—SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell ranks the 60 best players in this year’s NBA Draft, which begins tonight. Both Mikel Brown and Ryan Conwell are on the list.
—College basketball coaches used to grow up dreaming of being the next Coach K. Now many of them want to be the next Brad Stevens, and it’s no surprise Dusty May went down the same path.
—Eric Crawford writes that for Louisville, Mikel Brown’s draft night should be a celebration. Instead, it feels complicated.
Louisville waited thirty-six years for a draft night like this. The Yum! Center didn’t exist the last time. Denny Crum was walking the sidelines. Rick Pitino was about to take over — at Kentucky.
This should feel cleaner than it does. But sports rarely gives us clean endings.
Instead, it gives us human ones.
Mikel Brown came to Louisville. He helped Louisville matter. He played brilliantly. He got hurt. The season ended too soon. The arguments started.
None of that is logical. None of it is entirely fair. But it is very Louisville.
And maybe that’s why this night matters so much.
Louisville waited three decades for a player like this. Tuesday night, they’ll finally know where he ended up.
They just still don’t know where he was in March.
—C.L. Brown takes things a step further and writes that Mikel Brown “disappointed U of L again” by not inviting Pat Kelsey to draft night.
—Louisville WR Tre Richardson and TE Brody Foley are both fully healthy and looking good, Jeff Brohm says.
—Good stuff on Flory Bidunga here.
—Louisville athletics has approved a budget with a $30M deficit, because standing still costs more.
—Louisville hoops commit Ferlandes Wright has made a jump in the updated 247Sports rankings.
—Pat Kelsey has officially offered Ballard star Mason Grivna.
—Louisville LHP Colton Hartman has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Hartman went 4-2 with a 5.91 ERA this season.
—ESPN’s Jeff Borzello ranks Pat Kelsey’s transfer portal haul as the second-best in the country, trailing only Tennessee.
2. Louisville Cardinals
Jackson Shelstad (15.6 PPG at Oregon)
De’Shayne Montgomery (13.4 PPG at Dayton)
Flory Bidunga (13.3 PPG at Kansas)
Alvaro Folgueiras (8.4 PPG at Iowa)
Karter Knox (8.1 PPG at Arkansas)
Gabe Dynes (2.9 PPG at USC)Despite losing out on Momcilovic’s commitment, Louisville still closes the portal cycle with an elite group of transfers. The Cardinals made a very early splash, securing Shelstad and Bidunga within days of the portal opening — Shelstad was one of the best point guards available, while Bidunga is one of the sport’s premier defenders and will be an immediate All-ACC frontcourt player. Folgueiras was terrific in the NCAA tournament after an up-and-down season at Iowa; Knox brings power, athleticism and some two-way ability; and Montgomery is an excellent defender who can score.
—Brent Pry was fired at Virginia Tech in September. Months later he walked back through the same doors as James Franklin’s DC. Interesting story here on a coaching do-over with no real precedent in major college football.
—The best way to describe Mikel Brown’s Louisville legacy? Complicated.
—Great story here on the remarkable journey of a Kenyan runner who arrived at Louisville with a backpack, a scholarship and a dream, and will leave as a national champion.
—This seems fair? I think?
—On3 ranks Jeff Brohm as the fifth-best head coach in the ACC.
—Last week, Pat Kelsey offered 5-star class of 2028 PG Josiah Rose.
—Louisville volleyball coach Dan Meske is the guest on the latest episode of Larry O’Bannon’s podcast.
—Lynn Family Stadium was recently featured in Midwest Living’s best places to watch soccer this summer.
—Alabama has hired Louisville’s Noah Fisher as an assistant tight ends coach. Fisher spent the last two seasons working with the tight ends and offensive linemen at U of L,
—About a million people watched the Louisville Kings bring home the UFL championship.
—The Sporting News ranks all 138 FBS head coaches heading into the 2026 college football season, and has Jeff Brohm at No. 14.
—Louisville baseball has landed a commitment from Louisiana-Monroe transfer pitcher Sam Skarich.
—The Cards also lost a commitment from longtime commit Tyler Fryman, who appears to be heading to Kentucky to play football.
—Arch Madness is changing up its format and advancing its top two teams automatically to the semifinals. I get it, but it still makes me sad.
—Good stuff from Coach Hamilton on the show last week.
—Phil Steele has two Cardinals as preseason All-Americans.
—ESPN’s Myron Medcalf sees Louisville as the biggest portal winner of the hoops offseason.
—Louisville Report’s Matt McGavic has a draft profile of Ryan Conwell.
—Boroks Holton answers your questions in the latest installment of his Louisville basketball mailbag.
—This is good company.
—An arbitrator has ruled that Terry Rozier must forfeit most of his $26.6 million salary for the 2025-2026 season due to his alleged role in a sports gambling scheme.
—247 Sports looks at the five most important games on this year’s Louisville football schedule.
—Pat Kelsey has officially announced his longtime friend and veteran high school coach Tim Austin as a special assistant to the head coach on this year’s staff.
—Louisville football wants early answers this season. They’ll certainly get them.
—And finally, the Mike Rutherford Show is back this afternoon from 2:30-5:30 on 1450/96.1 The Big X. You can watch the show live (or on replay) on YouTube.
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