Louisville Secures Commitment From BYU Transfer Noah Waterman

The former big man for the Cougars is the 11th transfer commitment for the Cardinals in this cycle.

Mar 13, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brigham Young Cougars forward Noah Waterman (0) / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program has landed another quality big man for their front court.

Former BYU forward Noah Waterman announced Saturday has given his verbal pledge to the Cardinals. He's the second transfer from the Cougars to commit to Louisville, following center Aly Khalifa, and 11th portal pickup overall.

The 6-foot-11, 210-pound big man was one of the more underrated components to BYU's success. Starting all but one of the Cougars' 34 games this past season, Waterman averaged 9.5 points per game, and was their second-leading rebounder at 5.4 boards. He also shot 45.7 percent from the field, and his 37.0 three-point percentage was good for second on the team.

The Savannah, N.Y. native played his true freshman season at Niagara, then spent two seasons at Detroit Mercy before playing the last two seasons at BYU. In 110 games and 81 starts across all three prior stops, Waterman has collected 861 points and 448 rebounds, and has a career shooting split of 44.9/38.9/67.9.

The last few days for Louisville have been crucial in terms of building out their front court. They also landed former USF forward/center Kasean Pryor on Tuesday, and then Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy forward Khani Rooths the next day. Previously, the Cardinals had just two true big men for next season - Khalifa and center James Scott - and Khalifa will be redshirting to rehab a knee injury.

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. In fact, all 12 of Louisville's scholarship players entered the portal, with only walk-on guard Aidan McCool in line to return.

Fortunately, new head coach Pat Kelsey has done a fantastic job of working the portal since his hiring on Mar. 28. Scott and guard Reyne Smith are both following Kelsey from Charleston; while Khalifa, Pryor, James Madison guard/forward Terrence Edwards Jr., Colorado guard J'Vonne Hadley, Washington guard Koren Johnson, Long Beach State forward Aboubacar Traore and Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn are also joining the fold via the portal.

Charleston guard Kobe Rodgers also committed, but will redshirt the 2024-25 season along with Khalifa. Rooths is Louisville's lone newcomer from the high school ranks.

(Photo of Noah Waterman: William Purnell - USA TODAY Sports)

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