Louisville Men's Basketball 2023-24 Roster Outlook 4.0
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - College basketball season might be roughly six months away from making its return, but the roster for the Louisville men's basketball program is, likely, finally complete.
As of this writing, the Cardinals have now filled all 13 of their scholarships spots for the the 2023-24 season. Between players moving on to the next step in their respective careers and newcomers donning the red and black for the first time, the Cardinals will look a lot different in year two of the Kenny Payne era.
Departures and Arrivals
After weeks of clamoring from the fanbase, Louisville finally landed another scholarship point guard earlier this week. Ty-Laur Johnson, who had previously been committed to Memphis until backing off of his verbal pledge last month, committed to the Cardinals as their 13th and final scholarship player.
Johnson is one of nine newcomers on Louisville's roster for the upcoming season, and one of five high school prospects. The Cardinals' five high school signees - Johnson, Trentyn Flowers, Dennis Evans, Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr. - are all at least a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite. JUCO transfer guard Koron Davis is also in the fold, and the six players comprise of the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation.
The other three newcomers are Division I transfers. Former Illinois guard Skyy Clark, former Miami forward Danilo Jovanovich and former USC guard/forward Tre White are also joining Louisville next season, and together, they make up the No. 27 transfer portal class in the nation, according to 247Sports.
Louisville's nine additions make up for the seven transfer portal defections they have seen since the end of their 2022-23 campaign. Kamari Lands, Devin Ree and Fabio Basili all entered just three days after the season ended; then Sydney Curry, Roosevelt Wheeler, Jae'Lyn Withers and El Ellis did so not long after.
Only Mike James, J.J. Traynor, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Emmanuel Okorafor are the scholarship returners for year two under Payne. Hercy Miller is also back, but has been reverted to a walk-on.
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 | Tre White | Mike James | Brandon Huntley-Hatfield | Emmanuel Okorafor |
Ty-Laur Johnson | Trentyn Flowers | Kaleb Glenn | J.J. Traynor | Dennis Evans |
Koron Davis | Curtis Williams Jr. | |||
Danilo Jovanovich |
Depth Chart by Probable Rotation
Starters: | Skyy Clark | Tre White | Mike James | J.J. Traynor | Brandon Huntley-Hatfield |
Backups: | Ty-Laur Johnson | Trentyn Flowers | Kaleb Glenn | Emmanuel Okorafor | Dennis Evans |
Third String: | Koron Davis | Curtis Williams Jr. | Danilo Jovanovich |
Losing El Ellis undoubtedly hurts, but landing both Skyy Clark and Ty-Laur Johnson is a good consolation prize, not to mention that there are now two viable options at the point instead of one. Both do seem to have slight issues with turnovers, but each player has floor general traits to them that Louisville desperately needed. Over at the two guard, there is a fair amount of inexperience, but also a lot of potential. Tre White will have to improve his three-point shooting, but he has incredible upside thanks to his length, athleticism and scoring ability. Both Trentyn Flowers and Curtis Williams Jr. have taken a lot of backcourt reps in high school, and Koron Davis stuffed the stat sheet at the JUCO level, but all three are heading into their first reps at the D1 level. Flowers has the best chance at seeing significant on-court time right out of the gates, but time will tell how he fairs in year one considering he is a reclass.
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. Not to mention that White has the versatility to play two through four, and 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 J.J. Traynor: Matt Stone - Louisville Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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