The Floyd Street Tribune: A late June reader Q&A ahead of a monster July recruiting cycle
Inside: Guards, guards, guards; no DePaul?; who leads the recruiting efforts; and much more ... lots of questions answered this week's newsletter reader Q&A.
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Every six weeks or so, I like to seek out reader questions to open up a dialogue about Louisville men’s hoops, and with this being the calm before the July recruiting storm, I thought now is a good time to do another Q&A. No rules, just questions. I’ll answer each as best I can, though I’ll say up front that information is incredibly difficult to come by these days.
@cdbradley2: Are they ever going to sign a guard?
To steal a stalling tactic from Al Gore — that’s a great question, C.D., and I’m glad you asked it.
In all seriousness, the top option right now appears to be Fabio Basili, who made an official visit to Louisville this week and posted some Instagram stories and comments that suggested he is close to committing to the Cards. Basili told me late Wednesday night that he is in the 2022 class and participated in AAU events as an unsigned senior. His potential arrival would at least give Louisville another guard, though I’d say two guards would be helpful.
I’m not going to lie to you and say I know a whole lot about Basili other than he’s listed around 6-3, played high school ball with Mike James and reportedly has SMU and TCU offers. Information on him is otherwise limited to high school and grassroots stats, but at least we know he is a ballhandling guard who has played at a high level between Florida’s largest high school classification and the Nike grassroots league. Here’s a highlight video from Courtside Films:
@Serawl01: Is delaying the return of DePaul Day the first misstep of the KP era?
Yes. A critically misplayed hand.
@DoctorColby: What can you tell us to help us stop freaking out about the recruiting situation at the moment?
Understand the concerns about the 2022-23 roster — OK, specifically, the concerns about the lack of ballhandling guards on it. That’s an issue. Hercy Miller is a walk-on but is at least a body to work through guard drills. Basili would certainly help from a depth standpoint, but I just don’t know enough about him. Another addition, in my humble opinion, would help, too, though I realize it’s late. The bottom line is, Louisville missed out on some game-breaking guards in the early transfer portal, and that’s disappointing. Nevertheless, I’d wait until August to be absolutely certain in saying their roster is set. If Basili commits, Louisville will still have three more scholarships available.
Beyond that, it’s a sports fan’s nature to freak out. This is like asking me to stop a flood with two hands and hope. But I’d just say the true marker of a coaching staff’s recruiting chops is its first full-year circle. In this case, that’s the 2023 recruiting class. If Kenny Payne and company land a class that includes DJ Wagner or AJ Johnson in addition to Kaleb Glenn, I don’t think the freakouts will continue.
@eadens: Where does this team sit in the ACC with the current roster? With a competent transfer guard? With a reclassified guard?