Kasean Pryor easing back from ACL injury, retains extra year

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville forward Kasean Pryor is feeling good as he enters his second season at Louisville, nearly one year removed from a torn left ACL that ended his 2024-25 campaign in December.

“My knee today has felt the best it has obviously since my injury,” Pryor told The Field of 68 at Louisville’s live practice show on Monday. “I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Obviously, going into November, first game, second game, I’ll be good by then.”

However, a source close to the situation told The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman that there’s a strong chance Pryor will be brought along slowly, and could wind up missing the start of the season.

Pryor’s road to Louisville was a windy one. He started his career in 2020-21 at Boise State and was there for two seasons, playing in just 13 total games. He then went to Northwest Florida State Junior College in 2022-23 before playing at South Florida the following season. Pryor’s 13.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game at USF made him a top target out of the portal for Pat Kelsey’s first season at Louisville.

Pryor averaged 12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists across seven games for the Cardinals last year before going down with his knee injury.

“Obviously playing at one of the best schools in the country, one of the Blue Bloods, one of the best schools in the history of basketball – and to have the opportunity just taken from me in an instant – it was humbling,” Pryor said. “That’s the only word I could use to describe it. And I don’t fault anybody for it. It’s just a part of the game. It was a freak accident, one in a million chance of happening.”

Early on in his rehab process, Pryor could hardly walk. He needed assistance to use the bathroom and put on clothes.

“So just getting to where I am now, I’m just blessed and appreciative of everybody that’s been around me staff wise,” Pryor said.

Currently, Pryor is cleared for everything he’s “comfortable” with. That’s mostly no contact stuff, but everything else is slowly ramping up.

Pryor, 24, still has a chance to come back to college basketball after this season. He’s using his JUCO year for 2025-26, and he still has a redshirt season to utilize from his injury.

“I do have a seventh year available to me,” Pryor said.

Will he take it?

“If we have the year we’re supposed to have, I want to play in the NBA next year,” Pryor said. “So that’s the goal.”