The team
Tony Hicks transferred from Pennsylvania and should bring leadership and three point accuracy (over 37% from distance in his last year), V.J. King is a top recruitment and Ryan McMahon is a superb shooter with a smooth touch. Mangok Mathiang will be back after being sidelined for the whole season last year. The only remaining good news is coach Rick Pitino, because the rotation will be reduced to 7 bodies and he will have to make up for the losses of Damion Lee, Chinanu Onuaku and Trey Lewis, who combined for 37.1 points, 15,8 rebounds and 5.9 assists. As if that is not hard enough, the scandal that shook the campus last year, bringing the team to ban itself from postseason play, might have repercussions on this new season.
Last season
It is hard to assess Louisville’s season without the tournament, but the team was on the rise just before the ban and, despite a lack of motivation following the suspension, still finished 4th in the Acc (better than Duke, Notre Dame and Syracuse) and with the second best defense in the Ncaa (per Kenpom).
The coach: Rick Pitino
Fast pace, long rotations and plenty of motivations. That’s Pitino’s basketball, a hall of fame coach who proved over and over that his brand is extremely reliable. He has the ability to choose the right players (raise your hand if this time last year you thought Donovan Mitchell was this good) and help them grow up. He said he will try to play at a faster pace next season, forcing more turnovers. That seems like a lot of fun.
Quentin Snider – Louisville
Key player: Quentin Snider (PG,Jr)
Pitino himself helped with the choice here after naming Snider the player that will determine the faith of the Cardinals. That’s putting a lot on the shoulder of the third year PG, although he already showed huge overall improvements in his game, starting with his leadership, and proved he can handle things while under pressure.
Prospects: Donovan Mitchell (G, So), Ray Spalding (SF/PF, So), Mankog Mathiang (C, Sr)
Louisville is a weird team that every season sees an unexpected year from a player that nobody saw coming, which is exactly what happened for all the ex Cardinals now in the Nba (Gorgui Dieng, Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier). That’s why the list above includes the three names who might have the biggest upside and reach the Nba. Mitchell lost weight during summer, his athleticism is at Nba level already (check the video below) and is excellent on defense. He is shooting 25% from beyond the arc, though, and that has to change. Spalding is a 6-9 PF with great verticality and defensive instinct who will have to refine his role despite putting up a few pounds of muscles in the offseason. Mathiang is a defensive-oriented center who can grab rebounds, help on defense and protect the rim. He might be a physically stronger version of Dieng.
Likely starting five
PG – Quentin Snider (Jr)
SG – Donovan Mitchell (So)
SF – Deng Adel (So)
SF/PF – Ray Spalding (So)
PF – Jaylen Johnson (Jr)
Relevant players from the past
Pervis Ellison, Wes Unseld, Darrell Griffith
Video
