How Different Will Louisville's Style Look Next Season?
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Since the end of the 2020-21 season, where they finished 13-7 and barely missed out on going to the NCAA Tournament, the Louisville men's basketball program has had a myriad of moving pieces.
David Johnson and Carlik Jones declared for the NBA; Aidan Igiehon, Josh Nickelberry and Quinn Slazinski all transferred; and Charles Minlend graduated. Counterbalancing the departures, Matt Cross, Jarrod West and Noah Locke transferred in; El Ellis is signing from the JUCO ranks; and Michael James and Roosevelt Wheeler are signing out of high school.
Even amongst the coaching and support staff, Louisville will look much different. Assistant coaches Dino Gaudio and Luke Murray were not retained, leading head coach Chris Mack to promote Kahil Fennell from director of basketball operations, as well as hire New Zealand National Team assistant Ross McMains.
Based on the current roster makeup alone, even with two free scholarships still open for a transfer or high school signee, you can draw conclusions that Louisville should be a much different team next season. But the question is, coupled with the coaching staff hires, how will their style of play on both ends of the floor differ?
Related: Chris Mack Provides Team Update
First, let's start on the offensive end of things. Traditionally, Mack has utilized a continuity pick and roll offense that uses unique schemes to take advantage of mismatches. As for the newly-hired McMains, his offensively philosophy revolves around the ball to never stop moving, specifically in half-court sets.
This hire was undoubtedly made as a response to Louisville's sluggish pace under Mack, who had relatively up-tempo teams during his time as Xavier. But how much of his own philosophy is he willing adapt in favor of McMains'?
"There's going to be certain things that we keep that's been very good for us through my 12 years as a head coach, there's going to be some things that we add," Mack said. "I think, a small part, it's about our players too, and what their capabilities are, both to learn and execute some of the things that we put in. That's something that we have to be able to use this summer for quite honestly."
Speaking of the players, based on who Mack has brought in so far this offseason, they should be much better at one area in particular: shooting three-pointers. Of Louisville's six newcomers, only Roosevelt Wheeler did not shoot over 40% from three-point range during his previous season of competition.
Of course, that's all for naught if you can't draw up a play to get them open, and McMains has long developed a reputation as an offensive tactician. But as he transitions to the college level - based on Mack's comments - it seems that the offense won't quite be as analytical as one would think, and McMains' input will mainly be used to increase tempo.
"I think (analytics) certainly has a place in the game, but it's not everything," Mack said. "Yes there is a little bit of that, but he's not just a computer geek. He's a basketball guy, He said before, his whole life has been dedicated to basketball. Although he's only 32 years old, he's got a lot more years of experience in the game than that."
Even if Mack didn't hire McMains, Louisville should play at a faster pace next season. As of now, the Cardinals have three viable starting options in the backcourt in West, Ellis and Locke, and they could still bring on another guard. Last season, they mainly relied on David Johnson and Carlik Jones, and if COVID doesn't present a problem again, they should be able to push the pace in full court sets due to guard depth.
"David and Carlik were playing 40 minutes a night. We were dealing with two COVID pauses where those guys had a tough time keeping their conditioning," Mack said. "Having said that, we've always wanted to play faster. I think our pace was not where we wanted it this past year."
Now, let's transition to the defensive side. As far as the actual style of play goes, not much is really anticipated to change here. Mack says he wants to make some defensive changes, but it will be mainly coming from getting the proper personnel - both by ability and numbers - that can execute the game plan.
"While we may not look like a team that's running and jumping and having a guy on the ball 94 feet, I'd like to think that we can pick up from time to time, and increase our pressure more than we have over the last couple seasons," he said.
When it comes to defensive changes to Louisville next season, Mack admits that he doesn't want to change too much. If he changes too much to his pack-line defensive philosophy, then even the veterans will need help with the adjustments.
"If everything's brand new, I'm going to look like, and our players are going to look like. we did year one where you have 13 hands in the air asking questions at the same time," he said.
(Photo of Chris Mack and Louisville Players: David Butler II - USA TODAY Sports)
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