Louisville four-star Trentyn Flowers to leave program, play overseas

Louisville Men’s Basketball’s 2023-24 roster just took a big blow.

On Monday afternoon, incoming four-star recruit and 6’8 wing Trentyn Flowers announced his plans to leave Louisville and play in Australia during the upcoming season, with the goal of preparing for the 2024 NBA Draft.

He tweeted out the following post containing the news:

Lets GO! pic.twitter.com/6FusMcf9EJ

— Trentyn Flowers (@FlowersTrentyn) August 14, 2023

You can read his full statement right below. And in addition to that tweet, shortly afterwards, Flowers posted another one, a declaration on his position on the court:

“I’m a point guard from now on let’s get this right….” he tweeted. At 6’8 and listed as a small forward, he wouldn’t be your typical point guard. But alas, that’s how Flowers views himself. You got to wonder if the Louisville staff had other ideas.

Flowers statement on sudden departure

Trentyn Flowers statement, which was included in the first tweet, read:

“Dear Card Nation,

“Those that know me know my biggest dream has always been to play in the NBA. Recently, I have been blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime — to play professional basketball in Australia and take another big step towards my NBA dreams.

“This was not an easy decision, because playing for Louisville was also a dream of mine. While my time in Louisville has been short, it has been an amazing experience and I can’t thank you all enough. The coaching staff has been very supportive and has helped me tremendously this summer, and playing alongside such tremendous players was really inspiring. The love and support the entire city has shown me is something I’ll never forget.

“I make this transition knowing that it will grant me the ability to pour all of my focus and commitment directly into the game, and further develop my skills as I continue to pursue the NBA.

“Thank you Card Nation! Louisville will always have a special place in my heart.”

Kenny Payne also had words to add on the sudden loss of Flowers. He said the player informed the staff that he was leaving and the program wishes him nothing but the best:

Statement from Louisville head coach Kenny Payne following decision by Trentyn Flowers to turn pro ball in Australia. pic.twitter.com/2ZbfPkDU8d

— Michael McCammon (@mcmichael20) August 14, 2023

Effect on Louisville

It’s no secret the Cardinals are coming off a tough first year for Kenny Payne, which featured just four total wins and seven times as many losses. Ahead of year two, though, Payne hit the recruiting trail and transfer portal hard for upgrades. The results? Flowers and plenty more talent, including the No. 9 freshman class in the country, per the On3 rankings.

Flowers led the way, ranked No. 27 in the class. Directly following him was 7’1 center Dennis Evans at No. 28, then 6’6 wings Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams also rated high enough to give the Cards four top-100 players.

With those four plus USC import Tre White — another wing — and Skyy Clark, the obvious choice to fill the El Ellis role on the 2023-24 roster, Kenny Payne finished with a decent haul this offseason. Now, the Flowers loss stings pretty bad, but at least he played the one position Louisville has plenty of: wing.

With White, Glenn and Williams, plus returning perimeter piece Mike James, Louisville has enough to patch a hole at the 2-4 spots. This loss may drop their ceiling a bit, though.