Louisville basketball is off to a scorching hot start in the Transfer Portal as the Cardinals have landed three commitments since Sunday. Pat Kelsey and the Cards have landed two commitments in the top 16 in Flory Bidunga, who ranks No. 1 overall, and Jackson Shelstad, who ranks No. 16 overall.
5 players on Louisville's Transfer Portal wish list after landing Karter Knox
They also recently landed Karter Knox, a former 5-star recruit out of high school who ranks No. 57 overall and No. 6 among small forwards. The Cardinals have lost five players to the Transfer Portal, including nine of their top 10 players from this past season. So, while Kelsey and company are dominating the portal early, they aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
With a lot of work to be done, Louisville has areas it needs to address. However, the power forward position is clearly Kelsey and Louisville’s glaring No. 1 priority at the moment.
The biggest Transfer Portal need Pat Kelsey must address is obvious
The Cards recently lost Kasean Pryor to the Transfer Portal, and while the 6-foot-10 power forward played only 6.5 minutes this past season, he is the fifth forward to enter the portal. Louisville is completely rebuilding its roster at the moment, and Kelsey is doing a phenomenal job, but the next position he must address is power forward, and from what is being reported, it seems he is.
Louisville is one of the top teams in conversation with Saint Mary’s transfer Paulius Murauskas and Iowa transfer Alvaro Folgueiras. Louisville was at one point the slight favorite to land Murauskas, but On3 Sports Joe Tipton reported that Arizona State has emerged as the new favorite, and now Louisville is working on landing Folgueiras.
The Cardinals landed a 100 percent prediction from On3 Sports to land the Iowa transfer, making it seem like Louisville is certainly the dominant favorite. When it comes to what Louisville needs, and this power forward position, a stretch four who can space out the floor is the dream addition, and that is exactly what Folgueiras would bring.
The Cardinals have their starting point guard in Shelstad, some guard depth with Adrian Wooley and London Johnson, Knox as the starting small forward, and Bidunga as the starting center. So, now Kelsey needs to get that stretch-four who can space the floor for Bidunga and Knox, and Folgueiras would be a perfect addition.
The 4-star transfer ranks No. 53 overall and No. 13 among power forwards after he averaged 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field and making 36 3’s. He has made 101 3-pointers in his career, including 45 in his sophomore season, where he shot 41.3 percent from beyond the arc with Robert Morris.
He was a key piece for the Hawkeyes this past NCAA Tournament run, scoring 14 points in the first and second rounds and 16 in the Sweet Sixteen.
While it seems the Cardinals are now favoring Folgueiras, Louisville fans will keep a close eye on both power forwards, as it is their next glaring area of need. Louisville is building an NCAA title-contending team for a second straight offseason, but it still has work to do. Kelsey has made huge additions with its frontcourt, but now he must go land his starting power forward.
Related: 5 forwards Louisville basketball must target after Kasean Pryor enters Transfer Portal
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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