Recruiting is the fastest way for the Louisville basketball program to get back to being a top program. They need great players who can win games and establish a culture of winning. New coach Pat Kelsey knows this and he has already started to hit the recruiting trail pretty hard.
A few top recruits are considering the Cardinals already. That's great, but no commitments have happened yet. Kelsey has to keep pushing on the recruiting trail until he does get those commitments. Now, another top prospect is considering Louisville.
JJ Mandaquit, a four-star recruit from the state of Utah, is considering the Cardinals. He has them in his final nine schools, which is good news. Mandaquit stands at 6'1 and 190 pounds and is listed as the eighth-best point guard in the 2025 recruiting class.
Four-star recruit has Louisville in his final nine schools
Other than Louisville, Mandaquit is considering USC, Hawaii, Cal, Tennessee, Creighton, Washington, BYU, and Virginia. As you can see, he's clearly not tied to any geographic region of the country. That means the Cardinals have a real shot to land him if they can get him on campus for another visit.
I say another visit because Mandaquit will be visiting the Louisville basketball program on August 31st. That will be Kelsey's first big chance to make an impression on him and show all that the Cardinals have to offer. He would be a good addition to the team.
There's no indication right now when Manaquit might make his final decision. He still has a lot of visits to make before he commits somewhere. On the court, Mandaquit's shooting and passing make him a valuable asset. The Cardinals need more guys who can spread the floor.
Hopefully, the visit at the end of the month goes well.