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The Louisville men's basketball program has officially signed former Virginia guard Isaac McKneely, it was announced Friday.
McKneely is the last of the Cardinals' three transfer newcomers for the 2025-26 season to be officially announced. Former Kennesaw State guard Adrian Wooley was inked on Thursday, while former Xavier guard Ryan Conwell was signed earlier today.
"As a head coach, there are guys on every team you lose sleep over during preparation and scouting of the opposing team, and Isaac McKneely was 1000% one of those guys both times we played him this year," head coach Pat Kelsey said in a statement. "One of his special gifts as a player is his ability to make shots, but his basketball IQ, athleticism, ability to pass and competitive nature are all strengths. Isaac comes from a very close-knit family that values what we value as a program. He is a selfless, faith driven young man who will be a major factor in our success both on the court and in the Louisville community."
McKneely played out the 2024-25 season under interim head coach Ron Sanchez following the sudden retirement of head coach Tony Bennett back in October, and was one of the best players in the ACC. Starting in all 32 games for the Cavaliers, he averaged 14.4 points, 2.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game, while also shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent on three-point attempts.
Not only did he lead the Hoos in scoring, his three-point shooting percentage led the ACC, while his made (101) and attempted (240) threes trailed only Louisville's own Reyne Smith for best in the league. He earned an All-ACC honorable mention for his efforts.
A former four-star prospect coming out of college, the Poca, W. Va. native played in every game for UVA as a true freshman, then became a regular starter as a sophomore. During his three seasons in Charlottesville, McKneely totaled 1,089 points, 259 rebounds and 169 assists.
Roster construction for next year has been in full swing since the end of the 2024-25 season. Not only is UofL bringing in the three transfers, they are also welcoming a pair of Class of 2025 prospects in five-star guard Mikel Brown Jr. and four-star forward Sananda Fru, and were able to get guard J'Vonne Hadley to return for another season. It makes up for the fact that Louisville is is losing six players to graduation, and guard Koren Johnson to the portal.
Louisville is coming off of a successful year one under head coach Pat Kelsey. The Cardinals went 27-8 overall, winning more games than over the previous three seasons combined, resulting in Kelsey winning ACC Coach of the Year. UofL made their return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 - although it resulted in a first round exit to Creighton.
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Report: College basketball player asking for $4M in NIL money
A top college basketball player is looking to cash in through an NIL deal during the transfer period. PJ Haggerty was the AAC Player of the Year while with Memphis last season. The former Tigers guard has entered the transfer portal and is seeking $4 million in NIL money, according to reporter Jeff Goodman. Though college sports is still considered to be amateurs, Haggerty’s career path sure would indicate otherwise. Haggerty began his college career at TCU in 2022-2023. He then played the following season at Tulsa and averaged 21.2 points per game. Last season, he averaged 21.7 points per game with Memphis. For those keeping track, this would be his fourth school in four seasons. Perhaps the $4 million figure is an asking price and place where negotiations would begin. Then again, someone who was an All-American and averaged over 20 points per game would certainly be likely to receive a 7-figure deal. We’re now starting to see college players get $4 million to remain in school rather than head to the pros. Haggerty could be the next in line to get that deal.
Steelers' QB choice in draft is obvious and perfect for Arthur Smith
The Pittsburgh Steelers have not had any consistency at the quarterback position since Ben Roethlisberger was still suiting up for the Black and Gold. He retired after the 2021 season and Pittsburgh has struggled to put together a competent quarterback room in the years since. The room is completely turning over for the second season in a row, and the current starting quarterback for the Steelers is Mason Rudolph. The quarterback had a good run at the end of the 2023 season, but he should not be relied upon to start 17 games in 2025. Pittsburgh has to find a way to land a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, even though Rudolph would be more reliable than any rookie to start the year. Fans want to see some sort of future at quarterback, however, and that might be what the organization finds if it decides to go after a quarterback in the upcoming draft. The Steelers have been linked to both Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders, who are both expected to go in the first round. However, the organization has also spent time with Tyler Shough, and team insider Ray Fittipaldo explained that this is the best option for Pittsburgh on a recent episode of the North Shore Drive Podcast. "If you're going to take one in this draft, you might as well take the one that has the highest upside," Fittipaldo said. "Other than Cam Ward, I think Tyler Shough is that guy." Shough has some big fans going into the 2025 NFL Draft, including draft experts like Todd McShay and Mel Kiper. His age and durability are the biggest knocks against the quarterback, as he is 25 years old and has played at the collegiate level for seven seasons. Shough was the backup quarterback to Justin Herbert at Oregon, and then transferred to Texas Tech before playing his final season at Louisville. Shough struggled with injuries throughout his time at Texas Tech. He suffered a broken collarbone during the 2021 season, had some shoulder issues in 2022, and broke his leg in 2023. This led to him transferring to Louisville, where he had a successful season in 2024 and is considered one of the top quarterback prospects entering the league in 2025. The prospect has some great athleticism as he tested well at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he displayed his mobility on the field multiple times throughout his career. Fittipaldo believes this is attractive to Pittsburgh, which might lead the organization to selecting him. "Please don't tell me if you ran a 4.61 40 [yard dash] that a guy like Arthur Smith isn't gonna dial some things up for you and take advantage of that in the running game," Fittipaldo said. "I'm thinking like, Ryan Tannehill type of stuff here. Good passer, can make some plays, can get a first down for you." A Ryan Tannehill comparison might not be what Pittsburgh fans want to hear, but he was a fairly athletic quarterback throughout his career. He also didn't start playing quarterback until later on in his life, as he started as a wide receiver at Texas A M. Shough has plenty of experience at the position and could become a better player. Shough could go as early as the top of the second round to one of the quarterback-needy teams like the New York Giants or Cleveland Browns, but he could fall into the third round as well. The Steelers may trade back, which could give the organization more draft capital to pick Shough, but if that doesn't happen, the franchise should shoot to select him at 83. The prospect should be able to come in and compete with Rudolph for the starting job. He has been in college for seven seasons and gone through tons of adversity, which makes him an intriguing, pro-ready quarterback.
