Louisville basketball is making a clear run at one of the top guards in the 2027 class, and Pat Kelsey has been right in the middle of it.
Kelsey made the trip to Richmond for the Puma NXTPro 16 event, part of a summer stretch that has him juggling transfer portal work and high school recruiting. With so many elite prospects in the building, Louisville’s head coach has made his target obvious: 5-star point guard Reese Alston.
The Cardinals have already added three 2027 recruits, though two of them reclassified into the 2026 class, including 5-star and No. 1 overall recruit Obinna Ekezie Jr. Since that addition, Alston has clearly risen to the top of Kelsey’s board.
Kelsey has been around Alston plenty, including Sunday morning in Richmond, where he was one of the first coaches in the stands. Jody Demling noted the visit on social media, writing: “Pat Kelsey court side early on a Sunday morning to watch Reese Alston in Richmond, Va. pic.twitter.com/ysjiPLJqWd”
Louisville’s interest in Alston is no secret. The Cardinals were one of the first programs to offer the Houston native, and Kelsey’s staff has stayed locked in on him throughout the process. Alston also visited Louisville in December, and the contact has continued since then.
The 6-foot-3 guard has built a massive offer sheet, with more than 35 schools involved. Kentucky, Houston, Wichita State, Purdue, LSU, Kansas, Tennessee, and others have all extended offers.
Among those schools, Louisville, Kentucky, Houston, Wichita State, Purdue, and LSU are all listed as “warm” by 247Sports. On3 Sports gives Wichita State the best chance to land him at 29.8 percent, with Louisville next at 20.4 percent.
Alston’s ranking reflects just how high his stock has climbed. He sits as high as No. 6 overall in the 2027 class, No. 2 among point guards, and No. 1 among Texas recruits.
He’s also coming off a big season, putting up 22.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game. That production earned him a spot on the MaxPreps Junior All-American First Team, along with honorable mention on their overall All-American teams.
Kelsey has built a reputation for chasing elite guards, and Louisville has leaned into that identity before. He has called the program ‘PGU ’, and the Cardinals are now trying to add another high-end point guard to that track record. Right now, Alston is the name sitting at the top of the list.
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