The Louisville Cardinals basketball program took the world by storm last season after welcoming first-year head coach Pat Kelsey. Kelsey inherited a roster with just one returning player and immediately went to work in the transfer portal. He turned a completely revamped team into a powerhouse that made the NCAA Tournament.
“The Cardinals are dreaming big after Year 1 of Kelsey's tenure went down as one of the largest turnarounds in Division I history — taking them to the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time since joining the conference in 2014 and ending a March Madness drought that dated back to 2019,” Yahoo Sports’ Brooks Holton wrote.
Kelsey also brought in a top-tier freshman recruiting class and another strong group through the transfer portal. Players want to play for Kelsey because he’s the epitome of a player’s coach. Louisville clearly got the right guy.
“If I’m a player, I want to play at Louisville,” CBB analyst John Fanta said on a podcast. “He lets his kids go out there instinctively and play.”
Incoming freshman Mikel Brown Jr. is already making waves, competing in the U19 FIBA World Cup — and he's turning heads with his performance. He’s been playing so well that he's outperforming the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
“It's more of a credit to Mikel Brown than a shot at Dybantsa, and IDK if it's ‘way’ better, but Mikel Brown has been awesome so far at U19s and has clearly performed better at this tournament,” The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote.
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This is exciting news for the Cardinals. Brown is outperforming AJ Dybantsa — a player being compared to an all-time great.
“I’ll try to create a visual for BYUMBB fans for what to expect from AJ Dybantsa after watching him all week at usabjnt Under 19 practices. Best description is that if Kevin Garnett came back as a small forward with his intensity, athleticism & his team-first style, that’s who the Cougars have,” ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla wrote.
While Brown still has a lot of development ahead, his early performance is a promising sign. It looks like Kelsey may have already found his point guard for the upcoming season.