DII Transfer Patrick Antonelli Commits to Louisville as Walk-On

The guard spent four years at the Division II level with Emory & Henry.

Emory & Henry guard Patrick Antonelli / The Bristol Herald Courier

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program might have wrapped up their roster construction efforts amongst scholarship players, but they're still welcoming newcomers in the form of walk-ons.

Patrick Antonelli, a guard who spent the last four years of his career in the Division II ranks with Emory & Henry College before entering the transfer portal, announced Monday that he has committed to the Cardinals.

Antonelli is now the second walk-on currently on the roster for the 2024-25 season, joining Aidan McCool, who is the Cardinals' lone returner from the Kenny Payne era. Both Antonelli and McCool are graduates of Bishop England High School in Charleston, S.C., and Antonelli is also the son on ESPN basketball analyst Debbi Antonelli.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound guard only saw the floor in four games this past season for the Wasps due to injury. In that time, he averaged 3.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds over 23.5 minutes, and shot 4-of-15.

The Charleston, S.C. native has been a starter all throughout his collegiate career at Emory & Henry. In 63 total games and 56 starts, he has averaged 6.5 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds, while shooting 44.6/33.1/74.0.

Louisville is entering a brand new era of men's basketball starting with the upcoming 2024-25 season. Kenny Payne was fired following a disastrous two-year stint as the head coach, with the Cardinals bringing in Charleston's Pat Kelsey to replace him.

Since Kelsey's hiring on Mar. 28, roster construction has been full speed ahead. All 12 scholarship players from Louisville's 2023-24 roster entered the portal after Payne was fired, but Kelsey is bringing in 12 D1 transfers and one high school prospect for year one at the helm. His portal class ranks No. 1 nationally, according to On3.

(Photo of Patrick Antonelli via The Bristol Herald Courier)

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