LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — On Friday, the University of Louisville men’s basketball program had the No. 5 ranked recruiting class in America, according to the experts at 247Sports.
On Saturday that was no longer the case. The Cards’ class dropped to No. 10 — and was likely to fall a few more spots.
What happened?
The school announced that a pair of recruits — point guard Bobby Pettiford and forward Eric Van Der Heijden — had asked for release from their letters of intent, a request that was granted.
In a release, U of L coach Chris Mack said, “"We have granted both their full release and wish them both well. I want them to be happy with their decision and find a place where they can be successful.”
The surprising de-commitments created speculation that the decisions were tied to the news that broke on Thursday that U of L assistant coaches Luke Murray and Dino Gaudio would not be retained when their contracts expire April 30. Murray has been one of the program’s leading recruiters.
Pettiford is a 6 foot 1, 175-pound from Durham, N.C., who is ranked the No. 88 prospect and No. 15 point guard nationally by 247Sports.
Van Der Heijden is listed at 6-9 and 205 pounds. He is from Raleigh, N.C. His 247 profile says that he was recruited by Gaudio. Van Der Heijden is ranked No. 197 in the class and the 37th best power forward.
At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Van Der Heijden was still listed as a member of the Cards’ recruiting class by 247Sports.
Louisville is expected to add center Roosevelt Wheelers, forward Michael James, guard Elbert Ellis and Matt Cross, a forward who is transferring after leaving the Miami Hurricanes program this winter.
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