Louisville '24 Target Carter Bryant Commits to Arizona

The California wing, who is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2024, was down to the Cardinals and Wildcats.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program has been on a recruiting heater since the end of their first season under head coach Kenny Payne. Over the last month, they've landed a pair of top-30 2023 prospects in center Dennis Evans and reclass guard/forward Trentyn Flowers, as well as former Illinois guard and five-star prospect Skyy Clark.

Unfortunately, that momentum was not parlayed into the recruitment of one of their top targets in the 2024 cycle. Newport Coast (Calif.) Sage Hill small forward Carter Bryant announced Wednesday that he has committed to Arizona over Louisville.

Losing out on Bryant surely wasn't for a lack of effort in recruiting him, as he was established early on as one of Louisville's top targets in the cycle. Last summer, assistant coach Nolan Smith watched him at the Section Seven showcase in Phoenix, and all four coaches on staff got to see him at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Orlando. Payne also conducted an in-person visit last September, and Bryant took an official visit to campus this past November.

However, the long-standing connections with Arizona and their staff is what won out in the end. The Wildcats had been in touch with him since early 2021, he had an aunt that attended UofA, he had made a handful of unofficial visits and also took his most recent official visit to Arizona in February.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound wing ranks as the top player in the state of California, the top small forward in the class and No. 4 prospect in the nation according to 247Sports' in-house rankings.

While coming up short in the Carter Bryant sweepstakes is a big blow to recruiting in the 2024 cycle for Louisville, there are still plenty of options available. As of this writing, Payne and his staff have offered scholarships to eight committed 2024 prospects, and that number is sure to rise as we progress into the summer months.

Louisville currently sports just one commitment in the 2024 cycle, coming in the form of Montclair (N.J.) Immaculate Conception point guard T.J. Robinson.

(Photo of Carter Bryant: Matt Szabo - Los Angeles Times)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter