Pat Kelsey, basketball coach at the University of Louisville, will have a true freshman on his team next season.
And it’s a really fantastic one.
Khani Rooths, a four-star forward who paid an official visit to Louisville this weekend, has committed to the Cardinals. Rooths, a top-40 prospect in the 2024 class, is Kelsey’s 11th new addition to the squad.
Rooths, who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 200 pounds, is a former Michigan commit. He arrived in Louisville for his visit on Friday night and stayed on campus until Sunday morning, spending a lot of time with the new coaches.
“Describing Rooths in just one word is pretty easy, he’s versatile,” 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi said. “Capable of playing as a big wing small forward or as a small ball four-man, Rooths has all of the tools needed to play multiple roles.”
Rooths committed to Michigan in mid-November but decommitted on March 18 following the dismissal of coach Juwan Howard. Before committing to Michigan, Rooths pondered and visited Florida State, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Virginia Tech, among others.
Rooths is ranked No. 31 in the country and No. 6 as a power forward by the 247Sports Composite Rankings, as well as No. 39 overall and No. 7 among power forwards by 247Sports. He is widely regarded as a four-star prospect.
This past season, he played for IMG Academy.
Bossi gave a scouting report on Rooths.
“As a junior on a loaded IMG team, Rooths was more likely to fit in. He moved from one to four on defence, assisted on the glass, grabbed a rebound, and led the team on the break in transition. While he would certainly want to score, he was more of a secondary scorer who sometimes needed to be pushed to be more aggressive on the offensive end.
Rooths expanded his game significantly while competing on the Adidas 3SSB tour in the summer of 2023. More often, he had the ball in his hands and was attempting to get to the rim. He isn’t a high-flyer, but he has lots of bounce and, more significantly, is a true mover with lateral agility and the ability to perform athletically in tight places. Though he remains thin, he has wiry strength and a build designed to carry greater weight without sacrificing quickness.
During the aggressive summer of 2023, Synergy credited Rooths with team highs in points (15.6) and rebounds (5.5). His strongest asset is his ability to drive for his size. He has a quick first step that is difficult for larger opponents to manage, and if defended by a lesser perimeter player, his size is too much to cope with. There is still a lot of room for him to improve as a shooter. Rooths shot 41.1% overall and 31.4% from three-point range. While his percentages aren’t terrific, his shot isn’t broken, and it’s just a question of doing a little less off the dribble and seeing better opportunities.
Rooths can improve his shot selection as well as his passing ability. He sees some things, but he is a touch sloppy with the ball and had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio this summer. While he should be more cautious, some of his turnovers are a result of having to handle the ball more than he should.”
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