Pat Kelsey pieced together one of the best rosters in all of college basketball. The Cardinals earned commitments from two 5-star players and multiple 4-star players, whether from the Transfer Portal or the 2025 class.
The Cardinals' depth is no joke. This team is loaded with talent and is poised for a breakout season. Louisville basketball's depth runs so deep that the fans have been arguing all summer long over who will start for Kelsey's Cardinals when the first game rolls around.
Well, Kelsey was asked about his depth and how to keep players happy if they are not starting, and he gave an update for the fans on where he stands with the starting lineup and what this program's biggest strength is heading into the 2025-26 season.
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Pat Kelsey reveals Louisville basketball's biggest strength
Louisville will run Mikel Brown Jr. at the point guard position, and after that, it has been complete and utter chaos trying to predict who will start. The Cardinals fans have been trying out just about every possible rotation and mix available.
At his press conference on Wednesday, Kelsey provided an update on his starting lineup and his current standing. While he didn't list the players or who is currently starting as of today, he did tell the fans that the key to success next season lies in the Cardinals' depth, and he feels that this is this team's biggest strength.
"One of the strengths of our team is our depth," Kelsey stated. "We talk all the time of the power of the unit. We thought last year the strength of our team was our depth, but then you had injury, and injury, and injury, and then you get down to the NCAA Tournament, and it was like, where the crap is everybody?"
Louisville got hit by the injury bug big-time last season, but with the roster Kelsey has put together for next season, the program and the fans are confident in anyone who steps foot on the floor. The Cardinals' locker room is full of players who could start on any team in the nation.
So, while everyone is trying to predict the starting lineup, Kelsey is letting us know that the strength of this team lies in its depth, and who starts and who doesn't isn't what's important.
"The strength in our team is strength in numbers, and we got a locker room and a program full of guys that are two feet in on winning and being a championship-caliber program," Kelsey stated on his roster's biggest strength. "We think we have some of the most competitive practices in the country, and that is where roles are defined, and thats where minutes are starting to be divvied up and that process will go all through the fall into the first game, but I think everybody is probably saying right now this time of the year depth is our strength. I truly believe we have one of the deepest teams in the country, and it will be a major weapon for us."
When you look at the roster past Brown, you immediately think of the guards and the shooters in Adrian Wooley, Isaac McKneely, and Ryan Conwell. Then you think about the veteran players who will be crucial leaders in J'Vonne Hadley, Kasean Pryor, Kobe Rodgers, and Aly Khalifa. Then add international stars who will provide grit and strength, such as Mouhammad Camara, Sananda Fru, and Evangelos Zougris. And on top of that, add a 4-star commit and 6-foot-10 forward Khani Rooths, who is taking massive strides from last season.
This roster is loaded with talent, and Kelsey is spot on with this team's biggest strength. It's crazy to think he has to pick five players to start and has to distribute the minutes around. Louisville's depth is one of the best, if not the best, in the nation, and there is no reason this team should not be playing into late March and early April.
Related: Mikel Brown Jr.’s breakout proves Louisville basketball has an unsolvable problem
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason, stay tuned.