Former Louisville Forward Kamari Lands Commits to Arizona State
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After being the first player to depart the Louisville men's basketball program following the end of their 2022-23 season, Kamari Lands is also the first player to find his new home.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound wing announced Tuesday that he has committed to Arizona State. Coming out of high school, the Sun Devils were in his final two schools along with the Cardinals.
Lands entered the portal just three days following the end of the Cardinals' season, saying it was a "mutual decision to part ways." He is one of six Louisville players to transfer this offseason, with Devin Ree, Fabio Basili, Sydney Curry, Roosevelt Wheeler and Jae'Lyn Withers still looking for their next destination.
Playing in all 32 games and making six starts, Lands demonstrated flashes of potential as a scorer and three-point shooter on multiple occasions, averaging 5.9 points per game while shooting 32.1 percent on three point attempts. That being said, he struggled with consistency, shooting only 32.6 percent from the field and averaging just 1.9 rebounds per game, while often struggling as a defender.
The Indianapolis, Ind. native originally committed to former Cardinals head coach Chris Mack, and stayed true to his commitment to Louisville after Mack and UofL mutually parted ways and Payne was hired in March of 2022. He was Louisville's highest-ranked commit in the Class of 2022, coming in as the No. 69 prospect in the nation according to 247Sports.
Lands was one of the most prolific scorers in the 2022 recruiting cycle. As a senior for Phoenix (Ariz.) Hillcrest Prep, he averaged 33.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.5 steals per game, while also shooting 55 percent from the field.
Roster management for next season has been in full swing for Louisville and head coach Kenny Payne since the end of their 4-28 campaign in Payne's first season at the helm. On top of their six transfer portal defections, the Cardinals also lost leading scorer El Ellis, although he did leave open the option to come back.
Conversely, Payne and his staff have been hard at work attempting to bring in fresh talent for next season. So far this offseason, Louisville has landed five-star 2023 center Dennis Evans, former Illinois guard Skyy Clark and five-star 2023 reclass wing Trentyn Flowers. They are also set to welcome top-70 wings Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr., plus JUCO guard Koron Davis as part of their 2023 signing class.
(Photo of Kamari Lands: Brett Davis - USA TODAY Sports)
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