…And just like that, there is only one remnant left of the consistently exciting, yet ultimately turbulent Rick Pitino era in Louisville (the lingering notice of recruiting allegations from the NCAA notwithstanding): his name is Malik Williams, and he is the lone senior on an uncommonly young Cardinals squad.
Having graduated a strong class of seniors last year, which included big man Steven Enoch, undersized shooter Ryan McMahon, and locally bred fan-favorite wing Dwayne Sutton, head coach Chris Mack will look to fill an entire shoe-rack of experienced boots with younger feet.
Not only is that slew of talented seniors gone, but so are grad transfer guard Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble, UCF-bound veteran guard Darius Perry, and NBA-bound junior wing Jordan Nwora. Despite earning a reputation for underperforming in big games, Nwora was the heart and soul of Louisville’s offense the majority of his junior year, scoring in double figures in 27 games, and notching First Team All-ACC and Third Team All-American honors. The Cardinals were looking like a shoo-in for a top 4 seed in last year’s NCAA tournament before it was canceled, but on the whole Mack’s squad returns just 26.8% of its 2019-20 minutes.
That said, Louisville finds itself in a precarious, yet promising position for the 2020-21 season.
All eyes will be foremost on sophomore David Johnson, whose name has continued to rise in NBA mock drafts since his breakout game in Louisville’s upset victory over Duke in January, when he repeatedly cooked reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year (and Player of the Year) Tre Jones off the dribble:
A local product out of Trinity High School, the combo guard Johnson stands at 6-5 with a 6-9 wingspan that is sure to tantalize NBA scouts. Louisville fans have been salivating like Pavlov’s dogs to see him play more minutes after he spent a large chunk of his freshman year nursing a shoulder injury. The young guard’s usage rate will surely rise dramatically in 2020-21, and the Cardinals should be in solid hands with his ability to get to the rim and find open teammates easily. His mix of athleticism and quickness allows him to thrive in transition. Johnson will look to improve upon his perimeter and free throw shooting in his second year, as he shot only 22% from long range and 60% from the stripe a year ago. If he doesn’t improve in these areas, opposing defenses will have the luxury of sagging off Johnson and mucking up the interior.
Mack had previously garnered a commitment from the highly touted guard and Trinity product Jay Scrubb, who earned JUCO Player of the Year honors last year at John A. Logan. Instead of signing with his hometown Cardinals, however, Scrubb made the rare decision of declaring for the NBA draft straight out of the JUCO ranks. In turn, Mack has displayed adeptness at scouring the grad transfer market for talent.
Sharing ball-handling duties with Johnson will be reigning Big South Player of the Year grad transfer Carlik Jones. At the beginning of his third year at the helm in the Derby City, Mack has consistently shown a willingness to bring in mid-major talent to plug holes in the roster, but expectations have not ever been so high as they are with Jones out of Radford. Last season, Jones posted gaudy stats as he led the Highlanders to the best record in the Big South and a presumptive NCAA tournament bid. Not only did he average over 20 points per game a year ago, but he also notched upwards of five assists and five rebounds per game, truly serving as the “do-it-all” guy for a good mid-major squad. The guard gets his buckets in a variety of ways, and he is in total control when orchestrating the pick and roll:
While NBA scouts will have their eyes set primarily on his backcourt running mate, Louisville fans will surely appreciate Jones’s contributions. He is a skilled perimeter shooter, knocking down 41% of his shots from long range last year on over six attempts per game. This uncanny ability to spread the floor will be a welcome addition in Louisville, allowing Mack to express more creativity in his offensive schemes. Moreover, Jones has already earned the trust of his new teammates, being voted team co-captain along with senior big man Malik Williams. In a virtual press conference earlier this week, Williams joked about Jones, “He’s a little AI [Allen Iverson.]” Whether this comparison proves true remains to be seen, but Jones’s seamless transition into the Cardinals’ rotation will be vital to their success this year.
