We kick off our recruit and return series with the Louisville Cardinals, whose self-imposed postseason ban brought an end to their season on Saturday. A look at what the future holds for Rick Pitino's squad:
Possible 2016-17 starting five
G: Quentin Snider (9.7 PPG, 3.6 APG)
G: Donovan Mitchell (7.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG)
F: Deng Adel (4.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG)
F: Raymond Spalding (5.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG)
C: Chinanu Onuaku (10.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG)
Who is lost: Louisville relied heavily on two graduate transfers this season, with Damion Lee (Drexel) and Trey Lewis (Cleveland State) finishing as the team’s top two scorers. Lee was known as a big-time scorer during his career in the CAA, but his production translated very well to the ACC. He carried the Cardinals on the offensive end at times. Lewis saw his numbers fade a bit in conference play, but he was terrific early in the season and gave Rick Pitino a dynamic backcourt player to take some pressure off Lee. The only other possible loss is sophomore big man Chinanu Onuaku, who has played himself onto NBA Draft boards and could explore leaving early.
Who is added: Pitino is going back to the graduate transfer route again next season, with former Penn guard Tony Hicks already pledged for 2016-17. He led Penn in scoring in both 2014 and 2015 before sitting out this season in hopes of graduating in May and going elsewhere for his final season of eligibility. Expect Hicks to push for a starting job immediately. The biggest prize among the freshmen is ESPN 100 small forward V.J. King, a talented wing who should make an impact at both ends of the floor. He’s long and wiry, and is excellent in transition or slashing to the basket. Three-star guard Frankie Hughes is the only other newcomer in the Cardinals’ 2016 class; he’s a good 3-point shooter who will provide minutes off the bench.
What it means for next season: Louisville will be less experienced next season with Lee and Lewis no longer in the fold, but there’s plenty of younger talent on the roster. There will be two keys next season. One, Onuaku’s status. If he decides to go pro, he’ll leave a hole in the lineup. If he returns, though, he’ll be one of the better big men in the ACC. He notched five straight double-doubles in league play back in January. The second key will be the development of this year’s freshman class. Donovan Mitchell, Deng Adel and Ray Spalding all showed flashes of their potential -- especially Mitchell. All three should take a major jump moving forward. Quentin Snider will be back at the point guard spot; he doesn’t turn the ball over much and improved his 3-point jumper over the past season. Mangok Mathiang and Jaylen Johnson are two more players who will help on the inside. Mathiang saw his offensive numbers improve drastically this season, and he can also rebound. Anas Mahmoud had his moments, as well.
Trending: Level. The Cardinals are entering an interesting time in the program. The NCAA could decide to come down harder despite Louisville self-imposing a postseason ban for this season; if that’s the case, we might see a completely different roster -- and will Pitino stick around? Until that’s answered, it’s hard to figure out how good Louisville be next year. If the roster and coaching staff stay intact, though, there’s a lot of talent -- although much of it is unproven.