Louisville Men's Basketball 2025-26 Roster Outlook 1.0

We might be just two weeks following the end year one of the Pat Kelsey era, but it's never too early to take a glimpse into the future and look at how the 2025-26 roster for the Louisville men's basketball program could shake out.

While there are still a few roster spots left to fill, the Cardinals are starting to get some idea as to what Team 111 will look like when they lace 'em up for the first time.

Departures and Arrivals

While there hasn't been nearly the roster movement that Louisville saw last offseason when Kelsey had to bring in a completely new roster, there are a handful of moving pieces.

For starters, the Cardinals are losing six players to graduation: center Frank Anselem-Ibe, guard/forward Terrence Edwards Jr., guard Chucky Hepburn, guard Reyne Smith, forward Aboubacar Traore and forward Noah Waterman. Louisville has also lost a player to the transfer portal in guard Koren Johnson.

Two players to keep tabs on are guard/forward J'Vonne Hadley and forward Kasean Pryor. Both are fifth-year seniors, but have the option of getting one more year of eligibility thanks to the Diego Pavia ruling. That being said, neither has officially announced their decision. For the sake of this piece, we'll be operating as if they are not returning, since the extra year isn't just handed to them and they actually have to accept it.

To counter all those departing players, Kelsey and Co. have already gotten the ball rolling on supplementing them with high-end talent.

In their 2025 recruiting class, we already know about Daytona Beach (Fla.) DME Academy point guard Mikel Brown Jr. and German forward/center Sananda Fru, who are five- and four-star prospects in the cycle, respectively. But this past week, the Cardinals have made some serious waves in the transfer portal.

Xavier guard Ryan Conwell, Virginia guard Isaac McKneely and Kennesaw State guard Adrian Wooley all announced this week that they will be continuing their collegiate careers with the Cardinals. According to the On3 Industry ranking, all three transfers are top-15 players in the portal as of this writing.

Projected Depth Chart

Given all that we know now about the current state of Louisville's roster, below is an early look into what the depth chart next year could look like:

*mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*

Probable Starting Rotation

Depth Chart by Position

It's not hyperbole to say that Louisville will have one of the best backcourts in all of college basketball next season, if not the best. They have four elite level guards, and they all do something just a little bit different. Like we saw during the McDonald's All-American Game, Brown is one of the best passers in high school regardless of class, and can also score at a high level as well - especially the three. As for Wooley, who was a First-Team All-C-USA selection as a true freshman, he is an incredibly athletic and crafty finisher around the rim, but also provides some elite level three-point shooting, and to an extent playmaking capabilities with his passing. With Conwell, who earned Third-Team All-Big East honors, he also excels at getting to the paint, but does it with his ability to play through contact vs. trying to blaze right past it. And of course, he's also very adept at the three ball. That being said, McKneely, an All-ACC honorable mention, is without a doubt the best three-point shooter currently on the roster, and will essentially be this season's Reyne Smith. But considering he's just okay at creating his own shot, he probably comes off the bench in what currently is likely goin to be a three-guard starting lineup. While Brown will get the bulk of the ball-handling responsibilities, don't count out Kobe Rodgers' abilities whenever Brown has to catch his breath. He was the starting point guard Kelsey's final team at Charleston, and he can bring a lot to the table in terms of playmaking ability - whether that's scoring or passing.

As it stands right now, the wing/small forward is the most thin spot on the roster right now. That being said, there are some options here. While a bit undersized for the role, Conwell has the physicality to be able to handle it, although he's not much of a slasher. In this aforementioned role, that would likely go to Rooths. However, he's going to have to take a step forward. While he showed flashes of how high his ceiling can be as a true freshman, he'll have to become much more consistent with it. Outside of those two, there's not really anyone onthe roster who can play the traditionall three spot. If Louisville can get Hadley back for one more year, that would be a massive development.

Down in the frontcourt, the Cardinals have three options between two starting spots (unless Kelsey decides to go with a four-guard lineup, which might not be the worst idea). Unless Pryor decides to come back, the power forward spot is going to go to Khalifa. It's well estbalished that he is one of the best passing big men in all of college basketball, and while we doesn't give off "stretch four" vibes, he's hit almost 100 threes in his career. Then you take into account how he has transformed his physique, and he'll be able bang bodies down low as well. At the true center spot is where we'll find Scott. He showed that he can play at the ACC level and was a useful asset for Louisville, but he'll have to work on two things: becoming a much more consistent rim protector on defense, and his post moves on offense. Far too often, it seemed like Scott's only offensive game was catching lobs from Chucky Hepburn (which he did very well, but that can't be the only thing he does). The wildcard here is Fru, as he can play both positions. He's a lot more mobile than you would expect from a big man, has great touch on his shot, and has a relentless and physical motor. How will playing overseas translate to the college basketball? Time will tell, but there is a lot to like with his game.

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