Louisville men's basketball lands another Charleston transfer under Kelsey

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - Pat Kelsey officially left Charleston for Louisville on March 28, just three days ago. In that time frame, two Charleston players decided to now also call themselves Cardinals.

Per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports, Cougar freshman forward James Scott will become the second Charleston player to follow their head coach, announcing his intention to transfer to Louisville. The big man joins sharpshooter Reyne Smith as the first two additions for Kelsey.

NEWS: Charleston transfer forward James Scott tells @On3sports he’s committed to Louisville, following his head coach Pat Kelsey. The 6-11 freshman shot a staggering 79% from the field this season and blocked 45 shots, averaging only 16 mins per game. Story:… pic.twitter.com/jsAPTmSc4m
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 31, 2024

Scott is a 6'11", 210-pound North Carolina native who totaled 45 blocks this past season while averaging just 16 minutes per game. He averaged five points and three rebounds per contest while shooting 79% from the field.

As a high school prospect, according to 247Sports, Scott was a three-star recruit. He held offers from Appalachian State, Charleston, Eastern Kentucky, Florida International, Georgia State and Ohio.

Scott and Smith are the beginning of a roster transformation for Louisville as its new head coach in Kelsey puts pieces together for his first Cardinal team. Smith led Charleston with 112 made three-pointers last season (just six fewer than Louisville's top trio of three-point shooters combined), and made nearly 40 percent of his shots beyond the arc.

Pat Kelsey and Josh Heird — New Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey with athletic director Josh Heird at Kelsey's introductory news conference.
ERIC CRAWFORD

Kelsey will also host Terrence Edwards, a 6'6" guard who led James Madison with 17.2 points per game last season, on a campus visit next week.

There is one Cardinal remaining from last year's Louisville team: guard Ty-Laur Johnson. The sophomore played in 30 games for Louisville, averaging 8.7 points while dishing out a team-high 109 assists.