LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A historically bad season left Louisville with nowhere to go but up.
Second-year coach Kenny Payne took major step in that direction by landing a top-10 recruiting class. That has sparked optimism about making that 4-28 finish a distant memory, though he reminds the newcomers and returnees about the depths of that horrid past as motivation to avoid a repeat.
“I don’t want us to push it out,” Payne said. “I want them to know what it was to be in a situation where the players had no hope or didn’t have the confidence to believe in themselves. There’s a lesson in that. This is a totally different team, and for me as the head coach, it’s the first step in me rebuilding this program.”
Louisville (2-18 Atlantic Coast Conference) welcomes eight newcomers including several transfers with at least two seasons of remaining eligibility. They join a returning core of sophomore guard Mike James (10.1 points per game) and forwards Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6.7 points, 5.4 rebounds) and JJ Traynor (6.9, 3.8), the few bright spots back from a squad that began 0-9 on the way to bottoming out in every way.
That trio and four other holdovers also have some years left, giving Payne the nucleus he hopes to sustain. Louisville has a decent baseline to build on, returning 47% of the offense and 57% of the rebounding, and players are determined to lead the once-proud program back to respectability.
There figures to be growing pains. But there’s better talent, they’ve had more time to get acquainted and there’s no cloud of NCAA sanctions hanging over like last fall.
LONGER, MAYBE STRONGER
Louisville lacked an inside presence last season, an excuse it can’t make this year with 7-foot-1 freshman Dennis Evans and a bigger projected role for 6-9 sophomore Emmanuel Okorafor. Evans already seems poised to be a rim protector and is embracing physical play as part of the learning process.
BACKCOURT DEPTH
Louisville lists eight guards, with James as the incumbent starter. Illinois transfer Skyy Clark (7.0 points, 2.1 assists) appears to be the point guard, while USC transfer Tre White could play a significant role after averaging 9.0 points and 5.1 boards to make the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. Curtis Williams also figures to play key minutes.
TRUST EACH OTHER
The Cardinals struggled to mount consecutive possessions without turning the ball over and ranked 331st of 352 Division I schools at 14.9 per game, 350th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 0.63. That figures to be an issue again, at least initially, with so many new faces and plans to play quicker. On the other hand, Payne has players in the right positions and James is encouraged by the developing cohesion.
“The togetherness and chemistry are off the charts this year,” he added. “I think it’ll show on the court. That makes my job easy.”
PIVOTAL PLAYER
Payne cited Huntley-Hatfield as Louisville’s likely X-factor. The 6-10 junior missed eight ACC games with a foot injury but started 21 of 24 games and led Cardinals rebounding eight times. The coach said Huntley-Hatfield's conditioning has improved (8% body fat) and hopes he shows that strength.
“He could be the difference maker,” Payne said. “He’s talented, he’s strong. He commands a double team. ... He’s got to know that he has to deliver for this team.”
THE SCHEDULE
Louisville opens Nov. 6 at home against UMBC and faces major tests Nov. 19-20 against Texas and either UConn or Indiana in New York. The Cardinals open ACC play at Virginia Tech on Dec. 3. They host No. 16 and rival Kentucky on Dec. 21.