Obinna Ekezie Jr. headlines Louisville basketball media day takeaways
Obinna Ekezie Jr. backed down Flory Bidunga on the right block toward the end of Louisville basketball‘s Oct. 8 practice at the Planet Fitness Kueber Center.
After a couple of dribbles, the 7-foot-2 freshman put the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in a spin cycle and banked in a layup.
Not bad for an 18-year-old who reclassified to begin his college career ahead of schedule. Especially when you consider he was cleared to run the court with the rest of the Cardinals’ scholarship players just a day prior, as he works his way back from surgery on his right shoulder.
"We’ve just got to give him time to get in a groove, get accustomed, get confident" coach Pat Kelsey told reporters during a news conference before practice. "It’s just going to take a little bit."
Ekezie isn’t giving himself that much grace, however.
When he was sidelined during summer workouts, he was constantly asking questions and walking through concepts. He also got after it in the weight room with strength coach Eli Foy, who revealed in an Instagram post that Ekezie has gained 18 pounds, from 230 to 248, and improved both his standing vertical jump (from 27.5 to 31.5 inches) and his approach vertical jump (from 33 to 36 inches) since arriving on campus as the top center in the Class of 2026.
"(Kelsey) talks about, ‘Events plus responses equals your outcomes,’" Ekezie told The Courier Journal. "My shoulder surgery was a big event in my life. Being able to respond well, being able to take everything I’m doing here seriously, being able to not use that as an excuse or anything — just keep working as hard as possible."
If he keeps at this pace, watch out. Between Ekezie and Bidunga, UofL could make a strong case for having one of the country’s most formidable frontcourts.
"I’ve coached probably three or four real biomechanical marvels who are NBA-caliber athletes, who can move well in a lot of different directions and are strong enough and have big wingspans," associate head coach John Andrzejek said. "He’s in that bucket."
"He’s going to be really special," Bidunga added.
Here are three more takeaways from our peek into Louisville’s preparations for the season:
Karter Knox embracing ‘glue guy’ role with Louisville basketball
Karter Knox admitted to there being some mental hurdles to clear on his journey back from a procedure to repair the meniscus in his left knee that cut short his sophomore season at Arkansas.
The 6-6 wing said he overcame them by watching clips of himself jumping off his left leg. "I know I can do this," he told himself. "It’s all a mindset."
Knox’s mindset entering the 2026-27 campaign? Be a "glue guy."
"I can do anything on the floor," he said. "I can go score; I can defend, play-make, rebound. It’s my job to do everything.
"I’m a big fan of doing the little things," he continued. "If I’ve got to go dive on every loose ball, I’ll go dive on every loose ball. I’m really just a man who’s willing to win."
That’s music to Kelsey’s ears.
"I’m always talking about that daily process, that disciplined approach," the coach said. "He’s done a great job of that, and I’m thrilled to see, if he can keep that consistency going, where he can go. Because he’s an unbelievably talented kid."
Consistency eluded Knox — in part, due to his injury — during Year 2 with the Razorbacks. He scored seven or fewer points in 10 of his 22 appearances and finished the season averaging 8.1 on 46% shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists against one turnover across 22 minutes per.
Knox believes a breakthrough is on the horizon in Kelsey’s system, which he described as "the perfect plan for me." He’s a versatile defender — "one of those guys who can sort of be in two places at once," Andrzejek said — who thrives in transition. CBBAnalytics.com says nearly 22% of his points as a sophomore came on fast-break opportunities, putting him in the 96th percentile nationally. And with a career clip of 36.1% from beyond the arc, he’s a more than capable deep threat.
"Playing hard, playing with confidence," Knox said. "Being free, being loose. That’s what I love about this program."
New staffers John Andrzejek and Sean Dixon meet the media
Andrzejek and fellow first-year associate head coach Sean Dixon made their Louisville debut at the mic Oct. 8.
Andrzejek, the Cards’ defensive coordinator, spent last season as the head coach at Campbell — going 16-18. Prior to that, he worked on Todd Golden’s staff at Florida and was the architect of the Gators’ defense during their run to the 2025 national championship.
Per KenPom.com, Florida went from 94th to sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency after Golden named Andrzejek his defensive coordinator. One of the highlights of practice was watching him and Kelsey try to out-scheme the other in a halfcourt 5-on-5 drill.
Does the Hamilton, New York, native see parallels between the Gators’ national championship team and this one? Andrzejek qualified with, "We haven’t been punched in the mouth yet" — then pointed to camaraderie.
"To be honest, that’s more important than the tactics and the coaching," he said.
Dixon joined UofL after four seasons on Brad Brownell’s staff at Clemson. Kelsey has called him "the total package as a coach." He saw it firsthand when his Winthrop teams battled UNC Asheville, where Dixon was an assistant for five seas
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.