U of L's 2015-16 roster full of questions
As we noted in our story that just posted, the roster turnover that always comes after a college basketball season has begun. A few key guys have decided to leave Louisville, and there are still a few spots to be filled. In fact, as you'll see below, there are a few critical spots to be filled.
In the meantime, let's run down the players who will be on Louisville's roster and how their position group shakes out. I'll include Rick Pitino's Monday comments on each guy, plus a few thoughts of my own.
(A little key for below: ** indicates a returner; * indicates a freshman; ^ indicates a walk-on)
Point guard
Quentin Snider**, Ryan McMahon*, Donovan Mitchell*, Dillon Avare^
The two incoming freshmen are combo guards. McMahon appears to be a strong contender for a redshirt. He is listed around 6 feet, 160 pounds, and he has to add weight and polish his skill set. So the better bet is that Donovan Mitchell, the top prospect in Louisville's 2015 signing class, will sometimes handle backup point guard duties behind Snider, kind of like Terry Rozier this past season and Russ Smith the years before. (More on Mitchell in the next group.) A transfer would also likely need to help with backing up Snider, too.
Snider had a breakthrough finish to the season and, with so many departures from the 2014-15 roster, he is probably the Cardinals' top returning player at this point. On Sunday, he told me his primary goals this summer are improving his defense, adding muscle to his frame and developing his quickness. His instincts as a point guard -- when to attack, when to settle down, when to spread out and manage a possession -- are very good for a freshman.
"Certainly Quentin Snider filled in admirably when we had a problem, but he's got to get markedly better," Pitino said. "He's got to get better on defense. He's got to get better with his arc on his jump shot. He's got to get quicker, but I know he'll do it because he's a gym rat."
Shooting guard
Donovan Mitchell*, David Levitch^, Shaqquan Aaron**, Ryan McMahon*
With the departures of Rozier and shooting guard Anton Gill, Louisville will essentially start over at the 2 guard spot. Mitchell, at 6-3, 205 pounds, is built to fill the role right away. Pitino loves the incoming freshman's attitude and work ethic. Like I said above, I'd bet on McMahon redshirting. Aaron now plans to return to school, so he can help at the 2, but he is ideally a small forward. In other words, the need for another guard or two through transfer couldn't be any bigger. Louisville would have a young backcourt with Snider and Mitchell, and though that duo is talented, the lack of experience would make Pitino a little uneasy.
The other thing to consider here, and it's not something that more new faces will fix right away, is how difficult it is to pick up the defensive schemes that Pitino uses. Snider struggled all season on defense, and Mitchell, though capable of being a very good defender at the college level, will have to learn a lot very quickly. That means David Levitch, the walk-on who played a bit off the bench, will probably keep playing a small role as an experienced guy who can hit some shots and play defense.
"I think Donovan Mitchell is, without question, physical and mentally ready to play," Pitino said. "I'm positive of that. He's a unique attitude."
Small forward
Shaqquan Aaron**, Deng Adel*
This is Louisville's weakest position heading into the offseason. Wayne Blackshear and Luke Hancock shared the duties here for the past couple seasons, and not having that leadership, experience and talent in this spot will make things tough on the Cardinals. Aaron will have to add a lot to his lanky 6-7, 180-pound frame and improve his defense. He had some problems staying in the good graces of the coaching staff this season, with Pitino at one point saying Aaron wasn't a "Louisville man."
"I don't know about that one," Pitino said Monday. "Don't know. I haven't seen enough to like yet. It's a wait and see. He came in late. He's got a bad body. He's not thrilled with the weight room -- just until the last month he got serious about it. He needs a makeover."
Adel is similarly lanky at 6-7, 185. He is ranked just behind Mitchell in most recruiting rankings, and Pitino called him one of the top prospects in the country on Monday. But Pitino also said he'll have to wait until Adel arrives on campus to get a clearer picture of where he stands.
Power forward
Jaylen Johnson**, Ray Spalding*, Anas Mahmoud**
Two of the guys in the center category -- Mangok Mathiang and Chinanu Onuaku -- can sometimes slide to the 4, but I think Pitino will keep them mostly at the 5 if Johnson, Mahmoud and Spalding live up to their potential. Johnson in particular has had a huge spring semester in terms of development and growth. Pitino has raved about him, and there's reason to believe the 6-foot-9 freshman can, if he keeps up the progress over the summer, have a strong sophomore season.
"He's got a great attitude," Pitino said. "Jaylen's biggest problem is conditioning. He's not a well-conditioned athlete, so we've got to work on that. He's got great upside. He's got a body that can really get big. He's got very good skills. He's got a very good attitude for the game. He's a tough kid. The Final Four stages and the Elite Eight stages won't bother him."
As for Spalding, Pitino said the Trinity High senior, at 6-9, 200, needs to add a lot of strength and keep working on his game. But the talent is definitely there. Same goes for Mahmoud, who can probably play both center and power forward spots, but appears better suited as a 4. He is really skilled. He can shoot. But he still needs to add a lot more strength to his body.
Center
Mangok Mathiang**, Chinanu Onuaku**, Matz Stockman**
Mathiang is now starting his fourth year in the program after a redshirt, a solid freshman year and a disappointing sophomore year. But the thing that still came across this season, even as he struggled so much on offense, is that Mathiang has the attitude and desire to be good. Pitino said as much on Monday, and throughout the season said Mathiang's energy is an important asset to U of L. That will be the case again next season, especially because he and Levitch will be the only guys on the roster who are juniors. His leadership will be important.
"Mangok had a very difficult year," Pitino said. "Missed a lot of point-blank layups, missed the shot (vs. Michigan State), but his attitude is by far the best on the team. He'll come out of it. He'll work very, very hard, and he'll be better for the experience that he just had."
Pitino loves the progress that Stockman, a 7-foot freshman, made, but he had a long, long way to go from the beginning. It's unclear if he'll be ready to contribute much before his third year, but this summer will be critical.
We covered a lot of ground on Onuaku in our story on him staying at U of L, but it's worth mentioning here: He was talented and big enough to start 26 games this season, which says something in its own right, but he has to be more consistent with his attitude and work this offseason at becoming anything beyond a big body.