LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Pat Kelce and his staff have been heavily recruiting in the transfer portal since becoming Louisville men's basketball's new head coach last month, and he has begun engaging with a variety of high school candidates.
Now, Kelce is being tipped as one of the best players in the current cycle.
We reported that Jaden Quaintance, a consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2024 and a McDonald's All-American who previously signed with Kentucky, is scheduled to take an official visit to Louisville. 24/7 High School Hoops Sam Kaiser. The date of his visit has not yet been confirmed.
The center from Word of God Academy in Raleigh, N.C., originally signed with Kentucky during the early signing period last November. But after Wildcats head coach John Calipari left for Arkansas earlier this month, Quiintance asked to be released from his national letter of intent.
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound big man has nearly 19 scholarship offers, and for good reason. He is considered a five-star prospect by all four of his major recruiting services and is ranked as the No. 7 player in the 2024 cycle. 247 sports composite. He was originally a member of the Class of 2025 before he was reclassified.
During his junior season with Word of God playing for Overtime Elite, Quaintance averaged 15.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. In his All-American game at McDonald's, he recorded 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.
Quaintance also has international experience with USA Basketball. He averaged 6.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game at last summer's FIBA Americas U16 Championship, helping Team USA win the gold medal.
There is also a connection between Quain Dance and the Louisville staff. He was Kelsey's assistant for two years in Charleston before joining Kelsey at Louisville, where assistant coach Thomas Carr was Word of God's athletic director.
Not long after Louisville's disastrous end to the 2023-24 season, which led to the firing of second-year head coach Kenny Payne, the Cardinals' roster began to turn around. In fact, all 12 of Louisville's scholarship students have entered the portal, with walk-on guard Hersey Miller the only one in line to return.
Luckily, Kelsey already has the portal up and running. Since being officially named the new head coach on March 28, Kelce has acquired three players: transfer guard Layne Smith and transfer center James Scott, both from Charleston after Kelce. ), and former James Madison star and 2024 Sun Belt Player of the Year Terrence Edwards Jr.
(Photo of Jaden Quintans via USA Basketball)
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