Pat Kelsey faces major Big East threat for two 5-star Louisville basketball targets

Louisville basketball has been making a lot of noise with a handful of 5-stars in the 2027 recruiting class, but one Big East school is putting a lot of pressure on the Cardinals. Louisville is trending with a few big-time prospects in the nation, including 5-star King Gibson and 5-star Moussa Kamissoko.

Louisville has had both recruits' attention this offseason, as Gibson recently cut his list down to just 10 schools, putting Pat Kelsey in a recruiting battle with UConn, Arkansas, LSU, Baylor, Syracuse, Providence, Illinois, Alabama, and Michigan. As for Kamissoko, the 5-star hasn’t updated his list yet, but he said Kelsey made a major push for him earlier this summer and continues to build that relationship.

Now, as recruiting ramps up for the 2027 class, these two 5-stars have each set official visits with Providence, according to On3 Sports Joe Tipton.

Providence emerges as a real threat for two 5-stars

Both recruits are top-10 recruits in the 2027 recruiting class and have been trending as two of Kelsey’s top targets. Earlier this summer, Cardinal Authority reported that Kamissoko said Kelsey calls the 5-star multiple times a week and they are trying to set an official visit date.

"Pat Kelsey calls me three or four times a week," stated Kamissoko, according to Cardinal Authority. "We just catch up. He asks me how my day is. We have been talking about visits, but we're trying to get it right."

Now, the Friars are the next team to earn a visit, as Tipton reports that Kamissoko will visit Providence on Oct. 23-25. The New York native has earned over 30 offers from major programs like Kentucky, Illinois, Alabama, BYU, North Carolina State, Virginia, and others. He recently took an official visit to Florida State, but after Providence landed this visit, the Friars are now the new frontrunner with an 18.3 percent chance of landing the 5-star, according to Rivals' prediction meter.

The 6-foot-8, 180-pound small forward ranks as high as No. 8 overall, No. 3 among small forwards, and No. 1 from New York.

As for Gibson, Louisville got good news from the elite guard, as he is inside his final 10 and is hosting the 5-star this weekend. Gibson has already set multiple visits, with Louisville on Sept. 4-6, UConn (Sept. 13-15), Arkansas (Sept. 21-23), LSU (Sept. 25-27), and Baylor (Oct. 9-11), and now, right before UConn, he will reportedly visit Providence on September 11.

Gibson is a combo guard and ranks as the best in the nation, with a No. 5 overall ranking and No. 1 among combo guards. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard averaged 15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game last season, and averaged 16.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from beyond the arc during the Nike EYBL Circuits.

The Providence Friars are quickly emerging as a real threat to Louisville’s efforts to land these two 5-stars. The Cardinals are in a good place with Gibson, but are still working on getting that visit with Kamissoko. Kelsey has landed a 5-star in back-to-back recruiting classes, and these two recruits are emerging as real targets for Louisville, but Providence is trying its best to put up a real fight with Kelsey.

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