Kasean Pryor Calls Return to Action an 'Unbelievable Feeling'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Prior to Thursday night, it had nearly been a full calendar year since Kasean Pryor checked into a game.

343 days earlier, the Louisville men's basketball forward played in what wound up being his final game of the 2024-25 season. On Nov. 29, Pryor tore his left ACL during the Battle 4 Atlantis title game against Oklahoma, thus robbing him of the rest of the season. Barely a month into year one under Pat Kelsey, and Pryor - who was expected to be one of Louisville's - top players - would have to spend the rest of the season on the sideline.

But while it was his last appearance that season, it wouldn't be his last time donning the red and black.

Thanks to the Diego Pavia ruling, which allowed former JUCO players one more year of D1 eligibility, the 6-foot-10, 230-pound stretch forward was allowed to return for the 2025-26 season. While he had to miss the season-opener, Pryor was able to finally get back on the court on Thursday night.

At the 16:27 mark of the first half, Pryor officially checked in for the Cardinals in their matchup against Jackson State. As he walked onto the court, the 14,412 in attendance at the KFC Yum! Center erupted, giving Pryor a standing ovation.

The long road back had finally come to an end, and Pryor was simply in awe of the reception he got when he took to the floor.

"(It was an) unbelievable feeling checking in front of the best fans in college basketball, in the Yum! Center today. It was just a process. Talking to (head coach Pat Kelsey), talking to my family, my deadline was to be back before Kentucky so that would be prepared to play against them. Whether it was an exhibition or one of the first two games, I just wanted to get out there and get my feet wet, and obviously get back into it after almost being off a year.

"Obviously, very exciting, being out there playing with these guys for the first time in the Yum! Center. Got a few buckets early, and it was very exciting. Just happy and blessed to be back and healthy."

It wound up being a modest showing for Pryor in his first game back, finishing with six points on 3-of-8 shooting, along with three rebounds and a steal. Last season, he averaged 12.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in seven games and three starts.

But after what Pryor went through during his rehabilitation process, and the adversity he had to go through both during this time and previously in his basketball career, he was simply relieved to finally find a way back onto the floor.

"I've been fighting adversity all my life, especially in my basketball career," he said. "My first two years, I didn't even touch the court barely. I bet on myself, went to junior college, ended up being one of the best players in the country. Had a great year at South Florida, and then was able to come here and and be with the best staff and teammates in my career so far.

"It's all adversity. That's all life is. You just find a way to navigate and still be successful, even with the bumps. I've had great staff behind me, my teammates have been pushing me. They've been excited for me to play, which has been making me a little too excited to play, probably, but just happy to know those guys were ready to have me out there."

While Louisville wound up taking down Jackson State to the tune of 106-70, it was a prime opportunity for Pryor to get a decent chunk of minutes as a warmup. Starting guard J'Vonne Hadley, who got roughed up in the season-opener vs. SC State, had to miss the game against the Tigers due to concussion protocol.

While Khani Rooths took Hadley's place in the starting five, Pryor's role in the rotation for his first game became bigger than it originally was planned to be. He wound up logging just 16 minutes, but he showed a willingness to answer the call.

"He was diligent in his rehab," head coach Pat Kelsey said. "Kasean is an awesome dude. He is eccentric and he has all the stuff. I was watching him warm up out there and I saw people on social media asking what the heck is he wearing. Kasean is one of one. He is one of one, and he marches to the beat of his own drum. That is why we love him. He has a great heart. He is great to coach. He wants to be coached hard. I say ‘you gotta get on that Cap(tain)’ he says “yes, Coach”.

"I am just so excited that he back and he will allow our team to go to a whole other level. It is a process. We were really short when J’Vonne went down and I said ‘are you ready?’ He said, ‘I am ready, let’s do it.’ It was kind of like a last second deal. It is awesome to see him back out there and see him get to the other side of all that."

Now, the next game on the docket for Louisville is the annual Battle of the Bluegrass rivalry with Kentucky. While Pryor has just 16 minutes of action under his belt so far this season, he's ready to do what it takes when the Wildcats come into the KFC Yum! Center next Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. EST.

"I feel like you can't even walk around the city of Louisville without somebody telling you 'beat UK,' right?" he said. "You feel it instantly. Even when I got here last year with the 'ReviVille' team, maybe even the first week or two, 1000 people told me "beat UK. We don't care about anything else, but beat UK.'

"I think that speaks for itself. They know how big this rivalry is. Obviously, a state rivalry, one of the biggest in college basketball. It's always going to be exciting. It's always going to be a big time rivalry, and we just gotta be out there and prepare and bring the edge."

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