Louisville homer propping up Fabio Basili

[IL Wildcat]

I was doing some reading on upcoming opponents and when I got to Louisville I ran across this article and it gave me a chuckle. So, I don't know much at all about Fabio Basili, though I know he's listed by UofL at 6-4 and 175lbs and he attended Oak Ridge in Orlando. I also know that he's one of only 2 guards (along with El Ellis) expected to contribute at all this season. So, what is legitimately expected of this kid? If you believe this guy, he could be about to dominate college basketball for the Cards.

Why is he sure to be so good? (quotes from the article)

Because Kenny Payne is an awesome evaluator of talent, and gets credit for all of UK's NBA players. This must mean that Basili is an NBA talent.

Coach Kenny Payne was hired for a multitude of reasons. I’m here to remind you of one: his evaluation of talent.

There’s probably not a single recruiter who has had a greater impact on the NBA than Payne. His recruiting-prospect-to-draft track record is staggering. Many of those now-Millionaires, all-stars and NBA champions attribute much of their growth and success to him.

Though all recruiting services must have missed it (shockingly), Basili is obviously the next big point guard.

Fabio’s court vision and basketball IQ are astonishingly advanced for his age. On many occasions, I witnessed him weave through defensive sets seamlessly, often avoiding reaching defenders and potential shot blockers to create his own gliding finishes and passing lanes. Many of these types of plays looked effortless. Lots of “Whoa did you see that” energy.

He is the reincarnation of former UofL guard David Johnson...

At 6’4” (or possibly taller) and 165 pounds, Basili arrives at UofL almost the exact same size as a familiar guard that excelled in his short stint with the Cards — David Johnson (6’5”, 170).

Stay with me. Johnson was more than a flex option in his time at Louisville, so please don’t think I’m going blind homer here. That dude was a set it and forget it.

However, I have gotta say, the similarities in how raw, but confident, they have with each other are kind of odd. They each play downhill all the time. Both have a knack for being patient in the lane, and letting the game come to them.

Because he had a good game against Tampa Catholic

Under the brightest lights last season, Fabio brought the heat. Oak Ridge’s matchup with Tampa Catholic was supposed to showcase TC’s Karter Knox, a Louisville 2023 prospect, who is currently a top ten player in the nation. On that night, however, Basili stole the show.

There you have it, folks. I don't know how EVERY SINGLE recruiting service missed on this kid, but you heard it here first. Watch out for Basili!

If you care to read the entire article, here it is:

Why Fabio Basili is a solid "flex" option for Louisville basketball

I scoured the internet in order to break down what Fabio Basili brings for a Louisville basketball team desperate for productive minutes at the guard spot.

stateoflouisville.com

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

All I need to see is his offer sheet. TCU and SMU.

 

[IL Wildcat]

All I need to see is his offer sheet. TCU and SMU.

Yep, and neither ESPN nor Scout even ranked him at all. But we're supposed to believe that it is his eye popping talent that Payne evaluated and not total desperation that led to the offer from UofL.

 

[University-6]

UK 147 U-6 23 unless U-6 suddenly gets the coof right before the game... again.

 

[CatPatrick13]

Louisville had a tough time this year finding a guard thru the transfer portal etc. They were kinda desperate.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

I think it is safe to say that anyone you are adding in the week before the start of classes was: A. not your first choice and B. not anybody else's first, second or third choice.

But at least they have El Ellis and his dazzling assist-to-turnover ratio. 51 assists. 45 turnovers. Anything better than a 1-to-1 ratio is considered Elite, right?

I also note Rivals and ESPN didn't have Basili in their rankings at all.

 

[CELTICAT]

I know other people have asked about this but I want a run back. Two guards?

 

[IL Wildcat]

I know other people have asked about this but I want a run back. Two guards?

Yep, they only have 2 guys, including Basili, listed on their roster (and expected to actually contribute) who are guards. They have 3 guys who are small forwards and several power forward types and a center or 2, but only 2 guards. Here is the depth chart, according to Louisville Report.

