Louisville basketball is soaring right now as Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals have rattled off five straight after that embarrassing Duke loss, and this team is looking like that November team once again. It has been a team effort during this stretch as the Cardinals' frontcourt has really come to life, especially Khani Rooths and Sananda Fru.
But of course, the star of the show is the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Week, Mikel Brown Jr. Brown averaged 37.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 4.0 steals, while shooting 60 percent from the floor, 67 percent from beyond the arc, and 100 percent from the free-throw line in the Cardinals' two games last week.
The former 5-star has blossomed before the Cards fans' eyes these past few games, but Kelsey explained he is becoming much more than just a dominant player on the court; he is emerging as the Cards' team leader at just 19 years old.
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Pat Kelsey reveals Mikel Brown Jr. is becoming a vocal leader
Brown is a special player in many ways, as he can score at will, penetrate the defense, and shoot at a high rate, but Kelsey explained after the win over Baylor that the true freshman has quickly become one of the Cardinals' vocal leaders.
“He’s been affecting the game in so many ways outside of scoring,” Kelsey stated on Brown’s leadership role. “I love the ownership he is taken on the floor. He is a young guy compared to these other guys, who are five or six years older than him in some instances. But he is speaking up. He is the primary voice in that huddle many times. In the last three or four games, there have been several instances where, before I could call the next set, he would come over to me and tell me, "Here's what we are going to run." And I would say absolutely.”
Brown has an incredibly high ceiling as far as his skills, and Cardinals fans have seen that in full effect over the past couple of games. But hearing the true freshman step up and take the leadership role is what makes him even more special.
Not many 19-year-olds can control the huddle and be the leader of the group, but it is clear he is their engine, and they will go as far as he can take them. The true freshman is very mature for someone his age, and his ability to take over the team huddle and show his leadership roles is huge for this squad, with March just a couple of weeks away.
Louisville sits 19-6 on the season and 8-4 in their conference schedule, but with six remaining games against key teams like SMU, North Carolina, Clemson, and Miami, Brown and the Cardinals have a path to climb the ACC standings and seedings.
For Louisville to continue this streak and stay hot, Brown has to keep this dominant run going and remain that vocal leader he has become. This Cardinals team is starting to look like that dominant team many were expecting back in October, and with Selection Sunday just around the corner, Brown has this team peaking at the perfect time.