Report: Louisville Showing Interest in Marshall Transfer Andrew Taylor
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It appears that the Louisville men's basketball program is working on a backup plan in case they are unable to land elite 2023 prospect Mackenzie Mgbako.
The Cardinals are one of several schools that have reached out to former North Texas guard Andrew Taylor since he entered the portal Monday afternoon, according to the scouting service NextUp Recruits. Indiana, Xavier, Florida State, LSU, Pitt, Memphis and others have also shown interest.
Louisville has just one open scholarship remaining for the 2023-24 season, and the program is actively trying to recruit Mgbako to fill that final spot. The top-ten prospect and McDonald's All-American is set to visit campus this weekend.
Should the Cardinals lose out on the Mgbako sweepstakes, landing Taylor would be a great consolation prize. The 6-foot-3, 194-pound point guard was tabbed as an All-Sun Belt First-Team selection after averaging 20.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He also shot 41.7 percent from the field and 36.4 percent on three-point attempts.
The former Corbin (Ky.) HS star has spent his entire five collegiate career with the Thundering Herd. In 110 games at Marshall, all of which have been starts, Taylor has totaled 1,609 points, 554 rebounds, 456 assists and 201 steals. He is the only active player with 1600-plus points, 550-plus rebounds, 450-plus assists and 200-plus steals all at the D1 level.
The Cardinals went just 4-28 in their first year under head coach Kenny Payne, and roster management has been in full swing since the end of the season. Louisville has seen seven players enter the transfer portal, including leading scorer El Ellis. Only Mike James, J.J. Traynor, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Emmanuel Okorafor are returning.
As you can imagine, Louisville is set to have plenty of newcomers for the 2023-24 season. In their 2023 recruiting class, they are welcoming in five-star center Dennis Evans, five star reclass guard/forward Trentyn Flowers, four-star wings Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr., and JUCO guard Koron Davis. Former Illinois guard Skyy Clark former Miami forward Danilo Jovanovich and former USC guard/forward Tre White are also transferring in.
(Photo of Andrew Taylor: Trevor Ruszkowski - USA TODAY Sports)
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