Louisville basketball Pat Kelsey era begins in Bahamas: 5 storylines for 1st look at Cards

They say you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

Coaches do; it's the first time you see their teams play.

That time is now for Pat Kelsey, whose inaugural Louisville men's basketball squad is headed to the Bahamas on Sunday for two exhibition games as part of the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League.

The Cardinals will play a team from the Caribbean island at 7 p.m. Tuesday, then the University of Calgary at noon Thursday. Both games will take place at the Baha Mar resort in Nassau.

Kelsey's first first impression was a strong one. Upon being named Kenny Payne's successor in March, the 49-year-old Cincinnati native galvanized U of L fans with a passionate introductory news conference, then proceeded to amass a collection of talent through the NCAA transfer portal that On3.com ranks No. 1 in the country.

With the foreign tour, Kelsey and his staff were granted 10 practices akin to what they'll run when the 2024-25 season tips off. The coaches have spoken highly about what they've seen from their completely overhauled roster thus far; now, we'll get to see how all the new faces fare in the heat of competition.

"We're going to be good," Kelsey told a gathering of season ticket holders during a July 16 event at the KFC Yum! Center. "You mark that down right now; we're going to be good."

Here are five storylines to follow when the Cards take the court:

How do the pieces fit together?

Back in June, Kelsey warned against overanalyzing who starts the two exhibitions.

"There's nobody in that locker room who was promised anything to this point," he told reporters. "I really cannot have a starting lineup conversation until, probably, the day before the first game.

"You might say, 'Oh, these are the guys who started in the Bahamas.' Well, those are the guys who were the most productive in practice up to that point. Maybe not; there's a lot that goes into that."

To Kelsey's point, a lot can happen between now and Louisville's season opener Nov. 4 against Morehead State; and the players he signed through the portal have more than 530 combined Division I starts among them.

This is a time for throwing things at the wall to see what sticks — and who competes the hardest.

Ideally, Kelsey and his staff see the makings of a 10-man rotation. Per KenPom.com, that's how many players on their final Charleston team had a minutes share of 25% or more.

Will Louisville defense be 'a problem' out of the gate?

Assistant coach Brian Kloman has worked with Kelsey longer than anyone. While they were at the mid-major level, he said, they prioritized offense in recruiting and tried to "teach the mess" out of defense when players arrived on campus.

Moving to a program of Louisville's stature has its perks.

"This is the first time that we've been in a position to recruit two-way guys," Kloman said in June, during an interview with Cardinal Companion on X, formerly Twitter.

J'Vonne Hadley is one of them. Before summer workouts began, the 6-foot-6 guard told The Courier Journal he aspires to be in the conversation for ACC Defensive Player of the Year this season and hoped his new teammates shared his mentality on that end of the court. It didn't take the Colorado transfer long to find out that was the case.

"Defense, I mean, we're going to be a problem," Hadley told reporters in June. "In practice, it shows.

"We have a really, really, really talented team," he added. "We have length; we're versatile; we're athletic; we have a little bit of everything. So, when we start clicking in a couple weeks, it's going to be a problem for anybody we play."

Defense eluded U of L during Payne's tenure. Per KenPom, the Cards ranked 355th and 330th among DI in points allowed per 100 possessions. With the bar as low as it could possibly get, Kelsey's half-court man is surely going to be a step in the right direction; but it will be interesting to see if the intensity is as advertised from the jump.

Are there any other shooters out there?

Only two DI teams averaged more 3-point attempts during the 2023-24 season than Charleston; which took 30.6 per game. And of Kelsey's 12 transfer additions, nine have had at least one campaign of shooting 35% or better from beyond the arc during their careers.

In a video posted to X on July 6, assistant coach Michael Cassidy said shooting has been a major point of emphasis for the Cards this summer. The exhibitions offer chances to see how much that's rubbed off on three players in particular.

They are Frank Anselem-Ibe, James Scott and Aboubacar Traore.

Traore, a 6-5 senior forward who transferred in from Long Beach State, is the only member of the trio to attempt a 3 during a game across its 232 combined appearances at the DI level. For his career, the Ivory Coast native is 5 for 34.

Anselem-Ibe, a 6-10 fifth-year center, and Scott, a 6-11 sophomore forward, are more traditional post players than guys such as Kasean Pryor and Noah Waterman; who are career 34.5% and 38.9% 3-point shooters, respectively.

It's safe to say Anselem-Ibe, Scott and Traore will likely never be the player asked to deliver a trey in crunch time with so many marksmen available. That shouldn't diminish their impact on the team; but, if they're able to add some range to their games, they'll only make U of L more dangerous.

Scott draining a 3 at the end of a practice highlight reel shared to X on July 13 is a good sign.

What about the lone freshman?

Khani Rooths, on paper, is the odd man out on a roster featuring 11 upperclassmen and eight players entering their final season of eligibility.

Kelsey, however, said the 6-8 freshman forward from Washington, D.C., "goes about his business like a vet."

"He's been awesome since he's been here," the coach added.

That's likely due to the fact that Rooths is joining the Cards from IMG Academy, a prep school in Bradenton, Florida, known for producing top-flight talent. A consensus four-star recruit, the former Michigan commit ranked 34th overall and sixth at his position in the 2024 cycle on the 247Sports Composite; which is a solid foundation to build upon.

Older teammates have been impressed by the way Rooths has embraced summer workouts and, in turn, are embracing the opportunity to mentor him.

"Khani has taken leaps," Hadley said. "We're going to need him, for sure."

If that is indeed the case, keep an eye on Rooths in the Bahamas.

Who steps up if the games are on the line?

In case you blocked it out of your memory, Louisville dropped two exhibitions while Payne was at the helm.

It would behoove the Cards to leave no doubt in the Bahamas; but, if the past two seasons have taught us anything, it's that stranger things can (and will) happen.

Kelsey isn't immune to struggles, either. He told reporters his final Charleston team "stunk early" before winning 23 of its final 26 games to secure consecutive conference tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.

So, if by some chance one or both exhibitions get tight during segments and/or down the stretch, take note of the players the coach calls upon and the players who step up as vocal leaders considering the roster is loaded with veterans.

"It seems like there's a great rapport," Kelsey said, "but then there's a rapport that has to be built over time on the floor."

A couple of early favorites to be bucket-getters during winning time: Terrence Edwards Jr., the reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, and Reyne Smith, who knocked down 112 3s for Charleston last season.

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.