Louisville basketball learned last night that the Cardinals missed out on one of the nation's top recruits in the 2027 recruiting class. Five-star combo guard King Gibson made his official commitment last night, ultimately choosing the LSU Tigers over Louisville and others.
Gibson cut his list to 10 schools after earning over 35 offers, then cut it to four last week: LSU, Louisville, Arkansas, and Providence. Gibson ranked as high as No. 13 overall, No. 2 among combo guards, and No. 2 among North Carolina natives.
Louisville is clearly one of his top targets, and while it stings to see Pat Kelsey miss on Gibson, he clearly has a No. 1 target in mind.
Louisville has a clear No. 1 target after missing on King Gibson
The Cardinals have been heavily involved with 5-star point guard Reese Alston. Of all the 'Cardinals' targets in the 2027 recruiting class, Alston stands out from the rest.
The 5-star point guard is a top-10 overall recruit in the 2027 recruiting class, and the Cardinals have made it clear they want him, and they want him bad. Earlier this year, Alston took an official visit to Louisville, and Kelsey built on that momentum by visiting Alston over the summer and watching him play at multiple recruiting camps.
Following Louisville’s busy summer recruiting Alston, the 5-star point guard cut his list down to just seven schools, putting the Cardinals in a recruiting battle with Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee, Wichita State, Houston, and Vanderbilt.
Alston has visited several of these seven schools, including LSU, where Kelsey visited Alston shortly after seeing the Tigers. In addition to LSU and Louisville, Alston has also visited Wichita State, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
The Cardinals are trending as the current favorite for Alston, with On3 Sports' Jamie Shaw continuing to predict Louisville will land the 5-star guard, and Fox insider Aaron Torres naming Louisville the “team to beat.”
“I think Louisville is going to get this guy eventually; I really do,” stated Torres. “Pat Kelsey opened the recruiting period visiting five-star guard Reese Alston - just like they opened the summer seeing him."
So, while it would have been a huge commitment for Kelsey and Louisville if they landed Gibson, it is clear the Cardinals have their eyes on another elite guard in this 2027 recruiting class. Alston ranks as high as No. 9 overall and No. 3 among point guards.
The 5-star guard is coming off a dominant junior season in which he averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game, earning him a spot on the MaxPreps Junior All-American First Team. This is the guard Louisville fans should keep their eyes on, as Kelsey’s actions have made it crystal clear he is their No. 1 target right now.
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