Louisville’s pursuit of Reese Alston just got a whole lot more interesting.
The Cardinals have been heavily involved with the 2027 five-star point guard, and Pat Kelsey wasted no time responding after a recent recruiting update started to cool some of the optimism around Louisville’s chances. According to 247Sports’ Jacob Polacheck, Kelsey and assistant Ronnie Hamilton were in to see Alston on Wednesday.
That came on the heels of an official visit to LSU over the weekend, Alston’s third official stop so far. He has already taken official visits to Louisville and Wichita State, and his list is down to seven schools: the Cardinals, Shockers, Tigers, Kentucky, Tennessee, Houston, and Vanderbilt.
Kelsey has clearly made Alston a priority. He attended multiple games of the guard’s over the summer and already has an official visit locked in.
Even so, the recruiting picture has shifted a bit. On3 Sports’ Jamie Shaw lowered his confidence in Louisville’s chances, though he still has the Cardinals as the pick with a “low” confidence level.
That was previously a “medium” confidence level, which is hardly a comforting sign for Louisville fans.
Still, the Cardinals are pushing hard. They’re trying to land their second five-star point guard in three years and their third five-star in three straight years, and the program has a recent development story that should resonate with elite guards. Plenty of recruits took notice of what Mikel Brown Jr. did in his lone season at Louisville, where Kelsey helped turn him into the No. 6 overall pick.
Alston is exactly the kind of prospect that can keep that momentum rolling. He is ranked as high as No. 7 overall and No. 2 among point guards in the 2027 class, and his production backs up the hype. The unanimous five-star averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game while earning MaxPreps Junior All-American First Team honors.
The battle is clearly intensifying, and Louisville is still very much in the thick of it. Kelsey’s latest visit shows the Cardinals aren’t backing off one bit as LSU and the rest of the field keep making their own cases.
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