LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 2020 recruiting cycle for the Louisville men’s and women’s basketball programs proved to be an incredibly fruitful one for both teams.
On the men’s side of things, then-head coach Chris Mack followed up the vaunted “Super Six” 2019 class with a four-man 2020 haul than ranked as the No. 27 class in the country. In what was the early days of the modern transfer portal, he also brought in a pair of top-25 transfers to the fold.
As for the women, head coach Jeff Walz brought in yet another highly-ranked class. Two of his four high school signees were five-star prospects, with one of them winding up as one of the program’s all-time greats.
So, how well did Mack and Walz do out on the recruiting trail in 2020? Below is every scholarship enrollee from the class in alphabetical order, their career stats at Louisville, coupled with a brief summary on their tenure:
Dre Davis
Position: Small Forward
UofL Career Stats: 372 points, 154 rebounds, 47 assists, 41.6 field goal percentage, 22.8 three-point percentage (50 games, 40 starts)
A four star prospect coming out of high school, Davis was an instant impact right out of the gates. The Indianapolis native played in all 20 of the COVID season’s games while starting 17, averaging 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in the process. Davis was expected to take a big step forward as a sophomore, but not only wound up posting a similar stat line as his freshman campaign, he regressed in some areas. In 30 games and 23 starts, he averaged 7.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists. He would enter the portal soon after, and spent a pair of seasons at Seton Hall before playing this past year at Ole Miss. He averaged double figures in scoring in each of the last two years, including 15.0 points per game in his final year at Seton Hall. In Ole Miss’ matchup at Louisville this past season, he scored a game-high 20 points as part of an 86-63 Rebels win.
Carlik Jones
Position: Point Guard
UofL Career Stats: 319 points, 94 rebounds, 85 assists, 40.2 field goal percentage, 32.1 three-point percentage (19 games, 19 starts)
Jones was the No. 1 immediately eligible player in the transfer portal during the 2020 cycle, and for good reason. In his third and final season at Radford, he was the Big South Player of the Year, averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. His skill set made a seamless transition to the ACC, as the Radford Warrior put up 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 19 starts, playing all but one game due to injury. Not only was he a First-Team All-ACC selection, he was the runner-up to Georgia Tech’s Moses Wright in ACC Player of the Year voting. In the NBA, he played a handful of games for the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls, but spent most of his time in the G-League, even getting named their 2022-23 MVP. He is currently playing overseas, and is a member of the South Sudan national team.
Charles Minlend
Position: Point Guard
UofL Career Stats: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 20.0 field goal percentage, 33.3 three-point percentage (7 games, 0 starts)
Minlend wasn’t as highly-regarded as Jones was in terms of immediately eligible transfers, but ESPN still tabbed him as the No. 24 player in the portal. He was expected to be a major factor for the 2020-21 season, as he had averaged 14.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in his final year at San Francisco. However, just before the start of the season, he suffered a tear in his left MCL. Originally a six-week prognosis, he would not make his season debut until nearly ten weeks afterwards. The complications of both the injury itself and the rehab process significantly held back Minlend’s play when he did return, and he only averaged 0.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists over eight games and three starts. He had the option to potentially file a medical redshirt and return for the 2021-22 season, but chose not to.
J.J. Traynor
Position: Power Forward
UofL Career Stats: 396 points, 212 rebounds, 23 assists, 48.0 field goal percentage, 34.3 three-point percentage (70 games, 19 starts)
Landing Traynor was a massive local recruiting win for Louisville. The Bardstown (Ky.) HS product was not only the MaxPreps Kentucky Player of the Year, but a top-100 prospect as well. However, he was a role player at best during his first two years on campus, averaging only 3.9 points as a true freshman and then just 1.6 as a sophomore. For the 2022-23 season as a junior, he finally took a step forward and became a regular fixture of the rotation. Traynor averaged 6.9 points and 3.8 rebounds across 32 games and 15 starts that year, including 11.4 points and 6.0 rebounds over the final seven games. He got off to a hot start as a senior, putting up 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds over the first eight games, before a shoulder injury suffered in warmups would eventually force him to have season-ending surgery. He spent last year at DePaul, and is set to play the 2025-26 season, his final, at Murray State.
Gabe Wiznitzer
Position: Center
UofL Career Stats: 15 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 41.7 field goal percentage (17 games, 0 starts)
Wiznitzer was brought on mainly as a developmental prospect, as he was Louisville’s lowest-rated scholarship signee in the class at No. 154 overall. In fact, he was originally a member of the 2021 cycle, but opted to reclassify. He was slated to redshirt as a true freshman, but then COVID granted every a blanket waiver. In 69 total minutes played across 12 bench appearances during the 2020-21 season, Wiznitzer totaled 13 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. A wrist injury limited him to just five games played, in which he only totaled two points, four rebounds and an assist across 31 minutes. He later transferred to Ohio, where he played the final two years of his collegiate career as a rotational piece.
