Four Louisville basketball transfer portal targets who could help Pat Kelsey's revival

Louisville men's basketball head coach Pat Kelsey has been moving at breakneck speed. Even his downtime is busy.

Over the weekend, the 48-year-old Cincinnati native went house hunting and attended Kentucky Derby 150 at Churchill Downs with his wife, Lisa. They both wore red, in case you were wondering.

A few days earlier, during his first trip to the track's backside, Kelsey admitted to being a novice when it comes to horse racing. Something that isn't lost in translation, however, is the importance of starting strong out of the gate.

Much like jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. cutting off Sierra Leone and Dornoch to set Mystik Dan along the rail for their winning trip out of Post 3, Kelsey has been quick and intentional in shaping the program to his liking.

There's more work to be done, but it's hard to argue against the early returns of his roster overhaul.

As of Monday morning, Kelsey and his staff have assembled through the NCAA transfer portal an incoming class that one analytics guru, Evan Miyakawa, considers the best in the country.

With nine of the 13 scholarships at their disposal accounted for — two are being used on juniors who plan to redshirt, BYU center Aly Khalifa and Charleston guard Kobe Rodgers — here's where the Cardinals' 2024-25 roster stood:

• Terrence Edwards Jr. (redshirt junior, guard/forward, James Madison)

• J'Vonne Hadley (senior, guard, Colorado)

• Chucky Hepburn (junior, guard, Wisconsin)

• Koren Johnson (sophomore, guard, Washington)

• James Scott (freshman, forward, Charleston)

• Reyne Smith (junior, guard, Charleston)

• Aboubacar Traore (junior, forward, Long Beach State)

The portal closed May 1, meaning there will be no more new entrants. Those in it who have not yet found a new home can exit whenever they like.

Here are four players to keep an eye on as Kelsey puts the finishing touches on his inaugural squad:

Great Osobor (Utah State)

A proven big man is U of L's most-glaring need at this juncture.

Scott, at 6-foot-11, offers loads of potential as an underclassman; and Traore, at 6-5, is a rebounding machine. But they could use more help.

That's why Great Osobor's looming decision is the most important of Kelsey's tenure thus far.

The 6-8, 250-pound native of Bradford, England, is one of the top remaining talents in the portal. As a junior at Utah State, Osobor averaged a team-high 17.7 points on 57.7% shooting and nine rebounds en route to All-American honorable mention honors from The Associated Press.

He picked a great time to visit Louisville — Derby week. Last Thursday, Osobor posted a picture to his Instagram story outside of Churchill Downs. This was one day after The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported he was no longer considering playing for archrival Kentucky.

There are other suitors, though.

On Monday, Osobor was spotted on a visit to Texas Tech. Goodman reported he also plans to check in with former Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle at Washington.

Osobor started his college career with Sprinkle at Montana State, then followed him to the Aggies.

Wesley Yates III (Washington)

As the roster stands, playing time on the perimeter will likely be hard to come by this season.

Adding Washington guard Wesley Yates III would be stockpiling for the future but could pay dividends.

Yates, a 6-4, 200-pound freshman from Texas who visited U of L in late April, took a medical redshirt during the 2023-24 campaign after suffering a foot injury during the preseason and reaggravating it in November.

He's a known commodity, ranking 37th overall in the 2023 cycle on ESPN at the time of his commitment to the Huskies. As a senior at Beaumont United, Yates averaged 19.8 points per game.

A member of Kelsey's staff, assistant Ronnie Hamilton, recruited Yates during his time working for Matt McMahon at LSU, per 247Sports' Brandon Jenkins. There's also his connection to Johnson, a former teammate at Washington.

As of Monday, Oklahoma State is the only other school Yates had posted about visiting on social media since entering the portal last month.

Kasean Pryor (South Florida)

Louisville was reportedly among more than 20 high-major programs checking in with Kasean Pryor after he hit the portal in early April.

The 6-10, 210-pound junior forward would fit nicely in Kelsey's system.

During his lone season at South Florida, Pryor finished third on the team in scoring with 13 points on 44.7% shooting (37 for 105 from 3-point range) across 26.3 minutes per game. The Chicago native also led the Bulls in rebounding, grabbing 7.9 boards per contest.

With his versatility and experience, including stints at Boise State and Northwest Florida State, it's easy to see why a lot of programs are after Pryor. Kelsey has shown he can compete with anyone thus far on the recruiting trail, so perhaps he takes another big swing here.

Langdon Hatton (Bellarmine)

Less than a week after reporting Louisville had contacted Langdon Hatton, 247Sports' Travis Branham on Sunday predicted the 6-10, 240-pound junior center will end up at Indiana after spending two seasons at Bellarmine.

If Kelsey and his staff are confident in where things stand with Osobor, maybe they're fine with Hatton leaving the 502. If not, it might be wise to make a late push for his commitment.

Upon joining the Knights from William & Mary, Hatton appeared in 64 games (37 starts) for coach Scott Davenport. This past season, he averaged 10.5 points on 48% shooting (15 for 45 from 3) along with a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game.

The Hoosiers are likely targeting Hatton — a Georgetown, Indiana, native — as the backup to former Arizona center Oumar Ballo.

With Osobor considering other options and Scott looking to take on a bigger role for the Cards after averaging 16.1 minutes off the bench for Kelsey at Charleston, Hatton could offer some stability in the post.

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball transfer portal targets for Pat Kelsey in Year 1