Noah Locke's Role to Expand at Louisville
(Photo of Noah Locke, Davion Mintz: Arden Barnes - USA TODAY Sports)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - During the offseason, the Louisville men's basketball program targeted the transfer portal with a purpose. They were one of the worst three point shooting teams in the nation, connecting on just 30.8% of their attempts during the 2020-21 season, and they were determined to fix this.
It's safe to say this need was addressed. While they are still actively checking the portal for either a playmaking guard or a big man, the Cardinals brought in three transfers that can shoot the three ball at a high level.
Arguably, their most noteworthy addition when it comes to perimeter shooting is Florida transfer Noah Locke. During his junior season with the Gators, he shot 40.4% on three point attempts while averaging 10.6 points in 25 games.
Due to his acumen shooting the three ball, Locke was utilized primarily as a stand-up shooter during his time at Florida. He would sometimes come off screens or off the dribble to take his shots, or even penetrate the lane, but the Gators mainly used him to stand at the perimeter and rain threes.
While he undoubtedly will carry aspects of this play style to Louisville considering how deadly of a shooter he is, he won't be exclusively used this way like down in Gainesville. Part of the reason head coach Chris Mack got Locke to commit to the Cardinals, was that he would utilized more than just a shooting specialist.
"It's been exactly that," Locke said when asked if he would play as a combo guard at Louisville. "Just being able to play on and off the ball, being able to you know make my other teammates better, being able to shoot off the bounce, get into the lane, being able to score in the lane, get to the foul line more. There's been a lot of that. I feel like a lot of things have been getting a lot better for me."
The Baltimore native recently arrived on campus at Louisville, and has slowly started to get acclimated with the program and his new teammates. So far, it's been nothing but smooth sailing for the senior-to-be.
"Overall, it's been great. I've been loving it. I love my teammates, love the coaches, I feel like I've been learning a whole lot," he said. "The connection with the team is really good, we're always talking, always hanging out, getting back in the gym working out. It's definitely going really well for me, and it's only beginning. I'm sure there's gonna be adversity at times, but right now, it's been really good."
Like any high level competitor, he is setting personal goals ahead of the 2020-21 season. While he still wants to continue working on his shooting, he is also placing an emphasis on other facets of his game in preparation for his new role at Louisville.
"Get in good situations for me to be able to make different reads, make my other teammates better, playing on the ball more, being able to get in the lane and show other things that I could do," he said. "Throughout practices, I've been doing a much better job of that."
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:
Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp
