The answer to Louisville's biggest offseason question is right in front of them

Louisville basketball's glaring weakness last season was its inability to consistently shoot from beyond the arc. The Cardinals lived and died downtown, and this was one of the main X-factors that cost them their season against the Creighton Bluejays.

Louisville shot just 27 percent against Creighton in their NCAA Tournament matchup. That poor performance should have been expected, as the Cards shot 27.8 percent front downtown in their final five games and 27 percent against their eight NCAA Tournament opponents.

Louisville basketball has shown that a major concern they are addressing in the transfer portal is their poor shooting. Pat Kelsey just landed the third-ranked player in the portal, Adrian Wooley. The sharpshooter from Kennesaw State connected on 73 threes in his freshman campaign and shot 42 percent from beyond the arc.

The Cardinals fan base has been begging for shooters all offseason, and while Kelsey needs to address this concern, some fans may have forgotten about the lethal shooter coming to the program next fall.

Louisville basketball's 5-star commit wins the McDonalds All-American 3-point contest

Earlier this year, on Jan. 1, Kelsey and the Cardinals landed a historic commitment: The unanimous No. 1 point guard and consensus 5-star recruit Mikel Brown Jr. committed to the Louisville Cardinals.

Brown is already projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and is expected to elevate this Cardinals program to National Championship contenders. While this 5-star commit is an elite facilitator and ball-handler, he can take over from anywhere on the court, and that was displayed last night at the McDonald's All-American Game Sprite Jam Fest.

The Cardinals have been searching for a lethal shooter in the transfer portal, and while they will need a backup for Wooley, it is essential to remind the fans that Brown is an elite shotmaker, including from beyond the arc.

The future Cardinal displayed his ability to catch fire last night in the 3-point contest as he splashed his first eight shots in the championship round and would make his first 14 of 15 shots, including going five-for-five from the moneyball rack at the top of the key.

Brown scored a record-breaking 28 points, connecting on 19 of his 25 shots. The sharpshooter ended his impressive 3-point contest run, turning around before the ball went in and celebrating with his McDonald's All-American teammates.

Related: The next big thing in College Basketball is heading to Louisville basketball

Brown has had an impressive McDonald's All-American camp, as he is putting all scouts on notice. The Cardinals' future point guard is playing at an elite level before the official McDonald's All-American Game tonight at 9 EST.

The 247Sports National Basketball Director Eric Bossi said this about Brown's dominance in the scrimmages.

"If Louisville fans could have been inside the building, they would have been foaming at the mouth. He's still a little bit on the slight side when it comes to his build, but his game is swollen with skill, creativity, and shot-making. Brown is a pretty explosive athlete, but the way he saves that explosion for when he needs it, shot-making from deep, and just overall playmaking for others was on full display Saturday."

The 5-star point guard averaged 29.6 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 62.7% from the floor and 61.5% from the 3-point line, per MaxPreps. During his time with Team Loaded at the Adidas 3SSB circuit over the summer he shot an impressive 45/40/91 shooting split.

The Cardinals still need to find that missing bench piece, but it is important to remind the Cardinals fans how quick Brown can catch fire from beyond the arc. He displayed his full potential of shooting from downtown last night and Louisville basketball fans can't wait for him to be in that Cardinals uniform.