The first day of the live period brought coaches back onto the road Thursday, and Louisville had a presence spread across the AAU landscape. At Peach Jam in North Augusta, assistant Peyton Siva handled the Cardinals’ work on site while the rest of the staff was elsewhere, with head coach Pat Kelsey and John Andrzejek in Rock Hill for the Adidas 3SSB event.
Siva didn’t waste the day. He checked in on 2029 No. 1-ranked prospect JJ Crawford twice, watched 2028’s No. 1-ranked player AJ Williams, and saw 2027 Louisville commit Ferlandes Wright, along with a long list of other targets.
Later in the afternoon, he made a notable decision when Cayden Daughtry and the Florida Rebels were set to face the NY Rens in the big gym. Instead of staying for that game, Siva spent the full stretch watching Jet Academy, where Chase Lumpkin was matched up against Vegas Elite and DeMarcus Henry was in the mix.
The other big takeaway from the opening day is how often Louisville’s name is already coming up in conversations with elite guards. Mikel Brown Jr. spent just one season in Lexington, and while that run may not have unfolded exactly as hoped, it is clearly carrying weight now on the recruiting trail. Around Peach Jam, top guard prospects have been bringing him up when asked about Louisville, and the feedback has been consistently positive.
For recruits, the connection is easy to understand. Pat Kelsey signed a five-star in Mikel Brown Jr. in the 2025 class, Brown Jr. had games where he flashed big-time scoring ability, and he ultimately left as the No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft. That kind of outcome resonates.
Not every elite name was in North Augusta, though. Two of the biggest absences this week were 2027 five-star prospects CJ Rosser and King Gibson, who played together with Team United this summer but did not qualify for Peach Jam. There had been some talk that they might surface at another event this week, but that possibility is off the table.
Five-star point guard Nasir Anderson, who plays with the 3SSB Atlanta Celtics, is also out for this evaluation period after precautionary hip surgery in June. Marcus Spears Jr. has reclassified and is no longer playing AAU.
The talent level has still been strong at Peach Jam and across the country, but there’s no denying that some of the biggest stars are sitting this one out for one reason or another.
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