Louisville's Kasean Pryor to make season debut against Jackson State
Nearly a full year since his ACL tear in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Louisville senior Kasean Pryor is set to make his 2025-26 debut at home against Jackson State this Thursday.
The 6-foot-10 forward, entering his sixth year of college basketball, shot 36.8 percent from the floor, averaging 12.0 points per game in his seven appearances last winter. Pryor had been medically cleared for the better part of the last month and had been working out and practicing at full speed with contact. According to Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey, it was a matter of Pryor’s confidence in his body and knee.
“He’s just building up,” said Kelsey on Sunday. His return to play has been going on for several weeks. Gaining more confidence in that thing. Getting back in the flow. Those were the two things. He’s been cleared medically to play, and it’s getting him to a point where he’s really trusting that thing, and he’s just back in a rhythm and back in a flow from a basketball standpoint.”
“We don’t wanna put him out there until he’s truly ready.”
We had yet to see Pryor in the two exhibition contests against Kansas and Bucknell or the season-opening drilling over South Carolina State. But he was an active participant in pregame warmups and went through a workout prior to tip.
Pryor will give the Cardinals a boost on the interior, but likely won’t be fully ramped up at this point. He’ll still need to find his footing and work towards feeling 100 percent conditioned and healthy. He is one of the most versatile players in college basketball, with a raw mix of athleticism and skill at 6-foot-10.
Before joining Louisville, the Chicago product spent the 2023-24 season at South Florida, appearing in 32 games and starting in 21 contests. There, he averaged 13.0 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 44.7% from the floor and 81.5% at the charity stripe in his senior season.
The Cardinals (1-0) start the season with four consecutive home games, including an early-season date with No. 9 Kentucky next Tuesday.
