Center Aly Khalifa Officially Signs with Louisville

Khalifa is the fifth newcomer to be officially announced by the Cardinals.

Mar 20, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Brigham Young Cougars center Aly Khalifa (50) / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program has officially signed former BYU center Aly Khalifa, the program announced Wednesday. He intends to redshirt the 2024-25 season.

Khalifa is the fifth of 13 newcomers for the 2024-25 season to be officially announced by the Cardinals. Guard Reyne Scott, center James Scott, guard/forward Terrence Edwards Jr. and guard J'Vonne Hadley were all officially signed on Tuesday.

"Aly is one of the best passing big men in all of basketball," head coach Pat Kelsey said in a statement. "His assist to turnover ratio is astonishingly positive. He plays the game with a level of intelligence and creativity that is rare to see. He's a high IQ player that has been well coached throughout his basketball career. Aly's unselfishness and passion for helping others extends off the court as well. He has a fantastic heart and a great way about him."

Playing his first season at the power conference level after spending his first two years at Charlotte, the 6-foot-11, 255-pound center saw his production dip some, but still proved to be one of the best passing big men in the nation. In 29 games and 26 starts, Khalifa averaged 4.0 assists to just 1.1 turnovers per game, with his 3.59 assist-to-turnover ratio ranking seventh in D1. He also put up 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, and shot 38.6 percent from the field plus 31.5 percent on threes.

His best season came as a sophomore at Charlotte in 2022-23, when he averaged 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 34 starts. As a true freshman with the 49ers, Khalifa was named the Conference USA Rookie of the Year after putting up 7.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 32 appearances and 30 starts.

While Khalifa is an Egyptian native born in Alexandria, he played his prep ball at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, where there was a connection forged to the new UofL staff. During Khalifa's time down under, Louisville assistant coach Michael Cassidy worked at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence, which worked alongside the NBA Global Academy.

Not long after the end of Louisville's disastrous 2023-24 campaign, one which resulted in the firing of second-year head coach Kenny Payne, the Cardinals' roster began to flip. All 12 of Louisville's scholarship players entered the portal, with only walk-on guard Aidan McCool in line to return.

Fortunately, Kelsey has done a fantastic job of roster construction since his hiring on Mar. 28, bringing in 12 Division I transfers and one high school prospect. Their transfer portal class ranks No. 1 in the nation, according to On3.

(Photo of Aly Khalifa: Steven Branscombe - USA TODAY Sports)

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