49ers insider harshly explains why Brock Purdy and Aaron Rodgers should not be part of the team’s future
Back in 2005, there were rumblings that the San Francisco 49ers might draft Aaron Rodgers, a Chico, Calif., native, with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. Instead, though, they decided to select Alex Smith to be their quarterback of the future. Rodgers, meanwhile, slid down the draft board and was not selected until the Green Bay Packers took him with the 24th overall pick. And the rest, as the saying goes, was history. Rodgers went on to win four NFL MVP Awards, a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP in what turned out to be a Hall of Fame-worthy career for the Packers. Smith spent seven oft-injured seasons with the 49ers and did not reach his Pro Bowl potential until he landed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Indeed, since 2005, San Francisco has had 16 different starting quarterbacks while Green Bay has used seven. The San Francisco 49ers Face an Expensive Question with Brock Purdy After cycling through several starting quarterbacks since 2005, San Francisco appeared to have hit on one in one of the most improbable places. It selected Brock Purdy with the very last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but did not expect him to play over Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Injuries to both quarterbacks, though, thrust Purdy into starting duties as a rookie, and he led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. The following year, 2023, he made the Pro Bowl and finished fourth in NFL MVP voting after he completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 113.0 passer rating. But Purdy, along with the rest of the 49ers, took a step back in 2024. Last season, without his top wide receivers, Purdy completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 96.1 passer rating. While these numbers were not terrible, per se, they were not what fans had come to expect. And now that Purdy is eligible for a contract extension, San Francisco needs to make a decision on whether or not it wants to keep him around for the long run. If it does, he could command a contract worth up to $60 million a season. San Francisco 49ers Insider Does Not Want Brock Purdy (or Aaron Rodgers) on the Team While the 49ers figure out what they want to do with Purdy going forward, Rodgers is a free agent after being released by the New York Jets. Even though he has generated interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers, he has not signed, citing some heavy personal reasons that are commanding most of his attention right now. And even though he has not been formally linked to San Francisco, the team he cheered for growing up, 49ers insider Grant Cohn would like to make one thing clear about him and Purdy, for that matter: "Purdy isn’t worth franchise quarterback money. And Rodgers isn’t worth any money anymore. Because if he’s considering retirement, that means he already mentally is retired. He has one foot out the door. A team could play him to go through the motions for a year or two, but that’s all he’ll do on the field. And in the locker room, he’ll spread toxicity and discontent. "No, thank you. "What the 49ers should do is embrace a full rebuild. Acknowledge that they could not win a Super Bowl with their current core group of players, trade them and move on. Build a new core of young players. Trade George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Brock Purdy. Finish the job they started this offseason when they traded Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders." After finishing 6-11 last season, the 49ers are hoping for a bounce-back in 2025. Cohn, obviously, thinks that they would be better off tearing it all down and starting over. It seems drastic, but they are an older team and need to get younger quickly.
Red Wings Linked to Canucks' Disgruntled Forward in Free-Agency Move
As the Detroit Red Wings enter a ninth consecutive offseason without a playoff appearance, general manager Steve Yzerman could be starting to run out of time to make things work in Motown. Max Bultman of The Athletic thinks "Detroit’s scoring depth is still a real concern," as he claimed in a column published after the final game of the regular season on April 15. "This one probably goes without saying, as Detroit’s playoff drought stretches to nine years while Larkin approaches his 29th birthday and DeBrincat is now within two years of unrestricted free agency," Bultman wrote. "But we’ll say it anyway: the Red Wings can’t afford to let this drought continue to drag." That said and to fix that issue, Bultman believes that the Red Wings should chase a particular upcoming free agent to bolster their forward corps, that target being Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser. "Certainly, there are some free agent forwards to consider, whether it’s Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Brock Boeser or Nikolaj Ehlers," Bultman wrote. “But whether it’s one of those players or someone else, what the Red Wings can’t do is just run this back and expect internal improvements to take care of everything. ”This team needs more of a jolt than that.” Bultman mentioned Boeser, 28, who is coming off a 25-goal, 50-point season in Vancouver and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. While Boeser has not publicly confirmed plans to leave, he admitted talks for an extension have stalled. “Honestly, it’s unlikely at this point,” Boeser said. “It sucks, it’s unfortunate. I’m just trying to play good hockey, and then I’ll worry about everything after that.” Contract negotiations with the Canucks reportedly faltered over term length, and Boeser acknowledged uncertainty ahead of the offseason. “We’ll see what happens,” Boeser said. “I’m sure they’ll talk with my agent after the season and see if anything can come to an agreement or not.” Detroit finished the year with a 39–35–8 record and fell short of the playoffs by five points in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. Boeser, a two-time NHL All-Star with a 40-goal season to his name, could provide the scoring punch Detroit lacked down the stretch and help the Red Wings make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
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