Louisville Officially Signs Forward Noah Waterman

Waterman is the 13th and final newcomer to be officially announced by the Cardinals.

Jan 16, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars forward Noah Waterman (0) / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program has officially signed former BYU forward Noah Waterman, the program announced Thursday.

Waterman is the 13th and final newcomer for the 2024-25 season to be officially announced by the Cardinals over the last three days.

"Noah has a rare blend of size, skill and toughness," head coach Pat Kelsey said in a statement. "Very few players at 6-11 are capable of shooting the ball with the level of consistency that he has over his career. Noah has a captivating personality that translates onto the court through his passion and intensity. He has played some of his best basketball in some of the toughest environments in college basketball. His addition to the roster allows us a level of flexibility rare at this level."

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.

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 Noah Waterman: Rob Gray - USA TODAY Sports)

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