Top Louisville Freshman Trentyn Flowers Leaving Program for Australia

The incoming true freshman was the Cardinals' highest-ranked signee in the Class of 2023.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program's roster for the upcoming 2023-24 season is taking a massive hit.

Incoming true freshman Trentyn Flowers, the Cardinals' highest-ranked signee in the Class of 2023, announced Monday that he will be leaving the program to pursue a professional opportunity in Australia with the NBL.

"This was not an easy decision, because playing for Louisville was also a dream of mine," Flowers wrote in a graphic posted to social media. "While my time in Louisville has been short, it has been an amazing experience and I can't thank you all enough. The coaching staff has been very supportive and has helped me tremendously this summer, and playing alongside such tremendous players was really inspiring. The love and support the entire city has shown me is something I'll never forget."

Originally a member of the Class of 2024 before reclassifying to the 2023 cycle when he committed to Louisville in March, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound wing ranks as high as the No. 4 small forward and the No. 18 player in the 2024 cycle, according to ESPN.

He is a 247Sports Composite five-star prospect in the 2023 class, coming in as the No. 23 overall player in the nation according to the metric. Out of the Cardinals five incoming freshman, Flowers is their highest-ranked.

“Earlier today, Trentyn and his family informed me of his decision to pursue a professional career overseas," head coach Kenny Payne said in a statement. "We’re certainly disappointed in his decision and the timing. We fully believe in the University of Louisville’s ability to help student-athletes reach their goals, including to play at the highest levels of professional basketball – and we’re confident that Trentyn could have achieved his dreams by making Louisville his home. However, we wish Trentyn and his family well in all of their future endeavors.”

During his junior year at Charlotte (N.C.) Combine Academy, Flowers averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26 games. After enrolling with Louisville in May, he also took part in training camp for a chance at making the 2023 USA U19 Men's National Team.

Flowers' decision to depart the program, as well as the timing of it, are undoubtedly significant blows to the Cardinals. After going just 4-28 overall last season to set the program record for most losses in a single season, Flowers was set to play a large role in a potential bounce back during year two of the Kenny Payne era. On top of that, with the season less than three months away, finding a potential replacement for Flowers will be next to impossible.

However, next season's roster will have plenty of new faces. Payne and his staff are welcoming transfers Skyy Clark, Tre White and Danilo Jovanovich; 2023 prospects Dennis Evans, Kaleb Glenn, Curtis Williams Jr. and Ty-Laur Johnson; plus JUCO transfer Koron Davis. However, Johnson has still not officially enrolled with the university.

Only four scholarship players are returning for year two under Payne: Mike James, J.J. Traynor, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Emmanuel Okorafor.

(Photo of Trentyn Flowers via University of Louisville Athletics)

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