Louisville Men's Basketball 2023-24 Roster Outlook 2.0
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It might be the first week of May, but it's never too early to take a glimpse into the future and look at how the 2023-24 roster for the Louisville men's basketball program could shake out.
While there are still a couple roster spots left to fill, the Cardinals are starting to get some idea as to what Team 110 will look like when they lace 'em up for the first time.
Departures and Arrivals
Following the massive amount of roster movement in both directions for the program over the first two weeks of the offseason, things have been relatively quiet since in this regard. In fact, there have only been two moving pieces when it comes to the roster since our first update over a month ago. However, one of those moves is a big one
After originally declaring for the NBA while maintaining his eligibility, guard El Ellis took this one step further. Despite originally saying that he would not be looking to go to another school, the Cardinals' leading scorer did just that, entering the transfer portal back on Apr. 6 before committing to Arkansas roughly two weeks later.
Louisville has now seen seven players enter the portal on top of Ellis. Kamari Lands, Devin Ree and Fabio Basili all entered just three days after the season ended; then Sydney Curry, Roosevelt Wheeler and Jae'Lyn Withers did so not long after.
Making up for Ellis' departure, Louisville was able to dip back into the transfer portal, although who they got was surprising to say the least. On Apr. 28, the Cardinals landed Danilo Jovanovich, a former Miami forward who was a top-200 prospect in the 2022 cycle. He played just one game last season due to an ankle injury.
Jovanovich adds to an impressive - albeit imbalanced - crop of newcomers for next season. Louisville's four high school signees - Trentyn Flowers, Dennis Evans, Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr. - are all at least a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, with the first two ranked as five-stars by various services. Former Illinois guard Skyy Clark and JUCO transfer guard Koron Davis are also in the fold.
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:
Depth Chart by Position
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Skyy Clark | Trentyn Flowers | Mike James | Brandon Huntley-Hatfield | Emmanual Okorafor |
Koron Davis | Kaleb Glenn | J.J. Traynor | Dennis Evans | |
Curtis Williams Jr. | ||||
Danilo Jovanovich |
Depth Chart by Probable Rotation
Starters | Skyy Clark | Trentyn Flowers | Mike James | J.J. Traynor | Brandon Huntley-Hatfield |
Backups: | Koron Davis | Curtis Williams Jr. | Kaleb Glenn | Emmanual Okorafor | Dennis Evans |
Third String: | Danilo Jovanovich |
Landing Skyy Clark was a good first step at rebuilding the backcourt. He'll have to cut down on his turnovers and work on his defense, but he will still in all likelihood be the Cardinals' starter at the point regardless of how Louisville uses their last two open scholarships. That being said, Louisville absolutely needs another guard on this roster, especially a backup point guard. Trentyn Flowers has taken a lot of reps at the two guard in high school, as has Curtis Williams Jr., and Koron Davis has stuffed the stat sheet at the JUCO level, but all three are heading into their first reps at the D1 level. Not to mention that Flowers is a reclass and Davis is still an unranked prospect.
As it currently stands, the wing looks like it'll be Louisville's biggest strength heading into next season due in part to both returning production and roster versatility. Mike James was able to rebound fantastically from his Achilles injury to average double figures, J.J. Traynor took a large step forward, and there is a lot of promise in the three incoming freshman of Flowers, Williams and Kaleb Glenn. Plus, new transfer Danilo Jovanovich does give Louisville a potential shooting option if he can stay healthy and actually see consistent court time. However, James and Traynor will have to take significant strides over the offseason when it comes to their defense and rebounding, and time will tell how the newcomers on the wing develop. That being said, you have to like Louisville's upside here given that most of this group isn't pigeon-holed to just being a small forward, and that allows for some creative lineups.
It will be interesting to see to see how the front court develops heading into year two of the Payne era, considering it was regarded as Louisville's strength this time last year. This is especially true at the four spot. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was extremely inconsistent even before his injury, and while Traynor was one of the very few bright spots this past season, his lanky frame sometimes limits what he can do down in the paint. Center will be even more interesting considering both players here - Emmanuel Okorafor and Dennis Evans - are both still raw prospects. Time will tell how much the offseason will benefit Okorafor after joining midseason, and Evans - a 7-foot-1 defensive specialist - needs to continue adding weight and improving his play on offense.
(Photo of Mike James: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)
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