Louisville basketball secured its fourth win of the 2025-26 season yesterday in a dominant 106-81 victory over Ohio. The Cardinals fans saw more unselfish basketball with Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell taking charge yet again. Conwell let the Cardinals in scoring with 22 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
As for Brown Jr., the 5-star freshman is sending a message to future recruits about why Louisville is the perfect spot for elite high school recruits. He dominated both ends of the floor, finishing with 19 points, seven assists, and one steal while shooting 45 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
Louisville's head coach, Pat Kelsey, talked to the media after the game yesterday, and the Cards' head coach delivered a passionate message on why future 4-stars and 5-stars should play for Louisville.
Related: 5 immediate observations after Louisville basketball's dominant win over Ohio
Pat Kelsey gives passionate message why recruits should play for Louisville
Brown Jr. is a historic commitment in Louisville history as the 5-star point guard is the second-highest rated commitment in program history. Brown Jr. was ranked as high as No. 6 in the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 1 point guard, and through four games, he is proving he is worth all the hype.
The Cards were hoping Brown Jr. was going to be the start of a new recruiting era, but Louisville hasn't had much luck when it comes to the 2026 recruiting class. Yesterday, after the game, when Kelsey discussed his style of play and his 5-star status, he gave a passionate answer that served as a massive recruiting pitch to future recruits.
"You look at Mikel, Mikel was hooping," Kelsey stated after the game Saturday afternoon. "You talk about some of those other guards who decide to go somewhere else, fine. You come to Louisville, we are going to hoop, and we are going to have fun. We are going to play fast, and we are going to share it. Why wouldn't you want to play here?"
Louisville has missed out on some key 5-stars and 4-stars in the 2026 recruiting class, as the Cardinals struck out on Louisville native and No. 1 overall recruit Tyran Stokes, and No. 1 point guard in the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes. They were also unlucky to have a top 20 recruit in Colben Landrew and a top 30 recruit, Marcus Johnson.
So, while things aren't going as planned for Kelsey and recruiting in the 2026 recruiting class, he decided to speak up and tell these recruits to look at Brown Jr. and the style they are playing at. Kelsey clearly isn't losing sleep over missing out on these recruits. Brown Jr. is the proof that Louisville is the place to be for elite playmakers, and he isn't just dominating, but he is having fun out there on the court.
Louisville has one commitment in the 2026 recruiting class so far, but, as Kelsey stated, Brown Jr. is the proof that Louisville is emerging as one of the top spots for elite guards. Kelsey's massive recruiting pitch hopefully can help the Cards attract more recruits to commit to the 2026 recruiting class, but it is becoming clear that he is going to have to dominate the Transfer Portal again, most likely.
Related: Mikel Brown Jr. sends passionate message to Louisville fans after taking down UK
For all the latest news and updates on the Louisville basketball 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.