2022-23 ACC Basketball Preview: Louisville Cardinals
READ: Boston College Basketball Preview
Head Coach: Kenny Payne (1st season)
2021 Year in Review
Record: 13-19 (6-14)
ACC Finish: 11th
KenPom Ranking: 127 (173 offense, 114 defense)
ACC Tournament: 84-74 W vs Georgia Tech, 51-50 L vs Virginia
The Chris Mack situation made the 2021 season a tumultuous one for Louisville Hired back in 2018, Mack made an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season, and was ranked in the top 10 when the 2019-20 season was canceled because of COVID. A lot has changed for this program since then.
The University suspended Mack for the first six games of last season due to his handling of the situation with his former assistant (and former Wake Forest coach) Dino Gaudio. Off the court issues lingered into the season, culminating in Mack’s termination on Jan. 26 when the Cardinals went 1-5 over a six-game stretch. A few memorable press conference moments encapsulated the drama, such as the Malik Williams clip below.
Q: You said "sometimes we just don't bring it." Do you think the players are still responding to this coaching staff or are they tuning them out?
— Mark Blankenbaker (@UofLSheriff50) January 24, 2022
Malik Williams after a long pause: I don't have a comment for that. pic.twitter.com/oP04Y7rjGD
After starting the season 10-4, the Cardinals lost 15 of their last 19 games. Interim head coach Mike Pegues had a tough task to remedy the situation, but got his guys to compete and push some of the better teams in the conference to the brink. The 2021-22 season was a mess for the Cardinals, who are now entering a rebuild under a new head coach.
2022 Outlook:
Who’s Out: Noah Locke (Providence), Malik Williams, Dre Davis (Seton Hall), Jarrod West, Matt Cross (UMass), Samuel Williamson (SMU) Mason Faulkner
Who’s In: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Tennessee), Kamari Lands, Devin Ree, Fabio Basili, Hercy Miller
Projected Starting Lineup:
Sr. G El Ellis (6-3, 180 lbs)
R-Fr. G Mike James (6-5, 215)
R-Jr. F Jae’Lyn Withers (6-9, 220)
So. F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, 250)
Sr. F Sydney Curry (6-8, 270)
Off the bench:
Fr. G Kamari Lands (6-8, 220)
Fr. F Devin Ree (6-8, 180)
So. F Roosevelt Wheeler (6-11, 240)
Jr. F JJ Traynor (6-8, 190)
Fr. G Fabio Basili (6-4, 175)
So. G Hercy Miller (6-3, 180)
READ: Clemson Basketball Preview
First-year head coach Kenny Payne won a national title for Louisville as a player back in 1986 and is admired by this fan base. Payne played a decade of professional basketball before becoming an assistant coach at Oregon, Kentucky, and the New York Knicks. This is Payne’s first head coaching job, and he’s tasked with the challenge of building a new culture and bringing Louisville back to national relevancy.
Five of the top eight scorers from last season are gone from this team, though not a single player had a double digit scoring average. Payne was able to convince three key pieces to stay — El Elllis, Sydney Curry and Jae’Lyn Withers.
Ellis (8.7 PPG) will start at point guard for the Cardinals. The former JUCO All-American is a talented scorer who impressed last season but struggled with consistency. Ellis averaged 15.7 points per game over a six-game stretch from Jan. 29- Feb. 19, but only 6.8 from that point on. He will need to take a step forward this season.
Curry (7.1 PPG, 4.4 REB, .67 FG%) is a load down low at 6-8, 220 lbs., and got red-hot near the end of the season. The bruiser only scored double figures three times up until the end of February, before 23.3 ppg, 10.7 reb and 70% from the field in the Cardinals’ final three games. Curry is a sleeper for All-ACC honors if he can carry that success over to this season.
The other key returnee is Jae’Lyn Withers (5.8 PPG, 4.6 REB), an athletic forward who underwhelmed last season. His versatility on both ends of the floor likely makes him the best wing player Payne has at his disposal.
Payne made a splash in the transfer portal bringing in Brandon Huntley-Hatfield from Tennessee, a five-star recruit who didn’t do much in his one year in Knoxville. Huntley-Hatfield (3.9 PPG, 2.9 REB) started 13 games for the Volunteers but wasn’t able to carve out a consistent role. Unlocking his talent is a major x-factor for this team.
Payne brings in two top 100 freshmen in wings Kamari Lands and Devin Ree. Lands averaged 33.4 points per game at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix as a season, and his scoring ability could get him into the starting lineup sooner rather than later. Ree has a lot of potential with his lanky frame and he can really shoot the ball, but he’s thin and it will likely take some time for him to adjust to the college game.
Payne retained a few other pieces of the roster. Redshirt freshman Mike James is a bit of a mystery after missing all of last season with a torn achilles. James started for the Cardinals in their exhibition game over the weekend, and his main strength is his perimeter defense.
Sophomore Roosevelt Wheeler and junior JJ Traynor are also back, although neither player saw much time last season. Wheeler is a big body at 6-11, 240 lbs, and will serve as depth behind Curry and Huntley-Hatfield. Traynor has barely been involved in his two years as a Cardinal, so it’ll be surprising to see him do anything more than crack the rotation.
Fabio Basili was a late signee who barely cracked the top 300 in the recruiting rankings. He is more of a project. Hercy Miller is the son of rapper Master P, and due to his status as a preferred walk on, he likely won't see the floor much.
READ: Florida State Basketball Preview
ACC Prediction: 14th place
If Ellis can take care of the ball and create offensively, the wings knock down perimeter shots, and the front court of Curry and Huntley-Hatfield can dominate on the interior, this team will be scrappy and win some ACC games. I expect Ellis and Curry to step up and have great seasons. I was really impressed by the flashes they showed last season. But even if all of that happens, I see 8th/9th place as this teams ceiling.
The Cardinals lost 57-47 to Division II Lenoir-Rhyne on Sunday, which almost guarantees there will be some significant growing pains in Payne’s first year at the helm. Huntley-Hatfield has the five-star pedigree, but expectations should be tempered on his growth after an underwhelming season at Tennessee. Withers was awesome as a freshman but is trending in the wrong direction. Lands and Ree are talented but likely will need time to grow.
Louisville is in the midst of a rebuild with Kenny Payne, and it's not going to happen overnight. More important than winning games this season is establishing a team culture. The Cardinals have talent and they won’t be an easy out in league play, but it’s hard to imagine them finishing anywhere other than the bottom of the standings.
When does Louisville play Wake Forest?
Jan 7: Wake Forest at Louisville
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Christian is the Publisher and Lead Editor for Deacons Daily A '22 Wake Forest graduate, Christian spent 4 years covering the Men's Basketball team for the student paper, the Old Gold & Black