Louisville men’s basketball coach Pat Kelsey on new group of players
Louisville men’s basketball coach Pat Kelsey talks about his recruiting process and the team’s chemistry ahead of the 2025-2026 season.
Louisville basketball’s NCAA transfer portal footprint has shrunk entering the 2025-26 season, but there are still more than a dozen former Cardinals hooping elsewhere across Division I.Pat Kelsey lost only two players to the portal after his first year at the helm.Most of the familiar faces below played at U of L during the Kenny Payne era.
It’s that time of the year again — time to check in on all the former Louisville basketball players who are gearing up for a new season elsewhere after hitting the NCAA transfer portal.
The Cardinals’ portal footprint has shrunk from 20 ex-players across Division I in 2024-25 to 16 entering 2025-26. What happened? Six former players reached the end of their collegiate careers, and Pat Kelsey returned five of the seven eligible members of his inaugural roster after leading the program to a 27-8 record in Year 1.
A quick rundown of U of L’s 16-player portal footprint for 2025-26, by the numbers:
1: the number of former players who still haven’t found a new home.2: the number of signees from the Chris Mack era who are still eligible.6: the number of former players at high-major programs.11: the number of former players who entered the portal after both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.12: the number of signees from the Kenny Payne era who are still eligible.
Here’s a look at where all of the familiar faces are now:
Time at U of L: One season (2023-24)
2024-25 averages: 8.5 points on 45.8% shooting, 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 34 games (34 starts, 26.2 minutes per)
Of note: Skyy Clark enters Year 2 at UCLA with the Bruins ranked ninth in analytics guru Bart Torvik’s earliest projections after going 23-11 and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25. He’ll line up in the backcourt next to one of the most sought-after transfers this offseason, Donovan Dent.
Time at U of L: One season (2023-24)
2024-25 averages: 8.7 points on 53.5% shooting and 1.7 rebounds in seven games (11.4 minutes per)
Of note: Koron Davis showed promise at the beginning of Louisiana’s 2024-25 season but didn’t see the court after Nov. 25. The former junior college product, who never appeared in an official game at Louisville before his bizarre dismissal from the team, has signed on to play at Alabama A&M — one of the five worst DI programs last season on KenPom.com‘s adjusted efficiency rankings.
Time at U of L: One season (2023-24)
2024-25 averages: N/A
Of note: Dennis Evans hasn’t logged a minute since Nov. 29, 2023 — when he last took the court for Louisville, which ruled him medically incapable of competing for the program indefinitely nearly two months later. After sitting out of the 2024-25 season with what Grand Canyon described as a shoulder injury, the former top-five center in the Class of 2023 is back on the court with the Antelopes, who are chasing a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Time at U of L: One season (2023-24)
2024-25 averages: 12.6 points on 53.1% shooting and 4.8 rebounds in 34 games (five starts, 25.7 minutes per)
Of note: We unfortunately won’t see Kaleb Glenn suit up for Tom Izzo in 2025-26. After a breakout sophomore season at Florida Atlantic, the Louisville native and former Male High School star suffered a knee injury during a non-contact practice in June that will sideline him for the entire campaign.
Time at U of L: Three seasons (2021-24)
2024-25 averages: N/A
Of note: Mike James missed all of N.C. State’s 2024-25 campaign after suffering a knee injury during a preseason practice. He left the Wolfpack after the firing of Kevin Keatts and landed at a program on the rise in Vanderbilt, which is coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 under first-year coach Mark Byington.
Time at U of L: One season (2024-25)
2024-25 averages: Three points on 27.3% shooting, 2.5 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games (19.5 minutes per)
Of note: Koren Johnson was the first player from Kelsey’s inaugural roster to hit the portal. The 6-foot-2 guard had his junior season derailed by a torn labrum last November, after logging only two appearances off the bench for the Cards.
Time at U of L: One season (2023-24)
2024-25 averages: 6.1 points on 35% shooting, 2.7 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 29 games (19 starts, 23.6 minutes per)
Of note: Ty-Laur Johnson had the farthest trip of any former Louisville player who hit the portal this offseason: from Wake Forest to San Diego — his third school in as many years. The Toreros were a DI bottom-dweller in 2024-25, going 6-27 overall and 2-16 in the West Coast Conference.
Time at U of L: One season (2023-24)
2024-25 averages: 5.3 points on 58% shooting and 3.5 rebounds in 17 games (14.6 minutes per)
Of note: Danilo Jovanovich enters his senior season with only 38 collegiate appearances under his belt. He’s back at his hometown school, Milwaukee, with the Panthers looking to improve upon a 21-11 finish to 2024-25.
Time at U of L: One season (2022-23)
2024-25 averages: 7.2 points on 35.7% shooting, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25 games (13 starts, 18.5 minutes per)
Of note: Kamari Lands is running it back at Middle Tennessee for his senior season. The Blue Raiders earned a spot in last season’s National Invitation Tournament but lost in the first round, 109-103 to Chattanooga in triple overtime.
Time at U of L: Two seasons (2022-24)
2024-25 averages: 7.2 points on 39.3% shooting, 2.8 rebounds and an assist in 26 games (seven starts, 16.9 minutes per)
Of note: Hercy Miller has not yet found a new home after entering the transfer portal in April following a season at Southern Utah — his fourth in the DI ranks. The Thunderbirds went 12-19 in 2024-25.
Time at U of L: Two seasons (2022-24)
2024-25 averages: 2.7 points on 52.7% shooting and 2.2 rebounds in 25 games (nine starts, 10.8 minutes per)
Of note: Wichita State is the next stop on Emmanuel Okorafor‘s journey since arriving in the country nearly three years ago from NBA Academy Africa. The Nigerian big man spent his junior season at Seton Hall.
Time at U of L: One season (2022-23)
2024-25 averages: 4.1 points on 34.5% shooting and 2.9 rebounds in 29 games (19 starts, 16.3 minutes per)
Of note: Devin Ree transferred to Jackson State this offseason after two years at Louisiana Tech. He will return to the KFC Yum! Center when the Tigers visit Louisville on Nov. 6.
Time at U of L: One season (2024-25)
2024-25 averages: 7.1 points on 75.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 35 games (31 starts, 23.6 minutes per)
Of note: A late portal entrant, James Scott followed Koren Johnson to Oxford, Mississippi, after a sophomore season for the record book at Louisville. His 79 dunks in 2024-25 were the third most during a season in program history.
Time at U of L: Four seasons (2020-24)
2024-25 averages: 5.6 points on 55.8% shooting and 3.3 rebounds in 32 games (10 starts, 17.4 minutes per)
Of note: JJ Traynor is back in his home state for his final season of eligibility after suiting up for his fifth go-around at DePaul. He’ll play for former Creighton assistant Ryan Miller, who replaced Steve Prohm as head coach after Murray State went 16-17 in 2024-25.
Time at U of L: One season (2023-24)
2024-25 averages: 10.5 points on 50.7% shooting and 5.5 rebounds in 32 games (31 starts, 23.4 minutes per)
Of note: Kansas is Tre White‘s fourth school in as many years; he reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a junior at Illinois. His first game with the Jayhawks will unofficially be an Oct. 24 exhibition against Louisville at the Yum! Center.
Time at U of L: One season (2023-24)
2024-25 averages: 4.7 points on 40.6% shooting and 1.8 rebounds in 33 games (three starts, 15.5 minutes per)
Of note: Curtis Williams took another spin through the portal after seeing a dip in minutes as a sophomore at Georgetown. He landed at Tulane, which posted a 19-15 record in 2024-25.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.