Louisville Guard Adrian Wooley to Return for 2026-27 Season

The sophomore joined the Cardinals last offseason as a transfer from Kennesaw State.

Feb 7, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Adrian Wooley (14) brings the ball up court against Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Sebastian Akins (10) during the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Adrian Wooley is running it back.

The sophomore guard for the Louisville men's basketball program announced Saturday that he will be returning to the Cardinals for the 2026-27 season.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound combo guard was a critical component of Louisville's backcourt rotation this past season. Playing in all 35 games, he averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 45.0 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent on three-point tries. He also started 16 games this season, mainly in place of the 14 games that Mikel Brown Jr. missed due to his lower back injury.

Some of his best play came in the final seven games of the year when he was re-inserted into the starting lineup after Brown re-injured his back. During this stretch, Wooley averaged 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists, and shot 48.3 percent from the floor plus 37.9 on threes.

The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native joined the program last offseason as a transfer from Kennesaw State. Despite being a true freshman in his lone season with the Owls, Wooley was one of the best players in Conference-USA that season, being named the Conference-USA Freshman of the Year and earning First-Team All-CUSA honors. Playing in all 33 games while starting all but one, he averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while also shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 42.2 percent on three-point attempts.

Wooley and fellow guard London Johnson are the only slated returners for next season, as 11 players are departing the Cards in some manner. Five are graduating, five have hit the transfer portal, and another declared for the NBA Draft.

But despite nearly losing their entire team, Louisville has long started their roster rebuild for the 2026-27 season. They've already landed Kansas' Flory Bidunga, Oregon's Jackson Shelstad and Arkansas' Karter Knox via the portal, and are in the mix for multiple other high-profile transfers as well.

On the heels of a very successful year one under head coach Pat Kelsey, year two for Louisville was up-and-down and overall a slight disappointment. The Cardinals had legitimate preseason Final Four aspirations and were ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation, but ultimately finished the season at 24-11 overall. UofL was able to win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017 with a first round takedown of USF, before ultimately falling to Michigan State in the next round.

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(Photo of Adrian Wooley: Jim Dedmon - Imagn Images)