Louisville Guard J'Vonne Hadley to Return for 2025-26 Season

One of the most underrated players for the Louisville men's basketball program this past season is running it back.

Fifth-year guard J'Vonne Hadley will indeed take advantage of his extra year of eligibility and return for the 2025-26 season, he announced Tuesday.

"CardNation... let's run it back," Hadley said in a video posted to Twitter/X, accompanied with the caption "unfinished business."

Under normal circumstances, this past season would have been Hadley's final year in college. However, in the wake of the Diego Pavia ruling, the NCAA ruled that players who had previously played at the JUCO level, and whose eligibility was set to expire after this season, were granted a blanket waiver to play the 2025-26 season. This included Hadley, who played his junior season at Indian Hills Community College.

That being said, Hadley was not sure if he would come back for another season of college basketball. The St. Paul, Minnesota native had been mulling hanging up his shoes after this year, and getting a head start on a career in the real estate industry.

"Definitely going to talk to my family, and first and foremost just recover - both mentally and physically. Talk to the coaching staff, talk to my family, and see what's best for my career," Hadley told WAVE3's Dusty Baker after Louisville's season-ending loss to Creighton.

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound guard might not have earned All-ACC honors in his first season as a Cardinal, but he played a critical role in their success. He was the only player to start all 35 games, averaged 12.2 points per game, and also led the team in rebounding at 7.3 boards and three-point shooting percentage at 38.1. Hadley also shot 51.8 percent from the field and averaged 1.8 assists per game.

Hadley joined Louisville last offseason as a transfer from Colorado, where he had spent the prior two seasons. He spent his true freshman campaign at Northeastern, then played the 2021-22 season with Indian Hills Community College. There, he earned NJCAA First-Team All-American honors, averaging 10.9 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.8 percent from the field.

Roster construction has been in full swing for Louisville since the end of their 2024-25 season. Guard Koren Johnson entered the transfer portal, while former Kennesaw State guard Adrian Wooley and former Xavier guard Ryan Conwell have both joined the fold.

Louisville is coming off of a successful year one under head coach Pat Kelsey. The Cardinals went 27-8 overall, winning more games than over the previous three seasons combined, resulting in Kelsey winning ACC Coach of the Year. UofL made their return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 - although it resulted in a first round exit to Creighton.

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