Louisville Makes Top Five for Tennessee Transfer Brandon Huntley-Hatfield
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kenny Payne might still be waiting for his first commitment since taking over as the Louisville men's basketball head coach, but he is continuing to insert the Cardinals into the mix for elite talent.
Former Tennessee forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield announced his top five schools Friday, with the Cardinals still in the running. Arizona State, Auburn, SMU and Wake Forest also made the cut.
The 6-foot-10, 246-pound forward had a minor role through the first three months of the 2021-22 season, but with Olivier Nkamhoua suffering a season-ending injury, he was inserted into the starting rotation for the final 13 games of the season.
Huntley-Hatfield averaged 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on 45.4 percent shooting for the entire season, but some of his better performances came in the postseason. In three SEC Tournament and two NCAA Tournament games, the freshman tallied 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent.
The Clarksville, Tenn. native was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, and ranked as the No. 26 player in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite. He was formerly the No. 4 player in the Class of 2022, according to ESPN, before reclassifying to 2021.
Huntley-Hatfield was actually offered by former Louisville head coach Chris Mack, and even included the Cardinals in his top eight back in August of 2020. Louisville, Auburn and Wake Forest were the only schools to make both lists.
Louisville has seen a fair amount of roster turnover since the end of their tumultuous 2021-22 season, one that saw them mutually part with Mack in January. The Cardinals have just five confirmed returners for next season in Sydney Curry, El Ellis, Mike James, Jae'Lyn Withers and J.J. Traynor.
They are currently waiting on decisions from Roosevelt Wheeler and '22 verbal commit Kamari Lands. Eight players from last season either entered the transfer portal or graduated.
(Photo of Brandon Huntley-Hatfield: Caitie McMekin - News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK)
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisville_report
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter