Louisville F/C Sananda Fru to Enter Transfer Portal

The junior is the first to move on from the Cardinals following the end of their 2025-26 season.

Dec 16, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Sananda Fru (13) moves the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The first offseason roster management domino for the Louisville men's basketball program has fallen.

Forward/center Sananda Fru plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, as first reported by Draft Express' Jonathan Givony and 247Sports' Dushawn London, and confirmed by Louisville Cardinals On SI.

Fru is the first Louisville player to announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal this offseason. The 15-day portal window does not officially open until Apr 7 - one day after the national championship.

The 6-foot-11, 250-pound big man was Louisville's top front court option in head coach Pat Kelsey's second year at the helm. Playing in all 35 games, Fru averaged 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game - both of which led the team - and was their fifth-leading scorer at 9.0 points per game. His 76.5 two-point field goal percentage not only led the ACC, it was second in all of D1 (Santa Clara's Bukky Oboye - 77.3).

However, as the season went on, Fru's overall efficiency took a step backwards. After averaging 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds over the first 23 games of the season, it dwindled down to just 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds over the final 11. In fact, after starting the first 29 games of the season, Kelsey had Fru come off the bench over the last six games, instead starting forward Vangelis Zougris.

"There was nothing Sunny did wrong," Kelsey said on Mar. 3 after Louisville's home finale against Syracuse - the first game that Fru came off the bench. "Sunny's such a team player. When I pulled him aside and I said, 'Look, I'm yesterday, I said, I'm starting Zou,' he's like, 'I get it, coach, I'll be ready.' That's power of the unit."

Fru came to Louisville last offseason from Germany, where we was competing with Lowen Braunschweig in the Basketball Bundesliga - the top professional league in the country.

Across both BBL play and in the FIBA Europe Cup, Fru averaged 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game for Lowen Braunschweig during the 2024-25 season. He was named the BBL Best German Young Player, which is presented annually to the league's most valuable player under the age of 22, who also has German nationality.

On the heels of a very successful year one under head coach Pat Kelsey, year two for Louisville was up-and-down and overall a slight disappointment. The Cardinals had legitimate preseason Final Four aspirations and were ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation, but ultimately finished the season at 24-11 overall. UofL was able to win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017 with a first round takedown of USF, before ultimately falling to Michigan State in the next round.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram for the latest news.

(Photo of Sananda Fru: Randy Sartin - Imagn Images)