ACC beware: Louisville has 8 newcomers ready to lead the Cardinals

Louisville lost eight players to the draft, transfer portal and graduation. Last year, the Cardinals finished with an overall record of 13-7. This mediocre mark and a high number of departures led coach Chris Mack into a recruiting frenzy.

Recruits now on campus include two all-conference players, two incoming freshmen who were state champions and a top 10 career 3-point shooter. These players came from Conference USA, Southeastern Conference, the Southern Conference, ACC and community college. Here’s why the Louisville Cardinals will be better this season.

Louisville talent can make ACC run

Louisville’s main struggle last season was shooting. The Cardinals were 12th in scoring in the ACC. This year, seven out of their eight incoming players are combo guards. These seven know how to put the ball on the ground as well as spot-up shoot.

The talent on this team should be able to compete for a top-three position in the ACC. It’s up to Mack to bring these players together. Hopefully, he can make sure these elite-level shooters compete at the highest level on their new ACC court.

Breaking down Cards new additions

Noah Locke
Locke is a senior 6-foot combo guard that transferred from Florida. Locke is a lights-out shooter. In his career at Florida, he finished top 10 in career 3-pointers made. Locke is a great pick-up for Louisville. He will be a consistent scorer with around 10 points per game, which will be much needed after Louisville struggled shooting last season.

Eli Ellis
Ellis is a 6-3 junior combo guard out of Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College. Don’t let his previous school fool you, he is an extreme athlete. Ellis also is a relentless scorer. He averaged 17.7 points for the Eagles and will be a big boost for the Cardinals this upcoming year.

Mason Faulkner
Faulkner is a 6-foot-1 graduate transfer guard from Western Carolina. He averaged 16.9 points and 4.8 assists. He is an elite playmaker who led the Southern Conference in assists.

Jarrod West
West is a 5-foot-11 point guard who transferred in from Marshall. West will bring defense and ball movement to Louisville. He left Marshall as the career steals leader and also was 12th in the nation in assists last year averaging six assists.

Sydney Curry
Curry is a 6-8 forward out of John A. Logan College. He was honored as the 2020-21 Great Rivers Athletic Conference player of the year when he averaged 12.9 points, 8.2 rebounds. He is a bruiser in the post who shoots 69.4% from the field.

Matt Cross
Cross is a 6-7 sophomore forward who transferred in from Miami. Cross averaged 6.7 points for the Hurricanes last season. He is a spot-up shooter that is dangerous as soon as he steps on the floor. He is confident and will take shots with one or two hands in his face. His season-high 16 points were against Louisville last year.

Mike James
James is a 6-6 freshman guard out of Orlando. James was a state champion who averaged nearly 20 points per game. The role of James will be the spark plug for the Cardinals. He plays with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and will bring his championship mindset to the Cardinals.

Roosevelt Wheeler
Wheeler is a 6-10 freshman from Richmond, Va., who averaged 15.9 points, 11.9 rebounds at John Marshall High School. Like his freshman counterpart, he is also a state champion. Louisville’s bigs shot a lot of 3-pointers last year at a low percentage. To combat this, Mack recruited a back-to-the-basket big man who takes higher-quality shots in the post.