BREAKING NEWS: LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL TEAM HAS BEING BAND FOR THE 2024 SEASON DUE TO....

Hoopholic’s Gazette: The Portal, Frosh, and the Final Four.

How many discussions did I engage in with my basketball enthusiast friends — Smarts and Doc — over the weekend?

The accurate response: Quite a few.

In one conversation with Doc, he posed a rhetorical question about the number of freshmen making significant contributions for the remaining teams.

The sole name that immediately sprang to mind was Stephon Castle from UConn.

We concurred that success in college basketball is now, and perhaps always has been, dependent on experience, among other factors such as talent and strong guard leadership, etc.

Seeking some anecdotal evidence, I decided to research the rosters of the Final Four contenders.

Among the players receiving double-digit minutes throughout the season for UConn, Alabama, NC State, and Purdue, precisely four are freshmen. Alongside Castle, there’s one rookie making an impact for the Boilermakers, and a couple contributing to the Tide.

Apart from these instances, there are none. The remaining players are mostly seniors, graduate students, graduate transfers, with a few juniors and sophomores sprinkled in.

NC State, the Underdog of the Month, starts all transfers. Their standout big man DJ Burns was formerly with Winthrop.

Hmm, where have I heard that school’s name recently?

Oh right, Pat Kelsey from U of L used to coach there.

* * * * *

Which brings me, as basketball matters always do, back to the Cardinals.

Where the total players remaining from this year’s squad amounts to one.

However, Kelsey has already persuaded a couple of his College of Charleston players to join him.

One is a guard from Australia who excels at three-point shooting. I’ve always admired players from Down Under; they seem to possess resilience.

The other is an underrated sophomore-to-be center, who has earned praise from professional scouts for his intangibles. He’s a potential talent, reminiscent of a more skilled version of last season’s one-and-done player Dennis Evans, who was plagued by a mysterious medical condition from which he appears to have recovered.

This is the nature of today’s game. Thus, questions about Kelsey’s ability to recruit five-star prospects are less significant than his ability to recruit from the transfer portal. Individuals like Grant Nelson, a contributor for the Tide who made his way from Devils Lake, North Dakota, and his in-state Bison teammates, exemplify this trend.

* * * * *

A couple of observations about the initial days of the Pat Kelsey era highlight why Louisville is genuinely regarded as the most basketball-obsessed city in the nation.

First, the media attention.

Second, everyone’s talking. Since the introductory press conference, I’ve had at least half a dozen people approach me for conversation whom I’ve never met before.

Then there was that moment at white tablecloth Volare. When Kelsey and his family entered the restaurant, the patrons spontaneously burst into applause, followed by the C*A*R*D*S chant. I don’t believe Rob Hickerson was present, except in spirit.