Louisville Reverses Course, Will Stick to Redshirting London Johnson for 2025-26 Season

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As it turns out, London Johnson will not be suiting up this season for the Louisville men's basketball program.

Head coach Pat Kelsey announced Tuesday that the Cardinals will go back to their original plan regarding the former NBA G-League point guard, and he will indeed redshirt the 2025-26 season.

Prior to this past Saturday's game against Boston College, Louisville announced that Johnson would be "dressed and available" against the Eagles, and that UofL "no longer intends to redshirt" him.

However, Johnson did not wind up playing in UofL's 75-62 win over BC, and there was mixed messaging afterwards on if he would actually wind up playing this season. Kelsey revealed Tuesday night that the guard felt "overwhelmed" with the ramp up ahead of the game against the Eagles, and after some discussions, it was decided that it was in Johnson's best interest to redshirt.

"He was starting to get ready for the Boston College game, and I think it started to be like, 'Holy crap, like, I don't know if I can go out and be an effective player, not knowing our system, not knowing our terminology,' and kind of had a little bit of a change of heart," Kelsey said. "And I get it, I get it 100 percent. There's a lot of implications that go along with a decision like that, only having two years of eligibility. I don't disparage his decision in any way, shape or form.

"But going into that game, when it was announced, I think he started talking to other people in his family, and in a circle, and things like that, and started having second thoughts. I could just see it. Then in scouting and preparation, you could just tell he was a little bit overwhelmed. I think it's the right decision for him to just continue to use this year as a redshirt year, and develop and get ready for next year."

Johnson was officially signed by the program this past November, and made his way to campus by mid-December. While the original plan was for him to redshirt him for the remainder of the season to get him up to speed to the college game, Louisville has had a massive hole at the point guard spot in recent weeks.

Star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. has had to miss the last seven games due to a lingering lower back injury, and Louisville is 3-4 with Brown out of the lineup. Star shooting guard Ryan Conwell also had to miss the game against Boston College due to a minor knee injury, but did play against Virginia.

Johnson has spent the last three seasons in the G-League, splitting time between the Maine Red Claws - the affiliate for the Boston Celtics - and Cleveland Charge - the affiliate for the Cleveland Cavaliers - this past season. In 21 games and three starts, he put up 3.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Coming out of high school, Johnson signed a two-year, $1.1 million deal with the G-League Ignite, and he saw a good amount of success in his two seasons there. During the 2022-23 season, he averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds across 30 games and 14 starts. The next season, he put up 10.6 points, 4.9 assists and 2.2 boards in 25 games and eight starts. He's shot 42.8 percent from the floor and 32.8 percent on threes during his time in the G-League.

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