LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When Kenny Payne looks at the backcourt that he and his coaching staff have assembled for his first University of Louisville basketball team, this is what he sees:
"We've got three guys who can create offense, put pressure on the rim and play on the ball or off the ball," Payne said Thursday morning. "I'm happy about that."
On Wednesday, the Cardinals had just two guys to do that: El Ellis, the team's likely starting point guard, and transfer Hercy Miller.
Louisville now has three with the addition of guard Fabio Basili, who is 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 175 pounds from Orlando, Florida. Basili was a high school teammate of Louisville redshirt freshman Mike James for two seasons. He signed a financial aid agreement Thursday with the Cards.
"I'm glad Fabio made the decision," Payne said. "He's got a terrific future. He's a great ball-handler. He's good in the open court, unselfish and very confident. He's got some flashiness to his game.
"Like most young players, when he gets a little stronger, he'll be a really good player."
Payne said that he was uncertain if the Cards were finished adding players for the 2022-23 season. Fall semester classes at UofL begin next week. Louisville is scheduled to open its season Nov. 9 against Bellarmine University at the KFC Yum! Center.
After finishing 13-19 last season and undergoing a coaching change, Louisville had three players complete their eligibility and five others enter the transfer portal.
Recruit Tae Davis, a wing from Indianapolis, asked out of his letter of intent and signed with Seton Hall. His older brother, Dre, who played for the Cards for two seasons, also went to Seton Hall.
Payne has six returning scholarship players: Ellis, James, center Sydney Curry, forward Jae'Lyn Withers, forward JJ Traynor and center Roosevelt Wheeler.
Payne and his staff have not rushed into rebuilding the Cardinals' roster. Payne once told me that his preference was to have two serious talks with a player and the player's family to make certain both parties are certain to continue the recruitment.
When Payne talks about fit, building a culture and having a healthy locker room, he is not simply delivering a sound bite. He wants players to come to Louisville for the right reasons — to grow on the court as well as well as in the world.
Payne said Basili visited Louisville in June.
"We really liked him," Payne said. "But it was a big decision for him."
Basili averaged 19.6 points, 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds last winter for Oak Ridge High School in Orlando. A member of the 2022 class, Basili considered reclassifying and playing another season a prep school. At 247Sports, Basili was ranked a three-star prospect and the No. 41 point guard in the class.
But he made the call for Louisville.
"We're excited that he did," Payne said.
Basili will join five other newcomers with the Cardinals: forward Brandon Huntley-Haftfield, a transfer from Tennessee; forward Kamari Lands; wing Devin Ree, who decommitted from Louisiana State; Payne's son, Zan, a transfer from Kentucky and Miller.
Ellis, a former junior-college all-American, projects as a starting point guard and team leader. He averaged 8.7 points in 32 games with nine starts. He made 36% of his shots from distance.
In a six-game stretch during Atlantic Coast Conference play, Ellis averaged averaged nearly 16 points, making 15 of 40 three-point shots in those games. He scored 18 points against Duke and a season high 25 against North Carolina.
Ellis must improve his play-making skills. He had 51 assists but led the team with 45 turnovers.
Payne said that he expects Miller, a 6-foot-3-inch guard who is the son of rapper Master P, to contribute. Miller scored 12 points in the first dozen games at Tennessee State in Nashville last season before a hip injury forced him to the sidelines.
Miller left for Xavier but then returned to the NCAA transfer portal and pivoted to join Payne at Louisville in June.
But the Cards still needed another guard. In Fabio Basili, Payne believes they got one.
"I'm happy," Payne said.
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