Major changes loom for Louisville basketball next year

INDIANAPOLIS –

Dominoes started falling not 12 hours after the University of Louisville's painful 74-69 loss to Kentucky in Friday night's riveting Sweet 16 showdown.

Associate head coach Kevin Keatts is departing to become head coach at North Carolina Wilmington.

Junior guard Kevin Ware, made famous by his compound leg fracture and ensuing recovery in last year's NCAA Tournament, announced Saturday that he will transfer.

This is what each offseason looks like for a Division I basketball team: roster turnover and fallout. U of L didn't immediately have an end-of-season news conference set up for coach Rick Pitino.

"How can any of us complain with the run we've been on?" Pitino said shortly after Friday night's loss, referring to the Cardinals' Final Four appearance in 2012 and national title in 2013. "It's the end of an era for us, for a lot of us."

In the meantime, an assessment of U of L's future roster shows significant attrition and change, plus an element of uncertainty.

The coaches will wait on a decision by 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Montrezl Harrell, who's considered likely to enter the NBA draft but has given no indication of his plans. The NCAA's deadline for underclassmen to withdraw their names from the draft pool is April 15.

Pitino told Harrell that if NBA executives project him as a top-20 pick, he should leave school. Harrell said earlier this month that he'd leave if he had a guaranteed contract.

"It's something I'll figure out once I get back to school and look at all my options," he said Friday. "I'll talk with my family and coach. Right now that's not even in my mind."

Gone for sure will be senior starters Luke Hancock, Russ Smith and Stephan Van Treese and reserve Tim Henderson. In addition to Ware's departure, forward Chane Behanan was dismissed from the team in December.

Each of those players had key roles for all or part of their careers. Their departures leave U of L with the chance to fill six of its 13 available scholarships, and Pitino and his staff already have done that. The Cards have signed six high school seniors and are still recruiting as Harrell weighs his future.

Recruiting services consider U of L's 2014 signing class a consensus top-10 group, featuring local star point guard Quentin Snider, heralded wing Shaqquan Aaron and four interior players.

Murmurs throughout the season hinted that starting point guard Chris Jones might also leave to pursue professional basketball opportunities, perhaps overseas, but those close to him say that's not in his best interest and that they expect him to return for his senior season.

Jones would be a key piece of the 2014-15 squad, which will be the first to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He'd pair with current freshman Terry Rozier to form a talented backcourt.

Freshman Anton Gill, limited this season as an understudy to Hancock and Smith, should also see a bump in playing time on the wing. Pitino repeatedly has said that the 6-3 Gill didn't yet have the physical or defensive skills needed to compete at a high level, despite the coach's appreciation of his offensive prowess.

Former starter Wayne Blackshear is expected back as a senior, and his improvement in the coming offseason may be the most significant question mark before next season. He was a McDonald's All American in high school but struggled through a disappointing junior year.

Among the interior players, there are more questions than answers, especially if Harrell chooses to enter the NBA draft.

Redshirt freshman Mangok Mathiang provided flashes of what he could be in 17 minutes of action against UK. He had three points, four rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist but was limited by first-half foul trouble.

His offseason development is another key factor ahead of next season. Same goes for freshman Akoy Agau, a little-used 6-8 power forward who was a four-star prospect out of high school.

They'll get help from the four incoming big men. Pitino said 6-10, 220-pound Chinanu Onuaku is the most college-ready player among the group, though 6-9, 210-pound Jaylen Johnson and 7-2 Anas Osama Mahmoud are also highly rated prospects.

"We really concentrate on recruiting kids that are championship-driven," Pitino said earlier this month. "We're getting young men that really understand what winning is all about. That's exciting."

Reach Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).