Entering the season, Louisville basketball earned a lot of preseason hype and recognition, largely because of their newcomers. The Cardinals brought in one of the best transfer portal classes, after adding eight transfers, including 5-star transfer Flory Bidunga and multiple 4-star transfers, such as Jackson Shelstad, Karter Knox, Alvaro Folgueiras, and De'Shayne Montgomery.
3 biggest winners and 2 losers from Louisville's 84-70 win over Chattanooga
The Cardinals entered the season with Final Four dreams and expectations, as this is expected to be Pat Kelsey’s best roster since he arrived at UofL. Another big piece of Louisville’s roster isn’t a newcomer, but is one of the few returners, Adrian Wooley.
The former 5-star transfer is expected to make a big jump this year as he enters his second season with Louisville, and in the season opener, he gave another glimpse of what makes him so special.
Adrian Wooley is poised to take a leap this year
Last year, Louisville added multiple guards, with 4-star transfers Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely, and of course, 5-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. getting a lot of the attention. But their biggest addition from the portal was actually Wooley.
He came off a dominant year at Kennessaw State, where he averaged 18.8 points while shooting 52 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc. He ranked No. 9 in the Transfer Portal and No. 2 among combo guards.
Now, after a solid first year with Louisville, many are excited to see Wooley take that jump. In the first game, he made some major improvements, attacking the glass and playing much more aggressively. He finished with 15 points while shooting 7-of-14 from the field and caused havoc on the defensive end with four steals.
“I loved his aggressiveness,” stated Kelsey. “I want him to be that way. Adrian is great when he is leaning forward and playing downhill and playing on the attack, and you saw that today.”
The former 5-star guard is crafty and has so much potential, and Louisville fans saw more of it this week. Last year, Wooley really began to flourish in the second half of the season, especially at the end, when he hit the step-back 3-pointer to defeat Miami and scored 17 points in the NCAA Tournament game against Michigan State, shooting 7-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The combo guard will be crucial for Louisville the first 4-6 weeks, as the Cardinals will be without Montgomery due to a foot injury. So, with the Cards' backcourt a little more thin, Wooley is going to be called on even more. The good news is he answered the call on Monday, and many expect him to keep growing this season.
“I think AD has been tremendous,” Sean Dixon stated about Wooley this offseason. “A lot of times in basketball you see the sophomore year jump, right? Freshman year to sophomore year, you make a big jump. Well, this is kind of his sophomore year in this program. It is his third year in college basketball, but it is his second year here at Louisville. And so, we anticipate him to make a huge jump and be a very productive player for us this year.”
There was a lot to like in the Cardinals' win over Chattanooga, and Wooley was one specific player who stood out. Cardinals fans are hoping he takes that leap Dixon was talking about, and Monday’s performance was a step in the right direction.
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