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Year 2 of the Pat Kelsey era came to an end with sixth-seeded Louisville basketball's loss to No. 3-seed Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Now, after leading the Cardinals to consecutive March Madness appearances for the first time in more than a decade, the coach and his staff set their sights on another pivotal offseason of roster-building.
Let's start here. The following scholarship players have exhausted their eligibility:
Up next: freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who despite missing the final six games (14 total) due to a back injury is projected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. He, obviously, hasn't declared yet; but all signs point to him becoming the program's first one-and-done player.
Then, there's Kasean Pryor, who has a seventh year of eligibility stemming from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in November 2024. The forward's sixth year came courtesy of the season he spent in the junior college ranks. But, between his limited role in 2025-26 (due in part to lingering knee issues) and his participation in senior day festivities, it's likely he won't return next season.
That leaves the following scholarship players — as long as they don't enter the NCAA transfer portal, which officially opens for 15 days April 7:
Mouhamed Camara, a 6-foot-8 forward out of NBA Academy Africa, opted to redshirt the 2025-26 season before Louisville's second exhibition in October.
"He is unbelievably talented with a huge upside," Kelsey said at the time. "He's playing on a team with a lot of older guys and a lot of older guys at his position; so there's no reason to rush him. We have a development mindset with him right now, and all of his people in his camp feel the same exact way."
At 75.9% from the field, Sananda Fru entered the NCAA Tournament 13 attempts shy of qualifying for Louisville's single-season record for shooting percentage (68.1%, Felton Spencer in 1989-90). The 6-11 German was also well on his way to be the Cards' top rebounder with 198. He did, however, lose his starting spot down the stretch of the regular season.
"It was nothing Sunny did wrong," Kelsey said when asked about the lineup change in early March. "Sunny's such a team player. ... "He was like, 'I get it, Coach. I'll be ready.'"
Former NBA G League guard London Johnson came close to burning his redshirt in January, with Louisville lacking depth on the perimeter, but ended up sticking with the original play.
"I don't disparage his decision in any way, shape or form," Kelsey said at the time. "... I think he started talking to other people in his family and in his circle and things like that and started having second thoughts. I could just see it, and then in scouting and in preparation, you could just tell he was a little bit overwhelmed. I think it's the right decision for him to continue to use this year as a redshirt year and develop and get ready for next year."
Khani Rooths has shown flashes of the potential Kelsey has lauded since the 6-10 forward arrived on campus in 2024. His size and athleticism can elevate the game at both ends of the court. Entering the NCAA Tournament, he had eight double-digit scoring games to his name but was averaging only 5.5 points on 45.5% shooting (22.2% from 3-point range) to go along with 4.4 rebounds and an assist across 16.5 minutes per appearance.
"He really does empty the tank," Kelsey said after the sophomore went for a career-high 20 points during the season opener against South Carolina State. "There are some times that — we were joking — it's like he blacks out out there. He just plays to exhaustion; he's just like coming over (to the bench) and his eyes are like rolling back a little bit."
Adrian Wooley has been steady off the bench and provided some big-time performances when called upon to replace Brown in the starting lineup. Going into March Madness, the 6-4 sophomore guard was averaging 8.5 points on 44.4% shooting (34.3% from 3) with four rebounds and a 1.6 assist-turnover ratio in 22.2 minutes per game.
"Adrian's a stud," Kelsey told reporters in November. "He's doing great things for us; you can really see him coming on. (He's) just tough as nails, man."
Vangelis Zougris was the player who nudged Fru out of the starting lineup in early March. The 6-8 forward arrived at the Big Dance averaging a modest 2.3 points on 53.8% shooting with 2.3 rebounds across 8.8 minutes per contest. But the energy he's brought to the court during the final chapter of the season has made him a fan favorite.
"Coming over from Greece, (it) just wasn't going the way he wanted it to basketball-wise," Kelsey said of Zougris' journey after his 6-0 run sparked Louisville's comeback win over SMU at the ACC Tournament. "He was having a struggle adjusting; and then his role wasn't something, obviously, that he envisioned. But he never lost hope — never lost faith."
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball roster 2026-27, Pat Kelsey team for next season
Continue reading...
