Louisville basketball needed an elite scorer off the bench, and it appears they might have gotten just that from one of their commitments. Joe Tipton reports that the Cardinals' 2027 commitment, Isaac Ellis, will reclass with Obinna Ekezie Jr. and will now join the Cardinals this upcoming season.
New Obinna Ekezie Jr. - Louisville update should terrify the rest of the ACC
Louisville has now landed six transfer commitments from the Transfer Portal and two commitments from the 2026 cycle. Ellis is an elite scorer who had initially committed to South Carolina, but shortly after decommitting from the Gamecocks, he visited Pat Kelsey and Louisville and committed to the Cardinals.
Now, it appears Kelsey has more depth on its bench in its backcourt, as Ellis was one of the top scorers in high school basketball this past season.
NEWS: Louisville commit Isaac Ellis will reclassify back into the 2026 class and enroll this summer, he told @Rivals. ⁰⁰The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 31.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game this season. https://t.co/NS0IuiXYhr pic.twitter.com/xLh3jAXvNv
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) May 9, 2026
Louisville basketball gets more backcourt depth after Isaac Ellis update
This past season, he won the OTE MVP award after averaging a dominant 31.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game.
The newest 2026 Cardinal commit set multiple records for Overtime Elite, including his 56-point game, which broke the league's single-game record. He also holds the record for most assists in one game (18), most career And-1’s (40), most recorded assists (293), and most assists in one season (123).
He has the potential to be a piece off the bench and play behind Jackson Shelstad, London Johnson, Adrian Wooley, and De’Shayne Montgomery, but he could also redshirt and just gain the experience and get ready for 2027.
Ellis now marks as the eighth newest addition to Louisville’s 2026-27 roster. The Cardinals landed three players in the 2027 recruiting class so far, but Ekezie and Ellis both reclassified and will play with the Cardinals this upcoming season. Ekezie Jr. ranked as high as No. 2 in the 2027 recruiting class and No. 1 among centers, and now, in the 2026 class, he remains the No. 1 center and a 5-star recruit, ranking No. 14.
As for Ellis, he was a 3-star 2027 recruit and ranked as high as No. 146 overall and No. 4 among combo guards. Kelsey’s roster is beginning to fill out, and with Ellis now joining Louisville, it appears all focus is on 4-star wing Boyuan Zhang, who is taking an official visit this weekend.
Louisville basketball and Pat Kelsey making major push for elite 4-star SF
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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