Power Forward: Kasean Pryor
The power forward and center positions are going to be harder to predict. It is uncertain if J'Vonne Hadley will return for his final year of eligibility. We predicted earlier that he would transfer after the Cardinals brought in their three shooting guards and are going to stand by that. Hadley played some power-forward minutes last season, but it was exploited against elite teams. At 6 feet 6 inches, he should be a small forward.
The power forward position will depend on whether Kasean Pryor returns to the Cardinals. We will stick with our gut and predict that he will return, making him Kelsey's starting power forward. Pryor played in just six games last season, and in November, he suffered a torn ACL, ending his 2025-25 season.
The 6-foot-10, 225-pound power forward scored 15 points or more in two games last season, including his season-high 21-point performance against Bellarmine. Pryor can space the floor out as he can shoot some midrange jumpers, but he puts a lot of his work down on the block. Last season before he tore his ACL, he averaged 12 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 36.8 percent from the floor.
Before transferring to Kelsey and the Cardinals, he spent a season with USF, averaging 13 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc. Pryor has the skill set to knock a few jumpers down from the 3-point line as he splashed 37 3-pointers in the 2023-24 season. Last year with the Cardinals, he connected five 3-pointers in his seven games.
The power forward could also be James Scott, someone from the transfer portal, or 5-star recruit Nate Ament, but as of now, we are predicting Pryor will return to Louisville and secure the starting role in the power forward position.
It was reported that Ament is currently leaning towards Arkansas and Duke, so while we would love to predict him in this lineup, it doesn't seem likely anymore. As of today, we are predicting that Ament will commit to the Duke Blue Devils.
Related: 3 Cardinals that Louisville basketball must bring back for the 2025-26 season