Louisville Women's Basketball 2022-23 Roster Outlook 1.0

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – We may be a little over a week away from their season-ending loss to South Carolina in the Final Four, but it’s never too early to take a look into the future and break down the 2022-23 list for the Louisville women’s basketball program.

Although there have been some player movements, Jeff Walz’s squad for next year is almost completely set. The Cardinals currently boasts 14 scholarship players, a minor of the NCAA’s allotted maximum of 15.

There may be further action on the transfer portal in the coming days and weeks, but let’s take a look right now at how this team is currently shaking out and who can see action at what positions.

Departures and arrivals

So far, the Cardinals have only four players leaving the program, but three of them are significant contributors. The biggest loss for Louisville is undoubtedly senior forward Emily Engstler, who is largely expected to be a pick in the first round of Monday’s WNBA Draft. She averaged 11.9 points and 94 rebounds per game. match had a phenomenal NCAA tournament and was named a First Team All-ACC Committee and Associated Press All-American honorable mention.

Louisville also loses two starters in the backcourt in redshirt senior Kianna Smith and graduate transfer Chelsie Hall. Smith was Louisville’s second leading goal scorer with 12.0 points per game. match, and Hall was a great playmaker at both ends of the field with 70 assists and 51 steals.

Like all other collegiate athletics programs, they are not immune to the transfer portal. After watching action in just 14 games and playing 3.1 minutes per game. match on a team, second-year Ramani Parker wrote his name on the portal.

To counter this outgoing talent, Louisville is bringing in another full-fledged recruiting class. The Cardinal signed four top-100 prospects for next season: guard Zyanna Walker, wing Jalyn Brown, striker Nyla Harris and center Imani Lester. Walker and Harris are both placed just within the top-40 according to ESPNW HoopGurlz.

Projected depth diagram

Given all that we now know about the current state of Louisville’s list, below is an early look at what the depth chart might look like next year:

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Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Guard / Forward	Power Forward	Center
Mykasa Robinson	Hailey Van Lith	Payton Verhulst	Alexia Mobley	Olivia Cochran
Ahlana Smith	Norika Konno	Zyanna Walker	Nyla Harris	Liz Dixon
	Merissah Russell	Jalyn Brown	Imani Lester	Sydni Schetnan

Louisville will likely have to go into the transfer portal to get another ball dealer on the list, but even if they do, Mykasa Robinson will likely take back as starting point guard. She is one of Louisville’s most regular players on the team, with 128 total games under her belt, bouncing in between starters and sixth women over the last two seasons. Ahlana Smith will also give the cards plenty of experience at the time and will likely be thrown into a bigger role for her final year of college.

Given all the starting talents leaving the program this offseason, the Cardinals are undoubtedly returning their biggest star – Hailey Van Lith. She is set to be named a preseason All-American ahead of next season after averaging the team’s best 14.4 points per game. match and had an incredibly hot NCAA tournament. Behind her, it is a match between Norika Konno and Merissah Russell in the backup to guard position, as both have shown their ability to shoot and distribute the ball for a limited time on the floor.

While it’s a big thing to lose to Smith given the production she had, Louisville has great potential in the third guard / wing position. Payton Verhulst showed glimpses of his potential during his first-year campaign and saw meaningful minutes in the off-season. Zyanna Walker, No. 38 in the 2022 cycle, could also get an early role due to her abilities and versatility between the backcourt and the wing. Jalyn Brown, a more genuine winger, could also push for early playing time as a frog.

As Emily Engstler becomes a professional and Ramani Parker enters the portal, it makes room for Alexia Mobley to take on a massive role next season. She was red-shirted last season after reclassifying from the 2022 to 2021 class, but has a wealth of potential. She averaged a double-double in all three years of high school and was ranked as high as number 31 in the country. Behind her are a couple of promising newcomers in Nyla Harris and Imani Lester, who are ranked as No. 35 and 78 ranked players in the 2022 class, respectively.

Down low in the paint, Louisville returns both their starter and backup in Olivia Cochran and Liz Dixon. Cochran was the Cardinals’ second leading rebounder behind Engstler with 5.1 per. match and played a big but under the radar role in their NCAA Tournament run. Liz Dixon also showed that she can give the cards a solid production behind Cochran, and Sydni Schetnan can be waiting for a big offseason after having a minimal role in 2021-22.

Louisville Women’s Basketball 2022-23 Roster Outlook 1.0

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