Louisville guard Koren Johnson announces he will redshirt, undergo shoulder surgery

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The injury blows keep coming for Pat Kelsey and Louisville in the head coach's first season leading the Cardinals.

Junior guard Koren Johnson, who transferred to the program from Washington, announced on X that he is redshirting this season and undergoing shoulder surgery. Johnson played in just two games for the Cards this year and joins fellow transfer Kasean Pryor in missing this season after Louisville announced Monday that Pryor tore his ACL in the 69-64 Battle 4 Atlantis loss to Oklahoma.

"Card Nation! I have decided to redshirt this year and get shoulder surgery to make sure I'm in the best shape possible for next year and my future," Johnson wrote on social media. "I appreciate all the love and support."

Those two also join another Cardinal on the injury issue front in senior forward Aboubacar Traore, who has been out since Nov. 19 with a broken arm. But as Louisville begins to figure out answers ahead of hosting No. 23 Ole Miss on Tuesday night, Johnson was expected to be one of them as a scorer for Kelsey in his first season.

Nicknamed "Scorin' Koren" by Kelsey, the former Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year scored just six points over 40 minutes of action against Morehead State and No. 3 Tennessee. But Johnson showed his potential as a sophomore last season with the Huskies, averaging 11.1 points per contest while shooting 44% from the field and 37% from three.