Louisville's frontcourt provides a spark in victory over Kentucky
Louisville jumped out to a 20-point lead in the second half and held on to defeat the Wildcats 96-88 on Tuesday night. The backcourt of Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr. exploded with 52 points total, but Louisville’s frontcourt pairing of J’Vonne Hadley and Sananda Fru subtly shone with their two-way impact.
Even though their numbers didn’t pop on the stat sheet, they were efficient in their minutes and produced on both sides of the floor. Both players were the only Cardinals with a plus-minus in double-digits, with Fru at +11 and Hadley at +10.
Sananda Fru steps up in a major way
Despite the German big not standing out thus far in terms of stats, Pat Kelsey has remained bullish on Fru’s impact.
He emphasized he is starting to get more comfortable and went on to say the following regarding his performance, “He was really good. Rebounded the ball for us, was good in the pick-and-roll, and finished around the rim.”
He also stressed that in terms of European players’ adjustment to the American game, alongside getting equipped to a new culture, “It just takes a little bit of time for those guys to adjust.”
In terms of Fru’s impact on the game, he was a steady, active presence on the offensive glass. He crashed hard to create 2nd chance opportunities, which is something Louisville really values, especially with their emphasis on the three-point shot. Offensive rebound kickouts are one of the best times to get open threes, and Fru’s ability to create those chances was impactful.
He finished with seven rebounds in total, with three of them being offensive. Louisville finished with 12 second-chance points for the game.
Not only did he make an impact on the offensive glass, but made the right reads once retrieving the ball off the glass. He kept his eyes up and snapped passes out to the perimeter quickly.
His passing was also impactful as a hub or in short-rolls, finding open shooters off cross screens or when diving to the rim. His ability to pass is an underrated skill of his, and even though some of his reads didn’t lead to makes, they led to highly efficient looks.
Fru also finished a handful of plays at the rim. He plays to his strengths, playing out of the dunker spot or as a roller, even having a dunk through contact in tonight’s win. There is a clear connection developing with Mikel Brown Jr. as well, knowing when to slip screens to the rim or set stationary screens for Brown Jr. to knock down jumpers. The two-man game offensively between them generated multiple efficient looks throughout the game.
Defensively, Fru held his ground in ball-screen defense and altered a multitude of shots at the rim. He contained drives and even blocked some drivers at the rim on occasion. Overall, he was an anchor for them defensively, and his presence was felt when he was on/off the floor.
J’Vonne Hadley’s two-way impact
In terms of Hadley, he was a connector and play-finisher for the Cards’ offense. When hunting post mismatches, the 6-foot-6 forward leveraged his post scoring ability to find open teammates on the perimeter. He made multiple skip passes in the process, finding open teammates on the perimeter. He also did damage as a cutter, finding creases on the backline of Kentucky’s defense for finishes at the rim.
When asked about Hadley’s versatility, Kelsey commented, “J’Vonne is a jack of all trades. Tough. Does all the dirty work.
The sixth-year forward fills multiple gaps with not only his production, but also with his intangibles. Kelsey added the following about Hadley regarding his character and approach, saying he “Does all the dirty work. Makes big plays when you need him to make big plays. J’Vonne’s a big part of our team and a heck of a leader.”
Defensively, Hadley moved up and down the lineup. He defended 1-5, stayed with UK’s quick guards, while also battling on the interior with the bigs. Kelsey conveyed the following regarding his defensive versatility and that he, “Guards anybody you want him to guard.”
He was also his typical self on the glass, snagging 8 rebounds (2 offensive). He also contributed as a defensive playmaker, totaling 3 stocks (blocks + steals) for the game.
Overall, these two front-court pieces were pivotal to the success against Kentucky. Their versatility on both ends impacted the game in a major way.
The Cards will take on Ohio next on Saturday, November 15th at 12 pm EST.
