Jr. The Liberty transfer was one of the best 3-point shooters in the Transfer Portal, making 3.4 3’s per game last season while shooting an impressive 47.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The shooting guard made 114 3’s this past season, and started the season off red-hot, making a career high eight 3’s on 10 attempts in the first game of the season. He made five 3’s or more in nine games, including making eight threes in two games. Decker committed to Baylor and ranked No. 190 overall and No. 35 among shooting guards.
Related: Players in the Transfer portal that the Louisville Cardinals have reached out to
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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