The wait was worth it.
Pat Kelsey marked Louisville basketball’s first commit of the 2025 recruiting cycle on Wednesday, and it was an important commit. Mikel Brown Jr.one of the top three point guards in the country, committed to the Cardinals during the first half of their game against North Carolina to the KFC Yum! Center.
With a 247Sports Composite rating of 0.9962, the 6-foot-3, 165-pound prospect from DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Fla., surpassed fellow general Sebastian Telfair (0.9950), who signed at the ‘U of L but chose to turn professional. at the end of high school, like Second-best U of L commit since 2003.
Earlier this year, Brown signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas — Louisville’s clothing partner.
Brown is just Kelsey’s second high school commitment since being hired by Louisville in March, joining freshman forward Khani Rooths — who is one of five, possibly six, players on the 2024-25 roster Cards with remaining eligibility for 2025-26 and beyond.
Guarantees, barring entry into the NCAA transfer portal, are sophomores James Scottjunior guard Koren Johnson and redshirt seniors Aly Khalifa and Kobe Rodgers. Fifth-year forward Kasean Pryor could apply for a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis championship game, but that remains to be determined.
After U of L’s loss to Oklahoma in the Battle 4 Atlantis final, asked about the senior point guard’s stellar play Chucky Hepburn During three days in the Bahamas, Kelsey said her goal was to grow the program into “Point Guard U” — starting with the Wisconsin transfer.
“The leader is the head of the snake,” he said. “He’s the coach on the field, he’s an extension of the coach on the field. Chucky exemplifies that in so many ways. He plays with such bravado, such confidence. We give him confidence, and he’s playing at such a high level.” high level.”
It looks like the Cards have landed another player like that in Brown. Here’s what you need to know:
Where does Louisville basketball commit Mikel Brown Jr. in the national recruiting rankings?
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247Sports: five stars (#7 overall, #2 position, #3 condition)
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ESPN: five stars (#11 overall, position #3, condition #2)
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Le3: four stars (#18 overall, position #3, condition #2)
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Rivals: five stars (#10 overall, #1 position, N/A condition)
How is Louisville basketball commit Mikel Brown Jr. playing in high school?
Brown joined the DME Academy after spending his junior season playing for Cold Hearts in the flagship Overtime Elite league in Atlanta.
In 16 regular season games, he averaged 13.4 points on 35.2% shooting (37.8% from 3-point range) and 5.4 assists compared to 2.1 turnovers, 2.1 rebounds and 0 .9 steals in 28.2 minutes per game. In six playoff games, he increased those numbers to 15.3 points, 6.8 assists compared to 2.2 turnovers, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 32.5 minutes.
Brown played on the Adidas 3SSB circuit throughout his high school career. For his last act this summer, he averaged 24.2 points on 49% shooting (43.9% from 3), 3.2 assists against 3.3 turnovers, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 interceptions in 30.2 minutes per game.
Evaluating Brown’s game in July, 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein said, “There’s not much he can’t do with the ball in his hands.
“He is a talented passer with excellent floor vision and capable of hitting all corners of the court,” Finkelstein added. “He can throw accurate crossover passes with both hands, zip passes in the pocket while dribbling, and make all other associated pick-and-roll reads with good timing. … The biggest limitation of his game right now is simply a lack of strength. Although he has grown several centimeters in recent years and has a wingspan of 6-6, he has a more naturally narrow frame, he can sometimes be pushed out of positions, at both ends of the field, the “The question is how much muscle mass his body will be able to support and what impact that has on his ability to put pressure on the rim.”
Mikel Brown Jr. Highlights: Watch Louisville Basketball’s 2025 Commitment
This story will be updated.
Contact Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article was originally published in the Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Basketball Recruiting 2025: Mikel Brown Jr signs with Cards
