Pat Kelsey is off to a fast start with Louisville basketball. What will recruiting look like?

The Pat Kelsey era of Louisville men’s basketball is, unofficially, underway.

Last week, the Cardinals put together a pair of impressive exhibition victories in The Bahamas in what was a first look at a brand-new U of L roster for the 2024-25 season.

In similar fashion to the roster-building project that Mark Pope oversaw in Lexington this offseason, Kelsey — who previously served as the head coach at Winthrop and Charleston — went heavy on experience via the transfer portal when assembling his first team.

The Cardinals’ roster for next season features 12 newcomers who arrived via the transfer portal, along with a lone freshman addition: Four-star power forward Khani Rooths, who was previously committed to play at Michigan before the Wolverines fired former coach Juwan Howard in March.

In the immediate future, Louisville looks well-positioned to improve upon the disastrous two-year tenure of former coach Kenny Payne, who went a combined 12-52 over the last two seasons in the Derby City.

But looking into the future, what impact will Kelsey have on Louisville basketball recruiting as he attempts to attract top high school prospects?

How has Louisville basketball recruiting changed with Pat Kelsey?

In addition to a disastrous on-court product, Louisville’s high school recruiting under Payne was also lacking.

While U of L inked a top-10 ranked recruiting class in 2023, the two best players from this group were non-factors for the Cardinals. Small forward Trentyn Flowers abruptly left Louisville last summer before the school year started to turn professional in Australia. Center Dennis Evans, a former Minnesota signee, played sparingly last season before Louisville announced in January that he would no longer be medically cleared to play.

(Flowers went undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft before signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Evans is now at Grand Canyon).

At the time of Payne’s dismissal in March, the Cardinals had next to no momentum on the recruiting trail when it came to future classes as well.

Louisville only had one commit in the 2024 recruiting class, three-star point guard TJ Robinson, who never signed with the Cardinals. Robinson committed to Milwaukee in late April, but still doesn’t appear on that school’s men’s basketball roster for the 2024-25 season.

Under Payne, the Cardinals missed out on five-star small forward Karter Knox, whose older brother, Kevin, played at UK and was coached by Payne in Lexington. The younger Knox also committed to UK, but he backed out of that pledge after John Calipari left the Kentucky program for Arkansas. Karter Knox will play for the Razorbacks next season.

Since their arrival this offseason, Kelsey and his coaching staff — which includes assistants Thomas Carr, Mike Cassidy, Ronnie Hamilton, Brian Kloman and Jermaine Ukaegbu — have added professionalism and stability to U of L’s recruiting efforts.

Louisville has had a strong presence at various recruiting events this summer, such as on the grassroots circuits and at the NBPA Top 100 camp. More importantly, the Cardinals’ recruiting pitch is resonating with top prospects.

In recent weeks alone, Louisville has made the list cuts for the following notable class of 2025 players:

▪ The top-six list for four-star small forward Shelton Henderson.

▪ The top-five list for three-star small forward Ian Inman.

▪ The top-six list for four-star power forward London Jemison.

▪ The top-five list for former Woodford County guard Jasper Johnson.

▪ The top-eight list for five-star combo guard Darryn Peterson.

▪ The top-eight list for three-star power forward Tre Singleton.

Not only is U of L making the list cuts for these top recruits, but the Cardinals have also succeeded in getting these prospects to set up visits to campus.

Inman has scheduled an official visit for this fall to the Cardinals. Peterson, one of the most sought-after recruits in the 2025 class, is expected to visit Louisville in October.

Jemison is expected to be on campus at U of L in the early fall. Henderson will be tripping to Louisville later this month.

Shelton Henderson talks Pat Kelsey, Louisville basketball recruiting

While at Peach Jam, the season-ending Nike Elite Youth Basketball League event held in South Carolina, the Herald-Leader spoke with Henderson to learn more about his Louisville interest and what Kelsey and his assistant coaches are like as recruiters.

Now down to a group of finalists that includes Duke, Houston, Louisville, LSU, Texas and Texas Tech, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Henderson was a breakout recruit this spring and summer while leading his JL3 Elite team to the Peach Jam semifinals.

“A lot of people talk about his frame, which is hard not to, and that allows him to do a number of things on the floor,” JL3 coach Torrence Botts told the Herald-Leader about Henderson. “He can catch on the perimeter and get downhill, or we try to put him in certain spots and be able to operate and facilitate from other areas. The fact that you’re able to use him in a multitude of different ways, that kind of helps our team and it helps him.”

“Just getting downhill, play-making, getting others open, getting others involved and getting my own off the dribble, too. Also rebounding a lot,” Henderson said when asked for a self-evaluation of his game.

This all-around versatility attracted the attention of Kelsey and company, who extended a scholarship offer to Henderson in late April.

“I built a good relationship with Coach Kelsey, Coach Hamilton. As soon as (Hamilton) got to Louisville, I was the first person he called,” Henderson said. “Just having that relationship (with Hamilton) from when he was at LSU has really moved over. Just talking to Coach Kelsey pretty much every week, two times a week and building that relationship has been really good.”

Hamilton — a Duke grad who played four seasons of college football for the Blue Devils — has been a common name mentioned by recruits when asked about their relationship with members of the Louisville coaching staff.

“He’s easy to connect to,” Henderson said about Hamilton, who has spent time on the coaching staffs of Houston, Middle Tennessee State, Ole Miss and most recently LSU.

“He’s a funny guy. He’s kind of young, so it makes it a lot easier to get closer with him. I really like talking to him and I really enjoy it.”

Henderson is targeting the November early signing period for his college commitment, but added he may push that date back if needed.

Regardless of when that decision occurs, it’s clear for Henderson, as well as several other class of 2025 prospects, that choosing Louisville is a very real option.

“Coach Kelsey really has a lot of confidence in me to come in there and make a huge impact, so I really like that about him,” Henderson said. “(Kelsey is) definitely a funny guy. He’s telling jokes, making me laugh. I really enjoy talking to him. He has a lot of enthusiasm, I really like that about him. I feel like he can push me to really reach my main goals, so I really like that.”

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