Louisville Women's Basketball 2022-23 Roster Outlook 2.0
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2022-23 roster for the Louisville women's basketball program was always going to see a few moving parts ahead of the season, but there have a couple monumental moving pieces over the last week.
While the Cardinals were already returning a lot of production from their 2021-22 Final Four team, head coach Jeff Walz landed not one, but two impact transfers in the last week.
For the moment, Louisville sits at 16 scholarship players, which is one over the maximum allotted of 15. Someone will inevitably have to enter the portal on Louisville's side of things, but for now, let's take a look at how this team currently shakes out.
Departures and Arrivals
This past Monday, Louisville had two players selected in the 2022 WNBA Draft. Unsurprisingly, senior forward Emily Engstler was taken in the first round by the Indiana Fever with the No. 4 overall pick. Just a little later in the draft, redshirt senior guard Kianna Smith was also selected, heading out west to the Los Angeles Sparks in the second round with the No. 16 overall pick.
The Cardinals only have two other players departing the program. Graduate transfer guard Chelsie Hall graduated but was not selected in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and redshirt sophomore Ramani Parker transferred to Mississippi State, following now-former Louisville assistant Sam Purcell who took over as the head coach in Starkville.
Countering the production lost amongst those four - especially from Engstler and Smith, who combined for 23.9 points per game - two of the ACC's best scorers from a year ago are joining the Cardinals.
Walz landed former Florida State guard Morgan Jones on Apr. 15, then a few days later on Apr. 20, also got former Syracuse guard Chrislyn Carr to join the fold. Jones averaged a team-high 13.8 points per game for the Seminoles last season, while Carr was second on the Orange with 14.2 points. Combined with Hailey Van Lith, who averaged 14.4 points, and Louisville's backcourt now features three of the ACC's top ten scorers from the 2021-22 season.
And that's on top of the loaded recruiting class the program is also bringing in. Louisville signed four top-100 prospects for next season: guard Zyanna Walker, wing Jalyn Brown, forward Nyla Harris and center Imani Lester. Walker and Harris are both ranked just inside the top-40 according to ESPNW HoopGurlz.
Projected Depth Chart
Given all that we know now about the current state of Louisville's roster, below is an early look into what the depth chart next year could look like:
*Mobile users can scroll left & right on the table*
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Guard/Forward | Power Forward | Center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Chrislyn Carr | Hailey Van Lith | Morgan Jones | Alexia Mobley | Olivia Cochran |
Mykasa Robinson | Norika Konno | Payton Verhulst | Nyla Harris | Liz Dixon |
Ahlana Smith | Merissah Russell | Zyanna Walker | Imani Lester | Sydni Schetnan |
Jalyn Brown |
Mykasa Robinson was slated to return back to the starting rotation, until the Cardinals added Chrislyn Carr. She's not only a prolific scorer, but can shoot the lights out after connecting on 37.2 percent of her three-point attempts last year at Syracuse. Robinson will likely be Louisville's sixth women next year, as she is one of the most tenured players on the team with 128 total games under her belt. Ahlana Smith will also give the Cards plenty of experience at the point, and likely be thrust into a bigger role for her final year in college.
Even considering all the starting talent departing the program this offseason, the Cardinals do return arguably their biggest star - Hailey Van Lith. She is setting up to be named a preseason All-American ahead of next season after averaging a team-best 14.4 points per game and having an incredibly hot NCAA Tournament. Behind her, it's a battle between Norika Konno and Merissah Russell at the backup two guard position, as both have showcased their ability to shoot and distribute the ball in limited time on the floor. Unfortunately, it would not be surprising to see either one enter the portal to get UofL under the scholarship with how loaded the Cards now are in the backcourt.
While losing Smith is a big deal considering the production she had, Louisville has a lot of potential at the third guard/wing position. Morgan Jones was a force for FSU and could be the Cardinals' next great two-way player, as she led Florida State with 33 steals and was second in blocks with 30. Payton Verhulst also showed flashes of her potential over her freshman campaign, and saw meaningful minutes in the postseason. Zyanna Walker, the No. 38 prospect in the 2022 cycle, could also carve out an early role due to her capabilities and versatility between the backcourt and the wing. Jalyn Brown, a more true wing, could also push for early playing time as a frosh
With Emily Engstler going pro and Ramani Parker entering the portal, that makes way for Alexia Mobley to take on a massive role next season. She redshirted this past season after reclassifying from the class of 2022 to 2021, but has a ton of potential. She averaged a double-double in all three years of high school, and was ranked as high as the No. 31 player in the country. Behind her is a pair of promising newcomers in Nyla Harris and Imani Lester, who are ranked the No. 35 and 78 ranked players, respectively, in the 2022 class.
Down low in the paint, Louisville returns both their starter and backup in Olivia Cochran and Liz Dixon. Cochran was the Cardinals' second leading rebounder behind Engstler at 5.1 per game, and playing a large but under the radar role in their NCAA Tournament run. Liz Dixon also showed that she can give the Cards solid production behind Cochran, and Sydni Schetnan could be in store for a big offseason after having a minimal role in 2021-22. But, like in the battle at backup shooting guard, the loser of this particular position battle could be a transfer candidate as well.
(Photo of Jeff Walz: Matt Krohn - USA TODAY Sports)
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