Louisville basketball got crushing news late Monday night when the 5-star power forward Milan Momcilovic announced his commitment to the Kentucky Wildcats. Louisville was in a heated recruiting battle with its in-state rival, and after Zoom calls with both teams, the 5-star ultimately committed to Kentucky over the Cards.
Milan Momcilovic breaks Louisville basketball hearts by picking the enemy instead
Louisville fans were hoping Pat Kelsey could pull off one last magic trick this offseason as the Cards have dominated the Transfer Portal. Momcilovic ranks No. 2 overall and No. 1 among power forwards in the portal, and if he were to commit to Louisville, the Cardinals would have emerged as legitimate National Title contenders.
However, just because the 5-star committed to Kentucky, that doesn’t mean the Cards shouldn’t dream big. Kelsey has the No. 1 Transfer Portal class and No. 5 portal and 2026 recruiting class combined. So, yes, this hurt a little bit, but Louisville will be a scary team in 2026-27 even without Momcilovic.
Louisville's starting five without Milan Momcilovic has Cardinals fans dreaming big
Kelsey got off to a red-hot start this offseason, landing six transfers and three recruits from the 2026 recruiting class. While Momcilovic would have been a massive boost for the National Title conversation, Louisville fans aren’t too worried, as Kelsey has already built a roster that can contend.
Louisville Basketball's Starting Five
PG: Jackson Shelstad
SG: Adrian Wooley
SF: Kater Knox
PF: Alvaro Folgueiras
C: Flory Bidunga
The Cardinals' starting five is led by their first two and biggest two commitments, Flory Bidunga and Jackson Shelstad. Bidunga is the No. 1 overall transfer on the portal and exactly what this program needed over the past couple of seasons under Kelsey.
He is a dominant center who protects the rim on defense and is an elite lob threat on offense. He earned All-Big 12 honors last season, while also winning the Big 12 Player of the Year after averaging 2.6 blocks per game.
As for Shelstad, the former 5-star recruit ranks No. 18 overall in the portal and No. 5 among point guards. The Oregon transfer was having a career season, averaging 15.6 points, 4.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, but was shut down after playing 12 games last season. Now, he will look to replace Mikel Brown Jr. and be the Cards' next elite starting point guard.
Karter Knox and Alvaro Folgueiras also committed to Louisville from the portal. The two 4-star transfers will round out Louisville’s frontcourt, with Knox being a former 5-star recruit who averaged a little over 8 points in his two seasons at Arkansas, and Folgueiras, who is a 6-foot-10 stretch-four who can shoot from beyond the arc. Knox committed to Louisville, ranked No. 59 overall in the portal and No. 7 among small forwards, and Folgueiras ranked No. 65 overall and No. 15 among power forwards.
Rounding out the Cards' starting five is Louisville’s biggest returner, Adrian Wooley. The former 5-star transfer has high expectations to take a major jump this upcoming season. Wooley is a crafty guard who can shoot at a high rate while also creating open looks for his teammates. Wooley was ranked as high as No. 9 overall in the portal last offseason and No. 2 among combo guards. He averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in his freshman season.
Along with Ekezie, Louisville fans are excited for the 4-star transfer and elite two-way guard, De’Shayne Montgomery. The Dayton transfer is an elite perimeter defender who averaged 2.1 steals per game this past season and 1.7 steals per game as a freshman. Louisville needed an on-ball defender, and Kelsey's biggest sleeper addition has the potential to be a major X-factor this upcoming season.
Other notable additions include 4-star 2026 commit Boyuan Zhang. The 4-star wing is one of the biggest risers in the 2026 recruiting class as he is a 3-point sharpshooter after averaging 20.2 points per game at the Nike EYBL Scholastic League.
So, missing on Momcilovic hurts, but the Cards fans aren’t worried. This roster still screams Final Four contender, which is why they are a unanimous top-15 team in rankings right now, and Fox Sports ranked them as high as No. 5 in the nation.
Also read: Pat Kelsey solved a major Louisville basketball weakness with his most overlooked addition
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
Add us as a preferred source on Google