New faces headline UofL basketball’s Media Day

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - After a four-win season, the pressure is on UofL head coach Kenny Payne to turn things around for the Cards and in the offseason, he took the first steps to do that by overhauling the roster.

Lining up to take the team picture, there were a ton of new faces in the photo.

Despite last year’s struggles, Payne was able to land a top 10 recruiting class with both high school talent and players coming in via the transfer portal.

The newcomers have already made an impact.

Dennis Evans, standing 7-foot-1-inch, is a presence on the floor that you can’t miss and Curtis Williams led the team in scoring in the first exhibition game.

“To win four games and to go out and get people to believe in what you’re doing, and to be a part of it is difficult,” Payne said. “It’s difficult.”

“It wasn’t about the wins. That’s so surface level to me,” sophomore Tre White, who transferred from USC, added. “It’s about the guys that stayed. I see what type of people they are. On and off the court we talk just to see what their dreams are, what they want to do, and we align with that.”

“Really, honestly, one year doesn’t define a program,” sophomore guard Skyy Clark, who was at Illinois last year, agreed. “If you look around they got banners and plaques everywhere. I trusted the vision that KP has for this city, for the team, for this program, for the school, and for myself as well.”

Clark says he knew he was coming here the moment he hit the transfer portal.

The Cards will be back in action Monday for their final scrimmage before the regular season, taking on Kentucky Wesleyan. That game tips off at 7 p.m. at the Yum Center.

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