Louisville Women's Basketball 2024-25 Roster Outlook 1.0

Here's a glimpse into the future, projecting how next season's Cardinals squad will look like.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - By their typically lofty standards, the Louisville women's basketball program had a disappointing 2023-24 campaign.

The Cardinals finished the year at 24-10, marking their fewest wins since the 2011-12 season. They also suffered their very first opening round loss in the NCAA Tournament in head coach Jeff Walz's 17 years at the helm, falling 71-69 to MTSU.

We might be just two weeks removed from the end of their season, but it's never too early to take a glimpse into the future and break down the projected 2024-25 roster for the Louisville women's basketball program.

So far this offseason, there has been a fair amount of player movement, and Walz's squad for next year - while close to the scholarship limit - could be far from being completely set. There's a very good chance we could see some more moving pieces in the coming days and weeks, but for now, let's take a look at how this team currently shakes out.

Departures and Arrivals

As previously referenced, there have been a plethora of moving roster pieces for Louisville. While they aren't in line to lose as many players as they did last offseason, there is still a sizable contingent of players moving on from the program.

For starters, the Cardinals are set to lose three players to graduation: guards Kiki Jefferson, Nina Rickards and Sydney Taylor. Additionally, two players - forwards Alexia Mobley and Hennie von Schaik - entered the transfer portal after the season came to a close, leaving Louisville with a starting five's worth of players that are moving on.

But unlike last offseason, where almost all of Louisville's departing players were replaced with transfers, all of the Cardinals' newcomers for next season - as of Apr. 8 - are going to be high school prospects.

So far, Louisville is welcoming six players as part of the their freshman recruiting class. Two of these commits rank in the top-25 of ESPN's 2024 HoopGurlz recruiting rankings in forward Mackenly Randolph and guard Tajianna Roberts, while guard Izela Arenas cracks the top-100. Guard/forward Reagan Bender, forward Anaya Bender and post Isla Juffermans are also joining the Cards.

Put it all together, and that puts Louisville at a 13-man scholarship roster for the 2024-25 season. While the scholarship roster size caps at 15 in women's basketball, Walz noted last year that he might only keep 10-12 players on a roster moving forward, and wound up having 11 on this past season's roster.

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:

• Point Guard: Jayda Curry, Izela Arenas
• Shooting Guard: Merissah Russell, Tajianna Roberts
• Guard/Forward: Eylia Love, Mackenly Randolph, Reagan Bender
• Power Forward: Nyla Harris, Anaya Hardy
• Center: Olivia Cochran, Elif Istanbulluoglu, Isla Jufferman, Eseosa Imafidon

Sure, losing your two regular backcourt starters in Taylor and Rickards is a big blow, but Louisville does have some continuity at guard heading into next season with Jayda Curry and Merrissah Russell. Curry was Louisville's go-to bench option for the backcourt (as well as their sixth woman overall), and demonstrated that she can be a reliable scorer, facilitator and three-point shooter. She just has to work on improving her overall shooting and cutting down on turnovers. As for Russell, while her season-long stat line might not jump out to some, her veteran presence is a big deal. Not to mention that she does provide good scoring and rebounding potential. Behind those two are a pair of uber-talented freshmen in Tajianna Roberts and Izela Arenas. Roberts is the No. 25 prospect in the Class of 2024, and recently earned an All-American honorable mention from the Naismith Trophy. Arenas comes as the No. 87 prospect, and won the Queen of the Court event last May, which is a one-on-one showcase that features some of the top female high school basketball players in the nation.

The wing for Louisville, as of this writing, has potential but also some questions. Two years removed from averaging 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Georgia Tech, Eylia Love displayed at times that she seemed to be rounding back into that form, but she was also very inconsistent - especially down the stretch. Because of that, it wouldn't come as a complete shock to see Russell play some at the three in some smaller lineups. But like in the backcourt, Louisville will have some very talented freshman options at the wing in Mackenly Randolph and Reagan Bender. Randolph comes in at No. 21 by ESPN HoopGurlz, is a McDonald's All-American, and averaged a double-double as a senior. If any of Louisville's incoming freshmen will see consistent early playing time, it's her. Bender - who was a Miss Basketball finalist - and prowess as a rebounder and three-point shooter could also see her carve out an early role, but she likely has more long term potential. Anaya Hardy is an incoming freshman who will likely see more time in the front court, but could be an early difference maker because of her versatility. She averaged a double-double this past season, is a two-time All-State selection, and can play between the three and the four.

In the front court, Louisville returns two keys pieces in Olivia Cochran and Nyla Harris, and it will likely be their strength next season because of these two alone. As the Cardinals' co-leading rebounder, runner-up in scoring and blocks leader from last season, any attempt to get Louisville back to a deep March run will likely come through Cochran, who is coming back for one more season. But like with Curry, she'll have to cut down on turnovers, which was a team-wide problem in 2023-24. Harris, after proving to be an X-factor in the 2022-23 lineup, took a massive step forward this season. She went from someone who shines in areas that don't show up in the stat sheet to becoming a consistent low post scoring threat and rebounder (tied with Cochran for most on the team). As for Louisville's other three post options - Elif Istanbulluoglu, Eseosa Imafidon and Isla Juffermans - there are a lot of questions. Istanbulluoglu showed flashes as a freshman but will need to take a step forward. Imafidon, quite frankly, is a transfer portal candidate. Juffermans does have international experience with the Australian National Team, but will that translate to the ACC?

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