Roosevelt Wheeler Solidifies Spot in Louisville's Frontcourt Rotation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Heading into the 2021-22 season, the Louisville men's basketball program had in possession one of their deepest rosters in recent memory. As you can imagine, head coach Chris Mack and the rest of his coaching staff has been busy tinkering with the in-game lineups and rotations ever since.

There have been plenty of storylines regarding the battle for minutes across all five positions for the Cardinals, but the one where there has been the most movement has been at the five spot. Co-captain Malik Williams - Louisville's leading scorer and rebounder - is safe and secure as the starter, but there has been a plethora of movement behind him.

JUCO addition Sydney Curry actually got the season-opening start, only to come off the bench ever since. Roosevelt Wheeler has shown flashes of brilliance, but is only a true freshman. Gabe Witnitzer saw the lion's share of backup big man minutes in his return from injury vs. NC State, but has played in just one of Louisville's last three games. Even Jae'Lyn Withers slid into the starting role against Western Kentucky.

There have been a ton of rotation at the five spot alone, especially considering Williams can only go for short spurts at a time given his injury history. 11 games in, Mack has finally decided to shorten the rotation a bit at that spot.

"Roosevelt has solidified, if Malik is out, he's our starting center," Mack said on his radio Monday night. "He's also solidified the fact that if, Malik needs a blow or gets in foul trouble, he's coming off the bench."

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward/center started to show his potential down in the Bahamas. Against Maryland and Mississippi State, he put on display his athleticism and mobility in the short time he was on the court, totaling a combined eight points and four rebounds in 17 minutes.

In Louisville's most recent game against Western Kentucky, the true freshman from John Marshall was seemingly the one person who didn't show fear against the Hilltoppers' 7-foot-5 center Jamarion Sharp. He finished with eight points on 4-for-4 shooting, playing a career-high 20 minutes.

"He is by far the biggest in terms of all the other fives, the most mobile, the best hands," Mack said. "We're gonna have to play through his mistakes at times, but man, he made some plays against Western."

Williams was forced to miss the game at Western Kentucky due to COVID protocols, and it's unclear when the fifth-year senior will be able to return to action. The same can be said for Louisville for as a whole after having to postpone their game vs. Kentucky and pause all team activities due to the virus.

But when the Cardinals are able to return to the court, Wheeler will play a large part in the overall direction of the program - both this season and beyond.

"There's so many other kids that we play throughout the years, that you're like, "Eh, he's an adequate backup," but Roosevelt's a legit ACC big," Mack said, "He just needs more time on the floor. He's going to become exactly what we expected."

(Photo of Roosevelt Wheeler: Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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