Three early trends in Louisville's Transfer Portal class

Louisville’s next roster is beginning to take shape, with several additions made during the first two weeks of the Transfer Portal being open. 

And by the looks of it, Pat Kelsey is well on his way to having one of the better transfer groups in the country. The soon-to-be third-year head coach has always been able to recruit the portal, but this time around, there’s been a clear philosophical shift in how the Cardinals approach this period and the type of talent they prioritize. 

Among the roster changes, the Cardinals say goodbye to at least four scholarship players, with guys like Khani Rooths (Oklahoma) and Sananda Fru (Marquette) having found new homes. Mouhamed Camara and Vangelis Zougris look for theirs. Kelsey and staff are still waiting on decisions from Adrian Wooley and London Johnson as they look to find their place on a new-look squad. 

But above all, the incoming faces we already know, three top-50 transfers, such as Flory Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad, and Karter Knox, all prove a bit of a change in the way Louisville is constructing its roster next season. All are slotted to be major contributors for next year’s team. 

Here are three intriguing trends in Louisville’s three new pickups. 

You can find each of their scouting reports and fit with the Cardinals here — Bidunga, Knox, Shelstad. 

They all finish

All three of Shelstad (2024-25), Knox, and Bidunga are coming off seasons where they were extremely efficient around the basket and took more 2s than they did 3s. 

That’s obviously something.

It’s also worth noting that Jackson Shelstad played only 12 games for Oregon last season due to a broken hand, so his stats from this past season are not being taken into account. But, in his last full season of play, the three-level scorer attempted 205 2s compared to 174 3s and was efficient from both areas at 51.2 percent and 37.9 percent, respectively. 

The junior’s excellent first step makes him an extremely difficult cover. At just 6-foot tall, his speed makes him a driving and cutting threat with or without the basketball. In 2024-25, Shelstad got fouled three times a game and doesn’t shy away from contact or imposing rim protectors. He may not overpower you, but he’s extremely crafty as well and finds unique angles to fit the ball in. 

Karter Knox is the perfect wing to complement players like Shelstad and Bidunga. He shoots the three at a 37.7 percent clip and is an aggressive or decisive driver and attacker, thriving in transition. A big problem for the Cards this past winter was guys driving without a plan. Knox plans to hurt the rim and everything in his way. Through the first month of SEC play and before suffering a knee injury, the 6-foot-6 sophomore was shooting 75 percent from inside the arc. 

Last season, Louisville only had one true guard or wing player on the roster who attempted more 2s than 3s — Kobe Rodgers. Another weird stat, the Cardinals were 349th in block percentage allowed, meaning Louisville got its shot blocked the 16th most in the country. That ability to blow by and finish creatively or through contact at the rim wasn’t a strength of the roster. Next year, it looks like it will be. 

Pair the driving ability with a lob threat like Flory Bidunga, and all of a sudden, the pick and roll becomes difficult to stop with cutters and shooters all around. 

At Kansas, Bidunga was one of the nation’s best dunkers in traffic and consistently proved his around-the-basket game against some of the top frontcourts in the country. The 6-foot-10 center attempted 306 of his 308 field goal attempts from inside the arc this year, with many of them coming right around the rim. 

His length and athleticism are both underrated reasons he carries so much gravity on the floor. Many people just chalk those up as defensive traits.

Transfer Portal: Live updates as Louisville, Pat Kelsey begin reshaping the roster

Been there, done that

Knox, Bidunga, and Shelstad have all been part of teams with NCAA experience, and each has at least one tournament win under their belt. 

Point being, these guys are proven commodities. They have produced and performed at the highest level. Knox’s run to the Sweet 16 as a freshman last spring made him look like a potential 2026 NBA Draft pick. He scored in double figures in games against St. John’s and Kansas, making several key plays late to keep his team alive. It was a 36-minute, 20-point, six-rebound, and four 3-pointer game against Texas Tech for Knox last March — one of the best of his college career. 

In Shelstad, Louisville has a player who wants the ball in his hands in big moments and has been an All-Big Ten-caliber performer at Oregon.  A Dana Altman guard is fearless. 

As for Bidunga, it goes unstated. He is the best and most proven big man Louisville has had on its roster since the Chris Mack era. 

And for what it’s worth, expect Louisville to add more guys with high major experience, especially deep runs in March. 

All three of Shelstad, Bidunga, and Knox have three years of eligibility remaining. 

Prioritizing defense, physicality 

Louisville proved it was embracing rim protection, defense, and physicality this week. 

There’s hope that Bidunga will be the Cardinals’ anchor for the next two seasons, and as one of the most impactful players on that end of the floor in college basketball, it’s easy to see why he was one of the Cardinals’ top priorities in the portal.  Last year with the Jayhawks, Bidunga’s Big 12 play block rate of 9.8 was best in the league, and he dramatically decreased his foul rate. At times last year, he was unplayable, committing 5.5 fouls per 40 minutes. 

Most of all, and as we discussed on Bidunga’s scouting report, he takes pride in guarding all five positions, hustles, and keeps guys connected. 

Knox also has excellent defensive versatility. He is comfortable guarding players bigger and stronger than he is in the post and is capable of digging in and being a ball-stopper in a switch-heavy scheme like Louisville’s (at least last year’s). The sophomore does get caught gambling at times.

This past winter, Louisville got by defensively, but they didn’t excel at anything. From that standpoint, Kelsey has already improved the roster.

Louisville basketball 2026 offseason roster and staff tracker