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
El Ellis		Kamari Lands	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	Sydney Curry
Fabio Basili		Mike James	Jae'Lyn Withers	Roosevelt Wheeler
		Devin Ree	J.J. Traynor

Link: https://www.si.com/college/louisville/basketball/2022-23-roster-outlook-40

 

[Larry Skaggs]

Lou de Fazio made the best pizza in Tennessee

 

[drew_ukfan]

Reminds me of the threads here when BCG would get a commit.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Yep, they only have 2 guys, including Basili, listed on their roster (and expected to actually contribute) who are guards. They have 3 guys who are small forwards and several power forward types and a center or 2, but only 2 guards. Here is the depth chart, according to Louisville Report.

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
El Ellis		Kamari Lands	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	Sydney Curry
Fabio Basili		Mike James	Jae'Lyn Withers	Roosevelt Wheeler
		Devin Ree	J.J. Traynor

Link: https://www.si.com/college/louisville/basketball/2022-23-roster-outlook-40

Don't forget "Master P's" son Hercy, who averaged a robust 2 ppg for Tennessee State as a freshman coming off the bench in limited minutes before sustaining a mystery injury and sitting out the rest of the year, then transferred to Xavier, then without playing a minute there bounced to Louisville as a walk on. He's appeared at more venues in the past six months than his father.

 

[CELTICAT]

Yep, they only have 2 guys, including Basili, listed on their roster (and expected to actually contribute) who are guards. They have 3 guys who are small forwards and several power forward types and a center or 2, but only 2 guards. Here is the depth chart, according to Louisville Report.

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
El Ellis		Kamari Lands	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	Sydney Curry
Fabio Basili		Mike James	Jae'Lyn Withers	Roosevelt Wheeler
		Devin Ree	J.J. Traynor

Link: https://www.si.com/college/louisville/basketball/2022-23-roster-outlook-40

So a roster that’s like everything bad about both Crum and Calipari. Hilarious. They are going to be baaaaaad

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

I was doing some reading on upcoming opponents and when I got to Louisville I ran across this article and it gave me a chuckle. So, I don't know much at all about Fabio Basili, though I know he's listed by UofL at 6-4 and 175lbs and he attended Oak Ridge in Orlando. I also know that he's one of only 2 guards (along with El Ellis) expected to contribute at all this season. So, what is legitimately expected of this kid? If you believe this guy, he could be about to dominate college basketball for the Cards.

Why is he sure to be so good? (quotes from the article)

Because Kenny Payne is an awesome evaluator of talent, and gets credit for all of UK's NBA players. This must mean that Basili is an NBA talent.



Though all recruiting services must have missed it (shockingly), Basili is obviously the next big point guard.


He is the reincarnation of former UofL guard David Johnson...


Because he had a good game against Tampa Catholic


There you have it, folks. I don't know how EVERY SINGLE recruiting service missed on this kid, but you heard it here first. Watch out for Basili!

If you care to read the entire article, here it is:

Why Fabio Basili is a solid "flex" option for Louisville basketball

I scoured the internet in order to break down what Fabio Basili brings for a Louisville basketball team desperate for productive minutes at the guard spot.

stateoflouisville.com

It’s funny but I think some of our fans might do the same, once they commit to your school a lot of their flaws get ignored until they actually play

 

[IL Wildcat]

It’s funny but I think some of our fans might do the same, once they commit to your school a lot of their flaws get ignored until they actually play

You may be right about that. I remember during the Tubby years talking up guys like Bobby Perry and Shagari Alleyne. When your team is not doing great and talent is hard to find, before a guy takes the floor is always the best time to dream big about him. 😀

 

[trueblujr2]

Yep, they only have 2 guys, including Basili, listed on their roster (and expected to actually contribute) who are guards. They have 3 guys who are small forwards and several power forward types and a center or 2, but only 2 guards. Here is the depth chart, according to Louisville Report.

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
El Ellis		Kamari Lands	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	Sydney Curry
Fabio Basili		Mike James	Jae'Lyn Withers	Roosevelt Wheeler
		Devin Ree	J.J. Traynor

Link: https://www.si.com/college/louisville/basketball/2022-23-roster-outlook-40

So find a way to get those guards into foul trouble and they are royally screwed.

