Louisville Women's Basketball 2022-23 Roster Outlook 1.0.2 Update

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – We may be a little over a week away from their season-ending loss to South Carolina in the Final Four, but it’s never too early to look into the future and dismantle the 2022-23 roster for Louisville’s women’s basketball program.

Although there are some player moves, Jeff Walz’s squad for next year is almost all set. The Cardinals currently boast 14 scholarship players, which is less than the NCAA’s allotted maximum of 15 players.

There may be additional Transfer Gate action in the coming days and weeks, but for now, let’s take a look at how this team is currently rocking, and who can see the action in what positions.

Arrivals and departures

So far, only four players have left the program, but three of them are important contributors. Louisville’s biggest loss is undoubtedly senior striker Emily Engstler, who is widely expected to be a first-round pick in the WNBA draft on Monday. She averaged 11.9 points and 94. A rebound per game saw the massive NCAA Championship, and was voted first of all ACC and Associated Press All-American teams.

Louisville also loses novices in the backcourt of first Keanna Smith in the red shirt and alumni transfer Chelsea Hall. Smith was Louisville’s second-best scorer at 12.0 points per game, and Hall was a formidable playmaker on both ends of the field with 70 assists and 51 steals.

Like any other program in collegiate athletics, they are also not immune to the transfer gate. After seeing action in just 14 games and playing 3.1 minutes on the team – less than 3.1 minutes per game, red shirt freshman Ramani Parker entered her name in the gate.

To counter that departing talent, Louisville is working to bring in another loaded recruiting class. The Cardinal has signed four players into the 100 best players list for next season: goalkeeper Zianna Walker, winger Galen Brown, striker Nilea Harris and midfielder Imani Leicester. Both Walker and Harris are ranked within the top 40 according to ESPNW HoopGurlz.

Expected depth chart

Given everything we know now about the current state of the Louisville List, here’s an early look at what the depth chart could look like next year:

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guard point	Shoot the guard	guard / forward	forward force	center
Mikasa Robinson	Helly Van Leith	Payton Fairholst	Alexia Mobley	Olivia Cochran
Hello Smith	Norica Kono	Zianna Walker	Nella Harris	Liz Dixon
	Mrs. Russell	Jalen Brown	Faith Leicester	Sydney Chetnan

Louisville may have to take advantage of the transfer portal to get another ball handler on the roster, but even if they do, Mykasa Robinson will likely return as the starting point guard. She’s one of Louisville’s most consistent players on the team, with a total of 128 games under her belt, jumping between starting and sixth players over the past two seasons. Ahlana Smith will also give her a lot of experience at this point, and she’ll likely be pushed into a bigger role in her final year of college.

Considering all of the starting talent left the show this out of season, the Cardinal returns to their biggest star – Hailee Van Leyth. She’s poised to be called a pre-season All-American after the top team averaged 14.4 points per game and had an incredibly hot NCAA Championship. Behind her, there is a battle between Norika Kono and Merissa Russell in the position of the two reserve goalkeepers, as both showed their ability to shoot and distribute the ball in limited time on the ground.

While losing Smith is a big deal considering the production she has, Louisville has a lot of potential as a third guard/winger. Payton Verhulst showed flashes of her potential during her freshman campaign, and saw useful minutes in the postseason. Zianna Walker, seeded 38th in the 2022 tournament, could play an early role given her abilities and versatility between the backcourt and the wing. The more realistic winger Jalen Brown can also press for an early time to play like a frosh.

With Emily Engstler turning pro and Ramani Parker entering the gate, this clears the way for Alexia Mobley to take on a big role next season. She was late to kindergarten last season after being reclassified from the 2022 class to 2021, but she has a lot of potential. She averaged a double in all three years of high school, ranking as high as the 31st player in the country. Behind her is a pair of promising newcomers Nyla Harris and Imani Lester, ranked 35th and 78th, respectively, in the 2022 class.

Below in paint, Louisville brings back both the starter and backup in Olivia Cochran and Liz Dixon. Cochran was the Cardinals’ second-highest player behind Engstler at 5.1 per game, and played a large but under-the-radar role in their NCAA tournament. Liz Dixon has also shown that she can give the cards a solid production behind Cochran, and Sydni Schetnan could be in store for a big season after having had a slim role in 2021-22.

Louisville Women’s Basketball 2022-23 Roster Outlook 1.0.2 Update

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