Louisville Officially Announces Addition of Forward Khani Rooths

Rooths is the 12th newcomer to be officially announced by the Cardinals.

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy forward and Louisville commit Khani Rooths / University of Louisville Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program has officially signed Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy forward Khani Rooths, the program announced Thursday.

Rooths is now the 12th of 13 newcomers for the 2024-25 season to be officially announced by the Cardinals over the last three days. The last one to officially sign is former BYU forward Noah Waterman.

"Khani is an elite athlete with great size and length," head coach Pat Kelsey said in a s. "He comes from a highly regarded program in IMG that has been instrumental in his development on and off the court. Khani's productivity in the Adidas 3SSB Circuit and at the high school level is undeniable. He brings a level of versatility that is highly coveted at this level."

Rooths had previously been committed to Michigan since last November. However, he did not sign during the early signing period, and reopened his recruitment this past March after the Wolverines fired head coach Juwan Howard. He is Louisville's first high school signee of the Pat Kelsey era.

The 6-foot-8, 200-pound power forward was not only the No. 1 uncommitted prospect in the cycle at the time of his commitment on May 15, he's one of the best recruits in the nation overall. The consensus four-star prospect ranks as the No. 33 recruit in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite.

Last summer out on the Adidas 3SSB circuit for New World, Rooths was aggressive around the rim, averaging 15.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. During the Nike EYBL Scholastic with IMG Academy, Rooths put up 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.

Not long after the end of Louisville's disastrous 2023-24 campaign, one which resulted in the firing of second-year head coach Kenny Payne, the Cardinals' roster began to flip. All 12 of Louisville's scholarship players entered the portal, with only walk-on guard Aidan McCool in line to return.

Fortunately, Kelsey has done a fantastic job of roster construction since his hiring on Mar. 28, bringing in 12 Division I transfers and one high school prospect. Their transfer portal class ranks No. 1 in the nation, according to On3.

(Photo of Khani Rooths via University of Louisville Athletics)

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