"That definitely encouraged me": Pat Kelsey's 5-star signee gets candid on what attracted him to Louisville (EXCLUSIVE)

By Inioluwa

Modified Apr 23, 2025 21:26 GMT

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Five-star point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who is currently ranked No. 8 in the ESPN Top 100 rankings, announced his commitment to head coach Pat Kelsy's Louisville Cardinals in January 2025. Interestingly, Brown had signed with Louisville during the early signing period in November, but the Cardinals kept things quiet until New Year's Day before going public with the news.

Brown had 25 college offers at the time of his decision. This includes offers from top programs like Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana and Ole Miss, among others. However, he ultimately felt Louisville was the right fit.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Ben Pfeifer, Mikel Brown Jr. opened up about what drew him to the Cardinals. According to him, watching players like guards Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards thrive under head coach Pat Kelsey gave him confidence in the program right from the start of the recruiting process.

"They instilled confidence in them from day one," Brown said about Louisville's guards. "That definitely encouraged me to be like 'Hey, this might be the spot.'"

With his high school career behind him, Brown. is already preparing for the next chapter at Louisville. The 6-foot-3 point guard is, however, not the only guard joining the Cardinals ahead of the coming basketball season. Head coach Pat Kelsey has also added a trio of talented guards, including Adrian Wooley, Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely, through the transfer portal.

In the interview, Brown talked about how he plans to adjust and carve out his role, even with so much talent around him:

"Looking to score leads to opportunities of a possible help man stepping up [and] I can get my big a dunk," Brown said. "I try to be instinctive about it and just make the right read and make the simple read."

However, Brown is currently the only class of 2025 commit with the Cardinals ahead of the next college basketball season.

Mikel Brown Jr. became Louisville's first McDonald's All-American since Samuell Williamson in the Class of 2022

Five-star Louisville commit Mikel Brown Jr. was featured in the 2025 McDonald's All-American Game on April 1. With his selection, he became the first Louisville recruit to feature in the McDonald's All-American Game since Samuell Williamson in the Class of 2022.

Brown represented Team West, which won the game 105-92. He contributed five assists and five points to the victory.

Before the game, Brown also took part in the Sprite JamFest 3-point shootout, which was part of the pre-game festivities for the McDonald's All-American Game. He won the event, scoring 24 of his 30 shots and setting a new record with 28 points.