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Louisville basketball needed a new sharpshooter with Reyne Smith exhausting his eligibility.
Pat Kelsey has landed the only one more accurate than Smith in the ACC last season: Isaac McKneely.
McKneely, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard who spent the past three campaigns at Virginia, announced his commitment to the Cardinals on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday afternoon.
As a junior with the Cavaliers, who lost longtime coach Tony Bennett to retirement before the season tipped off, McKneely started every game and averaged a team-high 14.4 points on 43.9% shooting. His 101-for-240 (42.1%) clip from 3-point range ranked first in the ACC and 23rd across Division I through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Poca, West Virginia, native also chipped in 2.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds across 34 minutes per contest.
McKneely had eight games with 20 or more points during the 2024-25 season; seven of which came between Jan. 11 and UVA's loss to Georgia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament. He finished with 27 in that game, tying his high-water mark for the campaign, on a career-best seven makes from beyond the arc.
Across his 98-game career (66 starts), McKneely is averaging 11.1 points on 42.4% shooting and a 233-for-552 (42.2%) clip from 3. He's totaled 259 rebounds (2.6 per), 169 assists against 100 turnovers and 57 steals.
The following players from Kelsey's inaugural team are in line to return, if they don't elect to pursue opportunities elsewhere: J'Vonne Hadley, Aly Khalifa, Kasean Pryor, Kobe Rodgers, Khani Rooths and James Scott.
Joining them are four newcomers, McDonald's All-American point guard Mikel Brown Jr., 21-year-old German big man Sananda Fru and transfer guards Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State).
The transfer portal closes April 22; players who enter it after that date will need a waiver to be eligible for the 2025-26 season. Players can commit to a school at any time, but the regular signing period begins April 16 and ends May 21.
This story will be updated.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Isaac McKneely to Louisville basketball: Pat Kelsey lands UVA transfer
Continue reading...
Pat Kelsey has landed the only one more accurate than Smith in the ACC last season: Isaac McKneely.
McKneely, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard who spent the past three campaigns at Virginia, announced his commitment to the Cardinals on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday afternoon.
As a junior with the Cavaliers, who lost longtime coach Tony Bennett to retirement before the season tipped off, McKneely started every game and averaged a team-high 14.4 points on 43.9% shooting. His 101-for-240 (42.1%) clip from 3-point range ranked first in the ACC and 23rd across Division I through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Poca, West Virginia, native also chipped in 2.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds across 34 minutes per contest.
McKneely had eight games with 20 or more points during the 2024-25 season; seven of which came between Jan. 11 and UVA's loss to Georgia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament. He finished with 27 in that game, tying his high-water mark for the campaign, on a career-best seven makes from beyond the arc.
Across his 98-game career (66 starts), McKneely is averaging 11.1 points on 42.4% shooting and a 233-for-552 (42.2%) clip from 3. He's totaled 259 rebounds (2.6 per), 169 assists against 100 turnovers and 57 steals.
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The following players from Kelsey's inaugural team are in line to return, if they don't elect to pursue opportunities elsewhere: J'Vonne Hadley, Aly Khalifa, Kasean Pryor, Kobe Rodgers, Khani Rooths and James Scott.
Joining them are four newcomers, McDonald's All-American point guard Mikel Brown Jr., 21-year-old German big man Sananda Fru and transfer guards Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State).
The transfer portal closes April 22; players who enter it after that date will need a waiver to be eligible for the 2025-26 season. Players can commit to a school at any time, but the regular signing period begins April 16 and ends May 21.
Isaac McKneely highlights: Watch Louisville basketball transfer commit
This story will be updated.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Isaac McKneely to Louisville basketball: Pat Kelsey lands UVA transfer
Continue reading...
