Louisville Makes Top Eight for '24 SF Jalen Shelley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program is one step closer to potentially landing one of their top targets in the Class of 2024.

Jalen Shelley, a small forward who is set to play his upcoming senior season at Branson (Mo.) Link Academy, announced his list of top eight schools on Monday with the Cardinals still in the running. Arkansas, Colorado, Houston, LSU, Marquette, Ohio State and Texas A&M also made the cut.

Shelley first appeared on Louisville's radar earlier this calendar year, and was formally offered a scholarship back in February. He then took an official visit to the Cardinals in late March, which was his first - and so far only - official visit taken.

“I feel a real relationship with Coach Kenny Payne," Shelley told On3's Joe Tipton. "I really look up to him as family, talking to him and stuff. My official visit with them, I really enjoyed it.”

The 6-foot-7, 175-pound guard/wing recently took part in the Nike Peach Jame earlier this month with Houston Hoops. In five games, Shelley averaged 10.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 21-of-48 (43.8 percent) from the field.

He spent his junior year at Frisco (Tex.) Prestonwood Christian before opting to transfer to Link Academy. He spent his first two years in high school at Frisco (Tex.) Lone Star, where he averaged 12.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game during his sophomore campaign.

Shelley ranks as high as the No. 13 small forward in the class and the No. 33 prospect in the nation, according to Rivals. He is considered a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, coming in at No. 45 overall by the metric.

Louisville currently sports just one commitment in the 2024 cycle, coming from Montclair (N.J.) Immaculate Conception point guard T.J. Robinson. Including Shelley, nine uncommitted prospects in the class currently hold a Louisville offer.

(Photo of Jalen Shelley via Instagram)

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