Louisville’s entire 2018 recruiting class has flown the coop
By Josh Hill
Louisville’s entire 2018 recruiting class has bailed amid a scandal that caused head coach Rick Pitino to be placed on administrative leave.
The aftershocks to the sismenic scandal rocking Louisville continue to ripple into the future of the program. Already the school looks to be moving on from legendary head coach Rick Pitino while questions remain about not if but for how long the school will be buried under probation.
One aftershock that sort of crept up on everyone was how this current scandal effects the future recruitment. The immediate future is grim, which is why it’s of little surprise that the entire 2018 class has decommitted. Both Anfernee Simons and Courtney Ramey have backed out of their commitment to play at Louisville and will seek to continue their basketball future elsewhere.
Who can blame kids who have had nothing to do with the scandal from not wanting to play for a program that very well could be shuttered in darkness for the foreseeable future?
Simmons is a five-star recruit who shouldn’t have trouble latching onto another major program. He might not even have to go far, as Kentucky and John Calipari are right down the road and seem to hoard five-star recruits.
The same can be said for Ramey, who is a four-star point-guard who had offers from programs like Missouri, Texas, and Illinois before choosing Pitino and Louisville. Simmons, who hails from Florida, had offers from the Gators and Seminoles, as well as Florida Gulf Coast, South Florida, and LSU.
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There’s still a year to change up commitments, but Simons returning to his home state to play his college ball isn’t the worst idea in the world given the power of those programs.
Either way, the residual effect of the Rick Pitino scandal at Louisville is already impacting the future of the program. While there are still matters at hand to take care of, this is a clear sign that it could be a very long time before Louisville basketball returns to any sort of glory.