Louisville Men's Basketball 2024-25 Roster Outlook 2.0

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - We might be midway through the month of May, but it's never too early to take a glimpse into the future and look at how the 2024-25 roster for the Louisville men's basketball program could shake out.

While there are still a couple roster spots left to fill, the Cardinals are starting to get some idea as to what Team 111 will look like when they lace 'em up for the first time.

Departures and Arrivals

Following the massive amount of roster movement in both directions for the program over the first month of the offseason, things have been relatively quiet since in this regard. Since our first update back on Apr. 27, there have only been four moving pieces when it comes to the roster.

Walk-on guard Hercy Miller changed his course and opted to enter the portal on Apr. 30. A few days later, guard Kobe Rodgers became the third former Charleston player to follow head coach Pat Kelsey to Louisville on May 2. That being said, it's important to note that, like BYU center Aly Khalifa, Rodgers will also be redshirting the upcoming season to rehab an injury.

After that, there was a bit of a lull on the roster construction front. But over the last few days, Kelsey and the Cardinals have exploded on that front.

On Tuesday, Louisville was able to swoop in at the 11th hour, and land former USF forward/center Kasean Pryor. The next day, UofL secured their first high school commitment of the Pat Kelsey era, landing Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy forward and top-40 2024 prospect Khani Rooths.

Making up for the loss of all 12 scholarship players to the transfer portal following the firing of former head coach Kenny Payne, Louisville currently sports an 11-man roster for year one under Kelsey.

Rodgers, Reyne Smith and James Scott are all following Kelsey from Charleston. On top of Pryor and Khalifa, James Madison's Terrence Edwards Jr., Colorado's J'Vonne Hadley, Washington's Koren Johnson, Long Beach State's Aboubacar Traore and Wisconsin's Chucky Hepburn also opted to commit to Louisville. Rooths is the lone high school commitment as of this writing.

Projected Depth Chart

Given all that we know now about the current state of Louisville's roster, below is an early look into what the depth chart next year could look like:

*mobile users can scroll left and right on the table below*

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
Chucky Hepburn	J'Vonne Hadley	Terrence Edwards Jr.	Kasean Pryor	James Scott
Koren Johnson	Reyne Smith	Aboubacar Traore	Khani Rooths	Aly Khalifa (R)
Kobe Rodgers (R)

Louisville's backcourt will do a fantastic job of running the both the offensive and defensive systems that Pat Kelsey utilizes. Hepburn's prowess as a facilitator could be the key to unlocking the true potential of the offense, and he is a tone-setter on defense. Johnson, who is the reigning Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year, gives Louisville a good backup option whether he's on the ball or off it. Smith could see some extensive run against teams who are susceptible to three-pointers, but he should be a good bench option regardless of who the Cards play.

At this moment, Louisville's strength heading into Kelsey's first year at the helm is at the wing. Edwards, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year, will likely serve as this team's primary focal point. He is a fantastic three-level scorer and playmaker overall, and is excellent on defense. Hadley is your standard underrated "glue guy" who can play the two and the three on both ends very well, and will likely be an X-factor. Traore is someone who plays much bigger than his height would indicate, as he provides both grit and hustle, and can be a mismatch on both ends of the floor at the two through four.

The outlook in the front court has changed dramatically over the last few days with the additions of Pryor and Rooths. Pryor is a perfect system fit, as he can stretch the defense thanks to his capabilities as a three-level scorer, and is a versatile defensive asset. Rooths is slashing wing/stretch four hybrid, and has a very high upside regardless of what his role ultimately will be. At the true center spot, while Scott may have played minimal time in his first season, the staff really likes his longterm upside and NBA potential.

For more in-depth analysis on each player, check out our individual breakdowns below:

(Photo of Khani Rooths via University of Louisville Athletics)

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