Louisville Women's Basketball 2023-24 Roster Outlook 3.0

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2023-24 roster for the Louisville women's basketball program is rounding into form, and could very well be finally complete.

In the roughly two months since our last update, the Cardinals have added a pair of players to next season's roster. As a result, Louisville now sits at 11 scholarship players, which is well below the NCAA-allotted maximum of 15 scholarship players in women's basketball.

However, despite the four open scholarships, the roster is closer to being set than many realize. Head coach Jeff Walz mentioned earlier this calendar year that, as a result of having to balance playing time with so many players, he might only keep 10-12 players on a team moving forward.

UofL could in theory add more players to their roster between now and their season-opener in November, but with the roster in all likelihood complete, let's take a look at how this team currently shakes out.

Departures and Arrivals

Not long after our last update, Louisville added yet another big time addition to their backcourt, announcing in late April that they had officially signed former UMass guard Sydney Taylor. Not only did she average 16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season to earn a First-Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, she is also a long ball specialist. She shot 38.5 percent on three-point attempts, while her 104 made threes was good for seventh in all of Division I.

This week, the Cardinals were finally able to sign Andover (N.H.) Proctor Academy center Eseosa Imafidon after she committed to UofL back in mid-May. The Class of 2023 product helped guide Proctor to a 14-7 overall record, then as a junior with Matthews (N.C.) Covenant Day School, averaged 14.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. She is Louisville's only commitment in the 2023 cycle.

As of the writing, Louisville is set to welcome seven newcomers, six of which are Division I transfers. Those six transfers - which also includes Georgia Tech guard Eylia Love, Cal guard Jayda Curry, Cal State Bakersfield forward Hennie van Schaik, James Madison guard Kiki Jefferson and Florida guard Nina Rickards - combined to average 76.6 points, 31.6 rebounds and 12.3 assists per game at their respective schools last season.

This is exactly what the staff needed to accomplish considering the amount of players they are losing from last year's roster. The program graduated six seniors, and five more players - including All-Ameican guard Hailey Van Lith - entered the transfer portal. Only Olivia Cochran, Merissah Russell, Alexia Mobley and Nyla Harris are returning.

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 & right on the table*

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Guard/Forward	Power Forward	Center
Jayda Curry	Nina Rickards	Kiki Jefferson	Nyla Harris	Olivia Cochran
Sydney Taylor	Eylia Love	Alexia Mobley	Hennie van Schaik
Merissah Russell	Eseosa Imafidon

Losing Hailey Van Lith is undoubtedly a massive loss, but gaining a player like Curry is a good consolation prize. She gives Louisville not only great Power Five experience, considering she was a First-Team All-Pac-12 selection this past season and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year the season before. Pair her with Rickards, who was a 1,000-point scorer at Florida, as well as Taylor, who was one of the best three-point shooters in the nation last season with UMass, and Louisville has a good three-person rotation in the backcourt. Russell also gives them a veteran presence, and could be in line for a big step forward if she can see consistent court time. The only weakness here is that Curry is the only "true point guard" on the roster.

The wing for Louisville is filled with potential. Considering Jefferson was able to pile up 1,838 points and 815 rebounds during her time at James Madison, she has All-ACC written all over her. If Love can round back into form after a down junior year at Georgia Tech (10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore), that will only add to the lineup creativity that will be at Walz' disposal. Not to mention that, as a bigger guard, Russell could also see time here.

Down low in the paint, Louisville returns two keys pieces in Cochran and Harris. As the Cardinals' leading rebounder from last season and leading returning scorer, Cochran is extremely motivated heading into her senior season. Harris' stat line last season might not stand out, but she helped played a role in getting Louisville back on the right track once she was inserted into the starting lineup. Mobley barely saw the floor this past season, but has always been full of potential. As for van Schaik and Imafidon - at the very minimum - they give Louisville size on the interior and rebounding prowess that fans always clamor for.

(Photo of Merissah Russell, Jeff Walz: Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports)

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