Pat Kelsey makes stunning Louisville basketball decision that fans didn't see coming

Louisville basketball is taking on Boston College this afternoon, and the story of the day is that former G League commit London Johnson is now available and suiting up. The Cardinals fans have been asking for Johnson to suit up with Mikel Brown Jr.’s injury, and now it appears it will happen.

Brown has missed the last five games and will miss today’s game, making it six in a row due to back pain. The former 5-star recruit out of high school has been dealing with back spasms and discomfort for a month now, keeping him off the court. So, with Louisville’s backcourt taking a major hit and the Cardinals losing three of their last five, Pat Kelsey decided to get his G-League commit involved and suit him up after all.

Pat Kelsey activates London Johnson after recent injuries

Johnson was redshirting this season, as he has been on the sideline since December, but with Brown and now Ryan Conwell out, it is official, as the former G-League guard will play and suit up this afternoon. When Kelsey was asked whether Johnson might be pulled from his redshirt season, Kelsey made it clear it was no after the Duke loss; however, it appears things changed quickly.

No, there’s no thought to that right now,” Kelsey stated on possibly playing Johnson this season after the Duke loss.

Coming out of high school, Johnson was a 4-star recruit and was ranked as high as No. 46 in his recruiting class and the No. 8 combo guard. He bypassed college and offers from big-time programs like Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee, choosing to play in the G League, where he signed a two-year deal with the G League Ignite worth $1.1 million.

Johnson started in a combined 22 games in his three seasons with the G-League, with 14 coming in the 2022-23 season and eight coming in the 2023-24 season. During his three years, he shot 43 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. His most productive season came in 2023-24, where he averaged 10.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.2 rebounds. In his first season, he averaged similar numbers at 10.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds.

Now, with Brown being injured and Conwell out today, it appears Kelsey was forced to suit his redshirt guard. Louisville has lost two straight and is 2-3 without its starting point guard. The Cardinals have huge stretch of games coming up as they will face No. 23 Virginia, No. 6 Duke, and No. 24 SMU all this month.

For all the latest on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.