Now, after leading the Cardinals to consecutive March Madness appearances for the first time in more than a decade, the coach and his staff set their sights on another pivotal offseason of roster-building.
Let's start here. The following scholarship players have exhausted their eligibility:
Up next: freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who despite missing the final six games (14 total) due to a back injury is projected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. He, obviously, hasn't declared yet; but all signs point to him becoming the program's first one-and-done player.
Then, there's Kasean Pryor, who has a seventh year of eligibility stemming from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in November 2024. The forward's sixth year came courtesy of the season he spent in the junior college ranks. But, between his limited role in 2025-26 (due in part to lingering knee issues) and his participation in senior day festivities, it's likely he won't return next season.
That leaves the following scholarship players — as long as they don't enter the NCAA transfer portal, which officially opens for 15 days April 7:
Mouhamed Camara
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Mouhamed Camara, a 6-foot-8 forward out of NBA Academy Africa, opted to redshirt the 2025-26 season before Louisville's second exhibition in October.
"He is unbelievably talented with a huge upside," Kelsey said at the time. "He's playing on a team with a lot of older guys and a lot of older guys at his position; so there's no reason to rush him. We have a development mindset with him right now, and all of his people in his camp feel the same exact way."
Sananda Fru
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At 75.9% from the field, Sananda Fru entered the NCAA Tournament 13 attempts shy of qualifying for Louisville's single-season record for shooting percentage (68.1%, Felton Spencer in 1989-90). The 6-11 German was also well on his way to be the Cards' top rebounder with 198. He did, however, lose his starting spot down the stretch of the regular season.
"It was nothing Sunny did wrong," Kelsey said when asked about the lineup change in early March. "Sunny's such a team player. ... "He was like, 'I get it, Coach. I'll be ready.'"
London Johnson
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Former NBA G League guard London Johnson came close to burning his redshirt in January, with Louisville lacking depth on the perimeter, but ended up sticking with the original play.
"I don't disparage his decision in any way, shape or form," Kelsey said at the time. "... I think he started talking to other people in his family and in his circle and things like that and started having second thoughts. I could just see it, and then in scouting and in preparation, you could just tell he was a little bit overwhelmed. I think it's the right decision for him to continue to use this year as a redshirt year and develop and get ready for next year."
Khani Rooths
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Khani Rooths has shown flashes of the potential Kelsey has lauded since the 6-10 forward arrived on campus in 2024. His size and athleticism can elevate the game at both ends of the court. Entering the NCAA Tournament, he had eight double-digit scoring games to his name but was averaging only 5.5 points on 45.5% shooting (22.2% from 3-point range) to go along with 4.4 rebounds and an assist across 16.5 minutes per appearance.
"He really does empty the tank," Kelsey said after the sophomore went for a career-high 20 points during the season opener against South Carolina State. "There are some times that — we were joking — it's like he blacks out out there. He just plays to exhaustion; he's just like coming over (to the bench) and his eyes are like rolling back a little bit."
Adrian Wooley
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Adrian Wooley has been steady off the bench and provided some big-time performances when called upon to replace Brown in the starting lineup. Going into March Madness, the 6-4 sophomore guard was averaging 8.5 points on 44.4% shooting (34.3% from 3) with four rebounds and a 1.6 assist-turnover ratio in 22.2 minutes per game.
"Adrian's a stud," Kelsey told reporters in November. "He's doing great things for us; you can really see him coming on. (He's) just tough as nails, man."
Vangelis Zougris
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Vangelis Zougris was the player who nudged Fru out of the starting lineup in early March. The 6-8 forward arrived at the Big Dance averaging a modest 2.3 points on 53.8% shooting with 2.3 rebounds across 8.8 minutes per contest. But the energy he's brought to the court during the final chapter of the season has made him a fan favorite.
"Coming over from Greece, (it) just wasn't going the way he wanted it to basketball-wise," Kelsey said of Zougris' journey after his 6-0 run sparked Louisville's comeback win over SMU at the ACC Tournament. "He was having a struggle adjusting; and then his role wasn't something, obviously, that he envisioned. But he never lost hope — never lost faith."
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball roster 2026-27, Pat Kelsey team for next season
Continue reading...
