Kaleb Glenn Strengthening Relationship with Louisville, Preparing for College Transition

The 2023 forward and Cardinals commit has been steadily building his relationship with the new Louisville staff, and taking the steps to get ready for his time with the Cards.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kaleb Glenn has been invested in the Louisville men's basketball program for a while now. Despite being a Class of 2023 prospect, he pulled the trigger on a commitment much earlier than most others in his class, giving his verbal pledge to the Cardinals last September - nearly two years before he will set foot on campus as an enrolled student.

A shakeup in the coaching staff didn't waiver that commitment, either. Whenever the university opted to mutually part ways with head coach Chris Mack back in late January, the Male HS forward said he was still locked in, and that he would wait to see who Louisville brought in to replace him before making any decision regarding his commitment.

A month and a half later, the university hired Kenny Payne to be the next head coach of their men's basketball program. Payne wasted little time reaching out and connecting with Glenn, even taking a picture with him at a Louisville women's basketball's NCAA Tournament game vs. Albany on Mar. 18 - less than 12 hours after he was officially tabbed as the next man in charge.

"When I met him the first time, he was like, "we're family." I'm gonna help you get to where you want to be," Glenn told Louisville Report. "That's what he's been preaching the whole time."

Glenn did his research on Payne well before he was officially brought on. Like the six Cardinals who opted to return for next season and play for Payne in his first season as a head coach, he couldn't find a single negative things that people had to say about him, and subsequently, didn't have a single doubt heading into that first meeting with Payne.

In the over two months since that first meeting, Glenn has been steadily strengthening that relationship with Payne and the rest of the Louisville coaching staff.

"It's been going good," he said. "We've talked a couple times, texted about playoff games and stuff like that. I've talked with (assistant coach) Danny (Manning) and (assistant) coach Nolan (Smith), too."

With any doubts surrounding his commitment to Louisville firmly cast aside, Glenn has been using the remainder of his days in high school to continue to work on his game. That includes participating in the Nike EYBL, which made a stop in Louisville this weekend.

"It's been fun," Glenn said when asked about playing in the EYBL. "Playing all this top talent, seeing all these top teams, building a relationship with these guys that I'll see in college in two years. It's been fun. ... It's not easy to score against these guys. You gotta be skilled."

Related: Nike EYBL, Day One: Notes and Observations on Louisville '23 Targets

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing has used this time to work on his overall versatility as a player. The staff at Louisville told Glenn that they like his ability to shoot the ball for someone at his position and said versatility, but Glenn wants to further expand his game and be a Swiss Army Knife on the court.

"That's how you get better," he said. "Whether it's offensively, defensively, layups, threes, everything. I want to be as versatile as I can."

Part of his plan to work on his game also includes changes high schools. After spending his first three years here in Louisville at Male HS, Glenn is transferring to La Lumiere - a prep school in La Porte, Ind. For Glenn, the decision to transfer was fueled mainly by a desire to help the transition to college.

"For the most part, I'm just trying to get ready for college and a college schedule," he said. "Waking up at 6am, weights, practice, going to school, and then playing a national schedule. We're playing against top team like these out here. ... Also, I wanted to prove myself on a national stage, and show that I belong out here too."

Even before he has reached La Lumiere, Glenn has already proved himself to be one of the best players in the 2023 cycle, ranking as high as the No. 35 player in the nation according to Rivals. He helped Male reach the Sweet 16 as a junior, and as a sophomore, averaged 20.6 points and 12.6 rebounds while shooting 71 percent from the field.

Glenn also looked good in day one of Nike EYBL's Louisville session. He put up 14 point and 10 rebounds in Indy Heat's 89-53 win over Bronny James and Strive for Greatness, then followed that up with 14 points, six boards and three blocks in an 80-65 win over Team Thad. He shot 11-21 from the field and 2-4 on threes over both games.

(Photo of Kaleb Glenn: Matt McGavic - Louisville Report)

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