Louisville Men's Basketball 2023-24 Roster Outlook 3.0

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It might be nearing the midway point of the month of May, but it's never too early to take a glimpse into the future and look at how the 2023-24 roster for the Louisville men's basketball program could shake out.

The Cardinals are starting to get some idea as to what Team 110 will look like when they lace 'em up for the first time. As of this writing, Louisville has just one more scholarship spot to fill.

Departures and Arrivals

The Louisville men's basketball program has only added one player to next season's roster since our last update roughly two weeks ago, but it came at a position of need. Following various offseason additions at the wing and frontcourt, the Cardinals landed a commitment from another guard.

Tre White, who spent his true freshman campaign at USC before entering the transfer portal last month, announced back on May 6 that has committed to the Cardinals. While he more of the guard/forward archetype, landing another ball handler is a massive boost for Louisville.

White is one of three D1 transfers joining Louisville next season, following former Illinois guard Skyy Clark and former Miami forward Danilo Jovanovich. Together, the three compose of the No. 19 transfer portal class in the nation, according to 247Sports.

The Cardinals' also have a highly-ranked traditional 2023 recruiting class coming in. Louisville's four high school signees - Trentyn Flowers, Dennis Evans, Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr. - are all at least a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, with the first two ranked as five-stars by various services. JUCO transfer guard Koron Davis is also in the fold.

Louisville's eight additions make up for the seven transfer portal defections they have seen since the end of their 2022-23 campaign. Kamari Lands, Devin Ree and Fabio Basili all entered just three days after the season ended; then Sydney Curry, Roosevelt Wheeler, Jae'Lyn Withers and El Ellis did so not long after.

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:

Depth Chart by Position

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
Skyy Clark	Tre White	Mike James	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	Emmanual Okorafor
Trentyn Flowers	Kaleb Glenn	J.J. Traynor	Dennis Evans
Koron Davis	Curtis Williams Jr.
Danilo Jovanovich

Depth Chart by Probable Rotation

Starters:	Skyy Clark	Tre White	Mike James	J.J. Traynor	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield
Backups:	Trentyn Flowers	Kaleb Glenn	Curtis Williams Jr.	Emmanual Okorafor	Dennis Evans
Third String:	Koron Davis	Danilo Jovanovich

Landing Skyy Clark was a good first step at rebuilding the backcourt. He'll have to cut down on his turnovers and work on his defense, but he was still able to display what makes him a good floor general as just a true freshman. Tre White will have to improve his three-point shooting, but he has incredible upside thanks to his length, athleticism and scoring ability. That being said, Louisville absolutely needs to use their final scholarship on a backup point guard. Both Trentyn Flowers and Curtis Williams Jr. have taken a lot of backcourt reps in high school, and Koron Davis has stuffed the stat sheet at the JUCO level, but all three are heading into their first reps at the D1 level. Not to mention that Flowers is a reclass and Davis is still an unranked prospect.

As it currently stands, the wing looks like it'll be Louisville's biggest strength heading into next season due in part to both returning production and roster versatility. Mike James was able to rebound fantastically from his Achilles injury to average double figures, J.J. Traynor took a large step forward, and there is a lot of promise in the three incoming freshman of Flowers, Williams and Kaleb Glenn. Not to mention that White has the versatility to play two through four, and Danilo Jovanovich does give Louisville a potential shooting option if he can stay healthy and actually see consistent court time. However, James and Traynor will have to take significant strides over the offseason when it comes to their defense and rebounding, and time will tell how the newcomers on the wing develop. That being said, you have to like Louisville's upside here given that most of this group isn't pigeon-holed to just being a small forward, and that allows for some creative lineups.

It will be interesting to see to see how the front court develops heading into year two of the Payne era, considering it was regarded as Louisville's strength this time last year. This is especially true at the four spot. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was extremely inconsistent even before his injury, and while Traynor was one of the very few bright spots this past season, his lanky frame sometimes limits what he can do down in the paint. Center will be even more interesting considering both players here - Emmanuel Okorafor and Dennis Evans - are both still raw prospects. Time will tell how much the offseason will benefit Okorafor after joining midseason, and Evans - a 7-foot-1 defensive specialist - needs to continue adding weight and improving his play on offense.

(Photo of J.J. Traynor: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter