Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey and his staff will host another elite prospect this weekend.
The Cardinals have filled nine spots on the roster and are looking to add a few more. U of L has been involved with some of the top transfers in the country and will now host the top uncommitted high school prospect in the Class of 2024.
247Sports national analyst Travis Branham confirmed that former Michigan commitment Khani Rooths, a top-40 prospect nationally, will visit Louisville this week. Rooths is expected to arrive in Louisville on Friday and be on campus until Sunday.
The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Rooths committed to Michigan in mid-November and then de-committed on March 18 after the firing of coach Juwan Howard.
Before his commitment to Michigan Rooths considered and took visits to the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Virginia Tech among others.
Rooths is ranked as the No. 31 player in the country and the No. 6 power forward by the 247Sports Composite Rankings, while he checks in at No. 39 overall and No. 7 among power forwards in the 247Sports rankings. He’s a consensus four-star prospect.
He played for IMG Academy this past season.
247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi provided a scouting report on Rooths.
“As a junior on a loaded IMG team, Rooths was more likely to blend in. He switched one through four on defense, he helped out on the glass and was able to grab a rebound and lead the team on the break in transition. While he would certainly look to score, he was more of a secondary scorer and at times had to be pushed a bit to be aggressive on the offensive end.
Playing on the Adidas 3SSB circuit during the summer of 2023, Rooths really expanded his game. More often, he found the ball in his hands and he was looking to get to the rim. He isn’t necessarily a high-flyer, but he’s got plenty of bounce and more importantly is a true mover with lateral quickness and the ability to be athletic in tight spaces. Though he’s still on the lean side, he’s got a wiry strength and a frame that is built to carry more weight without costing him athleticism.
During that aggressive summer of 2023, Synergy credited Rooths with team highs in points (15.6) and rebounds (5.5). His biggest asset is his ability to be a driver at his size. He’s got a pretty quick first step that is tough for bigger opponents to handle and if he’s guarded with a smaller perimeter player, his size is too much to deal with. There is still a lot of room for him to grow as a shooter, though. Rooths shot 41.1% overall and 31.4% from the three-point line. While the percentages aren’t great, his shot isn’t broken and it’s a matter of trying to do a little less off the dribble and recognizing better shots.
In addition to improving his shot selection, Rooths also has room to grow as a passer. He sees some things, but can get a little careless with the ball and had a negative assist to turnover ratio during the summer. While he needs to be more judicious, some of those turnovers are also a byproduct of having to handle the ball a little more than he probably should.”
