Louisville basketball seems to be all-in on Virginia's transfer, Isaac McKneely. The Cardinals are in desperate need of a lethal shooter, and McKneely is a top player in the transfer portal and precisely the player Pat Kelsey is looking for.
The lethal shooter will be a hard grab for the Cardinals, as many programs are reaching out to him. Last season for the Cavaliers, he averaged 14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists and was one of the best shooters from downtown. McKneely has shot above 40 percent from the floor every year with Virginia and an average of 41.9 percent from downtown in his three years. Last season, he shot 42.1 percent from the 3-point line while splashing 101 threes.
The sharpshooter out of West Virginia is 6-foot-6 and is clearly one of Kelsey's top targets this offseason. It was reported that the Cardinals are expected to spend nearly $10 million this offseason, and McKneely is a perfect player for Louisville to acquire.
Louisville basketball interested in Sam Houston's elite SG if plan A fails
However, landing one of the top players in the portal will be challenging, as Jonathan Givony ranks McKneely as the No. 5 player in the portal.
It seems evident that McKeenly is Kelsey's first option, but Louisville has a great second option if that doesn't work. The Cardinals just reached out to one of the best shooters in the nation, Lamar Wilkerson.
Wilkerson certified himself as one of the nation's best shooters last season, connecting on 109 threes throughout the 2024-25 season. His 109 threes were the twelfth most in the country. He would average an impressive 3.41 threes per game, the fifth most in the nation. He did all this while shooting it at an elite percentage from downtown of 44.49 percent from beyond the arc, the seventh-highest 3-point percentage in college basketball.
Let's put this in perspective. The Cardinals had one of the best shooters last year in Reyne Smith. The Cardinals' senior sharpshooter averaged 3.45 threes per game last season, connecting on 107 threes while shooting 37.9 percent from downtown. This is no disrespect to Smith, who is still a significant shooting percentage from beyond the arc with his impressive 2024-25 three-point numbers. However, Wilkerson made more total threes last season, averaged pretty much the same amount of made shots from downtown, but shot the ball nearly six percent better from the 3-point line.
The Sam Houston transfer would be a massive acquisition for Kelsey and the Cardinals and would elevate this team's shooting immensely. Louisville needs to improve its shooting from beyond the arc, and the Cardinals have shown that this is their main priority.
Last season, he averaged 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor. This elite shooting guard scored 20 points or more in 17 games, including a 32-point performance against New Mexico State.
So, while everyone will be checking McKneely's status, it is worth noting that Kelsey's second option, Wilkerson, is a perfect target. He is a dominant scorer and a lethal shooter, and would gel perfectly with Mikel Brown Jr.