The University of Louisville basketball program is wasting no time building relationships with the next wave of elite high school talent, and one name that’s already turning heads is Kam Mercer - a five-star guard in the Class of 2028 who’s been on the Cardinals’ radar for a while now.
Mercer, a 6-foot-4 playmaker from Cincinnati, has already taken a winding path through the prep basketball scene. After spending his freshman year at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, he made a move to Overtime Elite before returning home to Ohio in December.
That return came on the heels of a major shift in Ohio high school sports: the state’s decision to allow NIL deals for high school athletes. That opened the door for Mercer to come back and suit up for Cincinnati Princeton, where he’s now making his presence felt.
His debut for Princeton came in mid-December, but it was a short-lived return at first - a shoulder injury sidelined him for a few weeks. Still, since getting back on the court, Mercer has helped power the Vikings to a strong 15-2 record. The talent is clear, and so is the upside.
Louisville has been tracking Mercer closely. He and his older brother, Jaylen Mercer - a four-star football prospect in the Class of 2027 who’s also on U of L’s radar - made their first visit to campus last summer. They returned in the fall, and Kam was back again earlier this season to watch the Cardinals take on Duke.
And that visit made an impression.
“The environment and the fans are crazy,” Mercer said. “They’re crazy.
Like every time they’ll stand up, and they’ll throw their towels around like the Louisville. When they say Louisville is a basketball town, they’re not lying about that.”
Even though standout guard Mikel Brown wasn’t available for that game, Mercer still appreciated what he saw. He noted the intensity of the matchup, the way Duke pulled away late, and - maybe most importantly - the way Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey handled the moment.
“It was pretty cool to see Duke pull away with it and just see how Pat Kelsey kept his composure within the game, even though his team was losing,” Mercer said. “It was good to see. I take notes on all of that.”
Louisville is one of 11 programs to have already offered Mercer, and their interest is clearly more than surface-level. He’s not just a prospect with potential - he’s already producing at a high level against top competition.
Last summer, Mercer helped lead Indy Heat’s 16U squad to a Peach Jam title, playing up a grade level in one of the most competitive grassroots tournaments in the country. He shared the court with Louisville’s 2027 commit Ferlandas Wright - a Kentucky native - and more than held his own. Mercer averaged 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game at the Peach Jam, showcasing a well-rounded game and poise beyond his years.
That Peach Jam performance also happened to be the final game Louisville’s staff saw before the summer recruiting period closed. Hours later, Mercer had an offer in hand.
Even before that, he’d shown flashes at Huntington Prep, where he averaged 11 points, six boards, and five assists as a freshman. And on the international stage, Mercer was part of the USA Basketball U16 team that brought home gold at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup in Mexico. He came off the bench and contributed across the board - 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game over six contests - proving he can impact the game in a variety of ways, even in limited minutes.
There’s still a long road ahead before Mercer makes his college decision, but Louisville has done well to get in early and build a relationship. Between his on-court production, his versatility, and the maturity he’s already showing in how he studies the game, Mercer is the kind of prospect that programs build around.
And if the Cardinals can stay in the mix, they’ll be in position to land a player who not only has the talent to make an immediate impact - but the mindset to thrive in a basketball town like Louisville.