9-7: Ranking Louisville basketball's scholarship players in 2025-26
The first day of October means trees are starting to lose their leaves, and gyms are starting to fill with basketballs and squeaky shoes.
Louisville is in the midst of anticipation as the hype surrounding the Cardinals makes them one of the most intriguing rosters in the nation.
On top of our player profile series in the weeks leading up to then, Cardinal Sports will rank the U of L scholarship players 1-12.
Players will be ranked based on their preseason projections, level of importance to a successful season, previous statistics, and more. Players ranked No. 12 – No. 10 can be found here.
Here are the players on the roster ranked No. 9 – No. 7.
9.) Vangelis Zougris
6-foot-8, 240 pounds, Junior — Peristeri, Greece
2024-25 Stats: N/A
Zougris is another player who was hard to project. The Greek forward never put up major statistics overseas, but has flashed basketball IQ, grit, and toughness. Zougris seems destined to be a fan favorite with the way he plays — diving for loose balls, blood gushing down his face, pounding his chest. He plays like a gorilla, fearless. He will see major minutes this season as a rotational big and flashes as a rebounder.
Offensively, Zougris will make an impact with his physicality and finishing around the basket, but he won’t stretch the floor like other players on the roster. I see the most upside for Zougris in a similar role to the one Aboubacar Traore played last year. Although I also think Zougris is the better-rounded player. As a defender, Zougris is fantastic at moving his feet and using his hands on the perimeter, but he can also use his strength to body up other bigs. He’ll be a valuable piece off the bench this season and should be able to provide sparks.
8.) Kasean Pryor
6-foot-10, 230 pounds, Graduate — Chicago, Illinois
2024-25 Stats: 12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, seven games
Suffering an ACL tear when you’re 6-foot-10 and rely on lateral movement, athleticism, and quick cuts can be equated to losing your hearing as a musician. It’s just going to be different after the fact. Pryor is still fully working his way back from his injury, and it sounds like he may be closer to 100 percent in December or January. It makes sense that the staff (and Pryor) would want to take their time with this, as by the start of the season, it still wouldn’t be a full year post-surgery. He’s just now being cleared for minimal contact. He may struggle when he returns, and we will probably see a different version of the Pryor we’re used to. He may attack the basket less, struggle with physicality on defense, and see fewer ball-handling duties. These are all things he’ll have to get comfortable with, which will take time — hence him being at No. 8 on this list.
When healthy, Pryor is one of the best ball screen defenders I have ever seen at the college level. In his seven games last winter, it was clear that he made the most impact on the defensive end. With a struggling jumper (15.2 percent on 3s) and just as many turnovers as assists, the Chicago native must be patient offensively when he does come back into the lineup.
7.) Kobe Rodgers
6-foot-3, 185 pounds, R-Sr. — Cincinnati, Ohio
2023-24 Stats: 9.7 points, 4,6 rebounds, 21.7 minutes, 18 starts
Rodgers hasn’t played a game in a Louisville uniform, but he’s already one of my personal favorites under Pat Kelsey. The staff is in love with Rodgers as a leader and a guy who has the full tool-kit on both ends of the floor. The combo guard might be the best perimeter defender on the roster, is a more than capable spot-up shooter, and is comfortable with the ball in his hands running the point — although he shouldn’t have to do much this season.
With no other way to put it, he’s also a guy who knows the system. Rodgers has been with Kelsey for quite some time, and Kelsey trusts him enough to start him against Alabama in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. That means something. Rodgers’ lanky frame allows him to slither around defenders and use his footwork to create for himself in the lane, and he’s also a great rebounder for his size.
It’s of note that, like Pryor, Rodgers is also coming off a serious knee injury, although he’s had almost 20 months in between. Rodgers will be Louisville’s most experienced ball handler off the bench, and there’s a world where he becomes the Cards’ most valuable glue guy.
