BOZICH | Old Friends Alert topped by Kaleb Glenn's big season at Florida Atlantic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- This is what happens whenever I dive into Whatever Happened to Old Friends on the local college basketball scene:

I discover that former Louisville Cardinal Matt Cross is also a former Minuteman as well as a former Hurricane. Now at SMU, after playing at Miami, U of L and UMass, Cross is averaging 8.9 points at his fourth college address.

Or that Curtis Williams is not making many more three-point shots for Georgetown than he made at Louisville, where he went 2-26 in a seven-game stretch.

That's because Williams rarely gets into the game. He's 0-7 from distance and has played 13 combined minutes in the Hoyas' last three games.

And, of course, there must be a paragraph on Koron Davis, the junior-college transfer who was mostly a mystery during his brief time with the Cardinals.

After scoring 13 or more points in four of Louisiana's first seven games, Davis has missed the Rajun Cajun's last four games while being suspended for violating team rules.

But enough about guys who are not getting it done.

This time I've settled on five guys with Louisville, Kentucky or Indiana connections who ARE getting it done at their new homes.

Allow me to count them down.

5. Archie Miller, head coach, Rhode Island: In his farewell season at Indiana, Miller won 12 games. He's already won 10 (of 11) this season, his third with the Rams.

That includes a 91-53 victory over Chris Mack and Charleston as well as a massive 69-63 victory over in-state rival Providence of the Big East.

Unfortunately Miller and his team gave back some of the love they earned by stumbling against an in-state Ivy League program — falling to Brown in double overtime.

Ken Pomeroy's numbers project that Millers team will finish 21-9 overall and 11-7 in the Atlantic 10, tied for third in that league. The 21 wins would match Miller's victory total from his first two seasons at Rhode Island but not get him back to the NCAA Tournament

4. Adou Thiero, Arkansas: Thiero showed the ability to become a dominant player at Kentucky last season. He simply needed to cut turnovers, limit his fouling and improve his jump shot.

He's getting there. Thiero has been the Razorbacks' best player many nights, posting five 20-point games. He's making better than 71% of his two-point field goal attempts because opponents cannot stop him from getting to the rim. He gone to the line 10 times in three different games.

The next frontier?

Three-point shooting. He's 5-21 and went five straight games without making a shot from distance. He's got first-round NBA Draft pick ability.

3. Skyy Clark, UCLA: Guess who made two free throws to seal the Bruins' win over Arizona over the weekend and was called "probably our smartest player," by UCLA coach Mick Cronin?

That would be Clark, who has not put up big scoring numbers for UCLA, especially considering his farewell performance at Louisville was his 36-point explosion against North Carolina State in the ACC Tournament.

Clark's 15-point effort against Arizona was his first double-figures game of this season.

But he's dialed his turnover rate down from 27% as a freshman at Illinois to 23% as a sophomore at U of L to 17% with UCLA, which is 9-1 after wins against Washington, Oregon and Arizona its last three games.

Clark is one of nine new players on the UCLA roster as the Bruins appear to be on track to return to the NCAA Tournament after a one-season absence.

2. Kaleb Banks, Tulane: After two seasons on the bench for Mike Woodson at Indiana, Banks has found a home with Ron Hunter and the Green Wave, scoring in double figures in nine of 10 games.

Banks delivered the finest game of his career Saturday, sticking 33 points, 16 rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot on Florida State.

He's shown the ability to shoot, making 17-45 shots from distance as well as 45-53 free throws. The only thing the Green Wave are not doing is winning. Tulane is 5-7.

1. Kaleb Glenn, FAU: Guys like Clark, Tre White, Ty-Laur Johnson and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield wanted to stay at the power conference level when they left Louisville last spring.

Glenn decided his best fit was at Florida Atlantic, even though the Owls just lost Dusty May, the coach who led them to the 2023 NCAA Final Four, to Michigan.

Kaleb Glenn picked well.

Glenn, the former Louisville Male High star, has put up eight games of double-figure scoring, including a 27-point performance against Charleston and a 22-point effort against FIU. Glenn is averaging 13.9 points and 4.3 rebounds.

At Louisville, Glenn made one three-point shot in nine attempts. At FAU, Glenn is 15-36 (41.7%) from three and has made multiple threes in six games. Glenn has also improved his two-point percentage to 70.4% while cutting his turnover rate from 17.3 to 12.6.

That's the profile of a guy who will have plenty of opportunities to move to a power conference program if Glenn decides to re-enter the transfer portal after this season.

Related Stories:

• Louisville City FC coach Danny Cruz signs new contract ahead of 2025 season
• No. 22 NC State never trails in 72-42 win over Louisville in ACC opener at Jimmy V Classic
• CRAWFORD | Final Fourtitude: Elite Eight comeback carries Louisville to 3rd Final Four

Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.