Former Louisville Forward Sananda Fru Makes Transfer Decision

Fru is the second transferring Cardinal to find a new school.

Mar 19, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Sananda Fru (13) looks to pass during the second half against the South Florida Bulls during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After being the first member the Louisville men's basketball program to announce their intent to enter the portal, Sananda Fru has reportedly decided their transfer destination.

The former Cardinals forward has committed to play Shaka Smart and Marquette, according to multiple reports and first reported by DraftExpress' Jonathon Givony.

Fru is the second of the four UofL transfers from this cycle to commit to their new school. Khani Rooths is heading to Oklahoma, while Mouhamed Camara and Vangelis Zougris have yet to decide their next stops.

Playing in all 35 games, Fru was UofL's fifth-leading scorer at 9.0 points, and averaged 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game - both of which led the team. His 76.5 two-point field goal percentage not only led the ACC, it was also second in all of D1 hoops

However, Fru's overall efficiency took a step backwards in the final segment of the season, as he averaged just 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds over the final 11 games after putting up 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds over the first 23. In fact, Fru was benched for last six games in favor of 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."

Louisville is dealing with a lot of roster changeover this offseason, and not just because of the portal. Ryan Conwell, J'Vonne Hadley, Aly Khalifa, Isaac McKneely and Kobe Rodgers all exhausted their eligibility, while Mikel Brown Jr. declared for the NBA Draft.

The Cardinals are only set to return Adrian Wooley and London Johnson, but they've already hit the portal hard. Kansas forward, Flory Bidunga, Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad and Arkansas forward Karter Knox have all committed to Louisville over the last few days.

On the heels of a very successful year one under 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.

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(Photo of Sananda Fru: Gregory Fisher - Imagn Images)