It is no secret that Louisville basketball landed a program-changing prospect, Mikel Brown Jr.
The 6-foot-4, 165-pound guard is native from Orlando Fla. and is a consensus elite point guard in the class of 2025. He is ranked as high as the best point guard in the class by Rivals, On3, and 247Sports Composite.
The highest he is ranked nationally is by 247Sports, as he comes in ranked No. 6 overall. ESPN and On3 have him ranked at No. 8, and Rivals has him ranked No. 10. Brown currently attends DME Academy in Orlando, Fla. and has had one of the best seasons in the entire nation. The future Cardinal is averaging 29.6 points, 2.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. On top of that the five-star prospect also is shooting the ball at one of the best splits at 62.7% from the field, and 61.5% from beyond the arc, per MaxPreps.
Well, Brown not only is a unanimous 5-star prospect, a unanimous top-10 prospect in the class of 2025, a unanimous top three point guard in the class, a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he also is the second-highest recruit to commit to Louisville basketball in their 111-year program, according to 247Sports.
Why Louisville basketball's signing of Mikel Brown Jr. so historic and important
Mikel Brown Jr. received offers from nearly 25 schools, and he officially inked the papers and committed to Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals on Jan. 1, 2025.
Brown went and visited the Cardinals back in September, 2024, and would later receive his official offer on Nov. 24, 2024, and that was all she wrote. Brown Jr. would go on to praise head coach Pat Kelsey and he was one of the main reasons he committed to UofL.
"Play style and just the environment, and what the type of environment I am going to be stepping into." Brown said on why he picked Louisville. "Like I said, that energy, and positive energy that PK (Pat Kelsey) and his coaching staff brings is definitely a place that you want to be in and the people you want to surround yourself with."
Well, Louisville landed an absolute stud, and kudos to Pat Kelsey and that staff, because Mikel Brown Jr. cracked the history books. 247Sports Composite ranks his official grade as a five-star, but a score of 0.9969, which is now Louisville basketball second-best recruit in the history of the program.
The only other prospect that committed to Louisville was Samardo Samuels, who had a prospect score of 0.9985, and was a unanimous five-star prospect out of St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark N.J.
Brown already has etched his name in Louisville basketball history books, and he hasn't even stepped foot onto campus yet. It is safe to say a lot of pressure will be on Brown, but the sky is the limit and Louisville basketball fans are just excited to see him bring this culture to the next level.
Last season Brown was seen playing for the Cold Hearts in Overtime Elite league, and he stacked the stat sheet with 13.4 points, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds. He would up his production in the postseason, as he averaged 15.3 points, 6.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
However, Brown really made a name for himself when he popped off over the summer when he played for Team Loaded at the Adidas 3SSB circuit. The 6-foot-4 point guard put up a stellar stat sheet of 23.5 points per game, with an addition of 3.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds as well.
Later that summer Mikel Brown Jr. would lace up with hopefully future Louisville basketball five-star commit Nate Ament at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, where Brown and Ament helped win gold for Team USA. Brown would go on to start in every game and average 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
Brown will become Louisville basketball's first McDonald's All-American since Samuell Williamson back in 2022. The game will be played 6:30 p.m. local time on April 1, where Cardinals fans will also find out if Nate Ament commits to Louisville or not.
Mikel Brown Jr. being the second highest commit in Louisville basketball is a huge accomplishment, as it means he was recruited higher than players like Donovan Mitchell, Amir Johnson, and Terry Rozier, all players in the NBA.
So, the floor is set, and Brown has a lot of expectations, but like he said in a recent interview, he only has one goal and that is to win a National Championship.