Carlik Jones is not the only grad transfer new to the Cards this year. He is joined by Charles Minlend, a skilled wing out of San Francisco who earned Second Team All-WCC honors the last two seasons. Minlend was arguably the Dons’ most reliable scorer a season ago, as he finished in double digit scoring in 27 of their contests. Minlend’s strong wing presence will be a breath of fresh air when he enters games as the likely sixth man for the Cards.
Just ahead of Minlend in the depth chart will be lanky 6-7 sophomore wing Samuell Williamson, the second member of Louisville’s “Super Six” recruiting class discussed here. Last season Williamson received a modest amount of run, playing about 15 minutes per game, but he was never able to find his groove being situated behind veteran wings Nwora and Sutton. Like his classmate David Johnson, Williamson will be asked to assume a much larger role in the Cardinals’ rotation this season. Throughout the off-season Mack has raved about Williamson’s progress. In a September press conference, Mack said: “He came back and really looked like he had worked out for three months. He’s a lot bigger, a lot thicker, a lot stronger […] I think he’s a lot more confident, he plays with a lot more energy than he did a year ago.” Along with Johnson and Jones, Williamson will be a key cog in Mack’s offensive scheme, and onlookers can expect to see Mack run sets that will allow Williamson to capitalize on his downhill running aptitude. Don’t be surprised if this guy has a breakout year; for the Cardinals to have serious NCAA title aspirations, he will certainly need to.
Rounding out the core for Louisville is the aforementioned Malik Williams. A season ago, he finished second in ACC Sixth Man voting, and he will look not only to improve on his own game, but will also be asked to replace most of his departed front-court platoon mate Steven Enoch’s production. The 6-11 Williams has always been a good rebounder, gifted with the hawkish ability to track the ball off the rim before it even arrives there. He also has a bit of range—for his career, Williams is a 31% three-point shooter on a more-than-pedestrian number of attempts. However, he is somewhat stringy, and his defensive presence, especially on the pick and roll, will need improvement if Louisville hopes to maintain what is usually a stellar modified pack-line defense.
How the rest of the rotation fills out remains to be seen. That said, the Cardinals’ key reserves will not be without talent. Yet another sophomore, Aidan Igiehon, who only played garbage minutes last year behind Enoch and Williams will look to emulate a young Montrezl Harrell. Energetic and intimidatingly athletic, “The Irish Hulk” wowed prep hoops fans with his series of high school mixtapes:
Fellow sophomores Josh Nickelberry, a former top 100 recruit known for his flashy handles, and Quinn Slazinski, a heralded shooter, will look to round out the backcourt rotation. Redshirt freshman forward Jae’lyn Withers should also expect some playing time. It’s unclear how often Mack will allow true freshmen D’Andre Davis, JJ Traynor, and Gabe Wiznitzer off the pine, but they are all top-150 recruits as well.
Ultimately, COVID-19 has largely brought an end to high major teams participating in “buy games,” an outcome which will undoubtedly hurt smaller conferences’ revenues, but which college basketball fans should enjoy. A non-conference bubble event will be held at the Yum! Center in late November, where Louisville will play host to several of the nation’s top mid major teams. While nothing is certain in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, one truly titanic question looms: Will Louisville play Kentucky? Doing his best impression of a WWE promoter, Mack explained some of the scheduling issues the two programs have faced in finding an agreeable date for the rivalry game this season:
Whether the game is played or not, it’s safe to say this dispute has invigorated a large amount of enthusiasm from both fanbases. At this point we can only hope the basketball gods (or scheduling gods?) find a way to bless us.
In considering the rest of the ACC, Louisville fans should have fairly high expectations for their team. Over the last three years the league has run through Virginia and Duke; these two programs are again the favorites in 2020-21. That said, if all goes according to plan, Louisville and Leonard Hamilton’s Florida State Seminoles should find themselves in fierce competition for the conference title. While it seems that only 12,000 Cards fans or fewer will be allowed in the Yum! Center for games this year, it is more than likely they will have something to cheer about; assuming the younger players catch their stride in a timely manner, expect Louisville to be a top 25 team all year long.