Louisville basketball is off to another hot start in this year's transfer portal, as Pat Kelsey looks to repeat the success he had last year. The Cardinals' roster is not reaching championship caliber after the commitments from 5-star prospect Adrian Wooley and 4-star prospect Ryan Conwell.
Louisville landed 12 transfers last season and was ranked No. 1 for its offseason additions per On3. The Cardinals' two additions have them leaping SEC giants and ACC rivals like Duke, as their two commitments are ranked in the top 10 in this year's transfer portal. Louisville addressed its glaring shooting guard concern by adding these two combo guards, but now it must shift its focus to other areas.
The Cardinals are trending in the right direction this offseason, but if Louisville wants to break their eight-year NCAA Tournament win drought and make a deep March run next year, they must address this crucial area.
Louisville basketball need an elite forward badly
Louisville basketball fans have been on social media all week expressing their excitement about the signing of Conwell and Wooley. These two elite guards coming to the Cardinals program will change the future of Louisville basketball and will take them from a great program to an elite program.
The Cardinals backcourt is lethal. Brown, Wooley, and Conwell will be among the deadliest trios in college basketball, as all three guards can score from anywhere on the court in multiple ways. These elite playmakers have showcased their talents on some of the highest levels and will look to bring that prestigious culture back to Louisville basketball.
However, Kelsey and his staff now must shift their focus to the frontcourt. The Cardinals will hopefully bring back James Scott and Kasean Pryor, but after that, their depth in the forward position is limited. Khani Rooths will likely be a bench piece, and Louisville has yet to see what Aly Khalifa will bring. The commitment of Conwell makes it seem clear that Louisville will run a small-ball lineup, as between Brown, Wooley, and Conwell, the Kennesaw State transfer, Wooley, is the tallest of those three at 6-foot-5.
Louisville needs to address the height concern now and secure a solid 6-foot-7 forward who can be a solid playmaker on the offense, but also help on the defensive side. J'Vonne Hadley is just 6-foot-5, which makes it unlikely that he will start for the Cardinals. He would be the second-tallest starter behind Pryor. It wouldn't be shocking if Hadley entered the portal to start for another team, forcing the Cardinals to go after a 4-star forward in the transfer portal.
Kelsey needs a player like Tae Davis from Notre Dame, who recently entered the portal. Davis is 6-foot-7 and averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 47.6 percent from the field for the Fighting Irish last season.
The Cardinals are still expected to be all-in on the transfer portal, as they reportedly spent up to $10 million this offseason. The Cardinals' missing piece could be 5-star Nate Ament from the class of 2025. Ament, who is 6-foot-7 and a lethal scorer, would fit perfectly in this role. It was reported that Duke and Arkansas took the lead, but that was before this massive week for the Cardinals.
Louisville needs to fill in this power-forward position, whether that is Davis, Ament, or some under-the-radar player from the portal. The Cardinals need someone who can play defense and be an offensive threat.
For all the latest on Nate Ament and the Louisville Cardinals offseason, stay tuned.