Olivia Cochran
Position: Power Forward/Center
UofL Career Stats: 1,601 points, 1,058 rebounds, 179 assists, 50.0 field goal percentage, 18.8 three-point percentage (167 games, 162 starts)
A McDonald’s All-American and the No. 18 prospect in the Class of 2020, Cochran was by far and away the best high school recruit, man or woman, to sign with Louisville in this cycle. She holds the program record for both games played and started, is their third-leading all-time rebounder, is sixth in field goal percentage and is just outside the top-ten in all-time scoring. Cochran burst onto the scene as a true freshman, getting named to the ACC All-Freshman Team after averaging 9.9 points on 54.4 percent shooting plus 6.9 rebounds – the latter two of which are career-highs. Her true sophomore and junior seasons were “down” by her standards, but then she bounced back as a senior, averaging a career-high 10.8 points plus 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals to earn All-ACC Second-Team honors. This past season, she put up 10.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Merissah Russell
Position: Guard/Forward
UofL Career Stats: 543 points, 310 rebounds, 117 assists, 40.3 field goal percentage, 31.3 three-point percentage (139 games, 6 starts)
While Russell was an unranked prospect and didn’t start a game until her senior year, her veteran presence proved to be a valuable commodity during her time as a Cardinal. While she got minimal per game minutes during her first two seasons, she still was able to carve out a place in the rotation. Russell played a career-high 37 games as a junior in 2022-23, with her minutes going from 6.4 to 15.3 per game, resulting in her averaging 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds. Her best statistical season came in 2023-23, when she made her first two starts, and her 5.1 points and 2.6 rebounds over 18.1 minutes were all career-highs. This past season, she added four more starts, while averaging 4.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, ending her collegiate career at 11th on Louisville’s all-time games played leaderboard.
Ahlana Smith
Position: Shooting Guard
UofL Career Stats: 212 points, 50 rebounds, 39 assists, 43.3 field goal percentage, 29.3 three-point percentage (59 games, 5 starts)
After starting her career at UCLA, Smith then had a stop at Gulf Coast State as a sophomore before transferring to Louisville. There, she was named the 2019-20 NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, averaging 20.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.0 assists per game. However, that production would not make the transition to Louisville. Smith averaged just 2.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 27 games and five starts during her first season as a Cardinal; then 4.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists in year two. She then transferred to Mississippi State for her final year in 2022-23, and was able to put up a career-best 9.3 points and 3.6 boards as a starter
Hailey Van Lith
Position: Shooting Guard
UofL Career Stats: 1,553 points, 444 rebounds, 257 assists, 42.2 field goal percentage, 33.7 three-point percentage (101 games, 101 starts)
If Van Lith had played her entire collegiate career at Louisville, there’s a chance that she could have challenged Angel McCoughtry for the title of program’s best all-time player. A highly-regarded prospect coming out of high school, she was ranked as high as the No. 2 recruit, and was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year. She was an immediate difference maker, averaging 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman, earning a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team. As a sophomore, she played an instrumental role in guiding the Cards to the Final Four, putting up 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists to secure a First-Team All-ACC selection. By the time her junior year rolled around, she had developed into one of the top players in women’s college basketball. The season, she averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists, earning another First-Team All-ACC nod and an All-American honorable mention. However, in a stunning move, she then entered the portal and transferred to LSU, who were the defending national champions. Following a down year that saw the Tigers come up well short of a repeat, she hit the portal again and transferred to TCU for this past season. This move revitalized her career, resulting in her getting named the Big 12 Player of the Year and a Third-Team All-American. She was recently selected by the Chicago Sky with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Malea Williams
Position: Forward
UofL Career Stats: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists, 57.1 field goal percentage, 66.7 three-point percentage (8 games, 0 starts)
The lone in-state prospect to commit to Louisville in the cycle, Williams had some long term potential, as she was the Region 11 Player of the Year and a finalist for Kentucky Miss Basketball. However, the Cardinals wouldn’t get to reap the benefits of said potential, as she entered the portal following her freshman year. She would then go on to spend three seasons at Cincinnati, averaging 8.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in her final year with the Bearcats. Williams would then hit the portal again, playing her final year at Florida State this past season.
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(Photo of J.J. Traynor: Matt Stone – Louisville Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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