Pat Kelsey has never shied away from the expectations that come with leading Louisville basketball.
They couldn’t be higher entering Year 2 with the Cardinals.
After orchestrating one of the largest turnarounds in Division I history, Kelsey seemingly used any frustration lingering from a lopsided first-round NCAA Tournament loss to fuel a strong start in the NCAA transfer portal. So strong, in fact, that it’s put the rest of the sport on notice.
As the confetti fell Monday night at the Alamodome, after Florida rallied to beat Houston in the national championship game, way-too-early top 25s for the 2025-26 season spread like wildfire online. And, for what it’s worth, U of L cracked the top five in six of them: The Athletic, ESPN, FOX Sports, Heat Check CBB, On3 and Sports Illustrated.
FOX Sports’ John Fanta dubbed the Cards “the champions of the transfer portal at the moment,” citing the addition of guards Ryan Conwell (Xavier), Isaac McKneely (Virginia) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State). Paired with incoming McDonald’s All-American Mikel Brown Jr., they form the type of backcourt that prompted former coach Rick Pitino to joke about pulling out of negotions to play a home-and-home series against his current team, St. John’s.
There are still dominoes yet to fall. Specifically, the commitment of five-star forward Nate Ament, who ranks among the top four players in the Class of 2025 on the 247Sports Composite, and whether or not Kasean Pryor wants to join J’Vonne Hadley in using an additional year of eligibility to return for another go-around. Their choices will shape whatever finishing touches Kelsey feels as if he needs to make.
That said, let’s get to your questions about how this roster is coming together:
Is there still a chance Louisville basketball can get Nate Ament or another high-caliber forward? — Clellan Kane
I know a lot of Louisville fans read Ament postponing his commitment at the McDonald’s All-American Game as him effectively turning down the Cards. But, with the way things can change in a high-profile recruitment such as his, I wouldn’t count them out until an announcement is made.
Does that mean I think Ament will ultimately pick U of L? No, I think he’s bound for Duke.
That brings us to the second part of your question: a contingency plan.
Hadley and Pryor returning is the most convenient option. With frontcourt depth at a premium in 2024-25, the former proved himself as a consummate utility player who can defend well above his 6-foot-6 frame. The latter still needs more time to get back to full speed after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, but I like his upside running it back after a year of learning the ins and outs of Kelsey’s program.
If Ament and Pryor decide to head elsewhere, there are plenty of options in the portal. The thing is, Louisville, to my knowledge, hasn’t prioritized any in particular while it waits for them to make up their minds.
Do you expect the Louisville staff to bring in one or two injured players to fill out the roster like it did last year with Aly Khalifa and Kobe Rodgers? Seems like it will be tough to keep 13 healthy players happy with playing time. — Joe Cecil
I don’t think Kelsey & Co. will take that route again. Trying to keep 13 healthy players happy with their roles is a much better problem to have than being as shorthanded as Louisville was this past season.
Remember: Kelsey likes to play fast — faster than the Cards could manage in 2024-25 with the injuries piling up. Per KenPom.com, eight of his 13 teams dating back to 2012-13 have ranked among DI’s top 50 in tempo.
That requires a lot of bodies. All three of Kelsey’s squads at Charleston had at least nine players with minute shares of 25% or more. U of L had seven in Year 1 of his tenure — three commanding more than 80%.
So, while I understand your concern about playing time, this has been the vision since Kelsey arrived on campus. He’s undoubtedly having these conversations with both portal prospects and returnees; and, from my perspective, it feels as if most are bought in — considering Koren Johnson was the lone defector as of Tuesday.
Maybe Louisville’s final additions are guys who could use another year of development in limited roles before actualizing their full potential in 2026-27. But I think Kelsey is going to want as many hands on deck as possible.
There’s a lot of talk about needing a power forward. Can Sananda Fru fill that role? — Jim Maier
The short answer: yes.
The long answer: At 6-11 and 245 pounds, Sananda Fru should bring some much-needed physicality to the post after holding his own in Germany’s top-flight Basketball Bundesliga since 2021. The 21-year-old is averaging 11.9 points on 65% shooting with 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 2024-25.
Speaking with ESPN Louisville in February, Fru’s agent, Milan Nikolic, said the big man is “coming in to have a big role.” That starts with strength coach Eli Foy, who notably played a key role in developing Deandre Ayton into the top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft during a stint on Sean Miller’s staff at Arizona.
“If you go back a year or two and look at him, he still hasn’t filled out his frame, I think,” Nikolic said. “When it comes to strength and muscles, I think there’s a lot of upside.”
Only time will tell if Fru can reach new heights with the Cards, but my money’s on his game translating to the college ranks sooner rather than later. That could be as a power forward or center; he mixes and matches well with the playing styles of U of L’s frontcourt.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball: How is Pat Kelsey’s 2025-26 roster shaping up?