 

[Gromcat]

That’s one very sexy Italian herb.

 

[Rockford]

Fabio better than Devin Askew?

 

[Gromcat]

I’ll say this again because most people seem to not understand this. Payne was not a lead recruiter for UK. Lol. I don’t know where this myth got started.

Payne continues to be the most overrated coach I’ve ever seen at UK. He’s a good assistant, he’s just not what people make him out to be.

 

[cbrwalt]

I think Sidney Curry is a beast. I'm shocked he didnt transfer, he could be very helpful to some very good teams. We dont need him because he plays like Oscar, but there are bunch of ranked teams that could use him.

El Ellis is a very explosive scorer. He is capable of heating up and scoring in bunches. He also is prone to taking dumb shots and making bad decisions.

However, I think that's about all they have. Its going to be a very long year for them.

 

[BigKari]

Fabio better than Devin Askew?

Haven’t seen even an IG clip of Fabio, but I’d still pick him over Devin. My thoughts on this pickup for UL was they had to get somebody, and with it coming down to just days before the start of classes this was about as good as they were going to get. If this came down to an overlooked prospect that KP knew more about than anyone else, then what took so long to get him to commit and get him on campus? Obviously we know that’s ridiculous and that KP had to widen his search to fill that spot. The kid has to play, there’s 40 minutes at guard that are wide open. They had that wide open spot and missed on everyone they offered before Basili. What does it tell you when you get down to the last minute before finally adding the 5th guy you offered for that spot? That he’s a diamond in the rough? Sounds more like a shell at the beach.

 

[bbncal02]

UK 147 U-6 23 unless U-6 suddenly gets the coof right before the game... again.

Sadly Cal will not run the score up on KP.

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

Yep, they only have 2 guys, including Basili, listed on their roster (and expected to actually contribute) who are guards. They have 3 guys who are small forwards and several power forward types and a center or 2, but only 2 guards. Here is the depth chart, according to Louisville Report.

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
El Ellis		Kamari Lands	Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	Sydney Curry
Fabio Basili		Mike James	Jae'Lyn Withers	Roosevelt Wheeler
		Devin Ree	J.J. Traynor

Link: https://www.si.com/college/louisville/basketball/2022-23-roster-outlook-40

Looks to me like Kenny did an amazing job at screwing his first season. They wouldn't survive Gonzagas conference.

 

[IL Wildcat]

Fabio better than Devin Askew?

Not sure. I've only seen a couple highlight videos of him, which always show only the good plays. He looks pretty raw to me but does have some athleticism.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Oh man, this really is John Wall and Peyton Siva all over again, isn't it?

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

You may be right about that. I remember during the Tubby years talking up guys like Bobby Perry and Shagari Alleyne. When your team is not doing great and talent is hard to find, before a guy takes the floor is always the best time to dream big about him. 😀

I remember with askew everybody was again how good a shooter he was and how much he hustled, and he turned to have the bball IQ of a kindergarten student

 

[IL Wildcat]

Sadly Cal will not run the score up on KP.

Probably not, but to prevent it this season, he may have to put himself in the game. 🤣

 

[Nightwish84]

Circle 11/21 on your calendars if you wanna watch an SEC team drill Louisville before we do. They play Arkansas in Maui. It's looking like three straight gut punches are about to happen to their fanbase. At some point Wagner more than likely commits to UK, they're getting their punishment by late fall which could mean a tourney ban this year, and then they have to watch their team struggle for most of the season as the Blue Bloods continue to load up on talent for the future.

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

Circle 11/21 on your calendars if you wanna watch an SEC team drill Louisville before we do. They play Arkansas in Maui. It's looking like three straight gut punches are about to happen to their fanbase. At some point Wagner more than likely commits to UK, they're getting their punishment by late fall which could mean a tourney ban this year, and then they have to watch their team struggle for most of the season as the Blue Bloods continue to load up on talent for the future.

A tourney ban this year won't be noticed.

 

[Pickle_Rick]

This is a stretch for my Swiss cheese memory, but wasn't Fabio Basili the name of the operatic singer from one of the Police Squad movies? Leslie Nielson impersonated him at a baseball game, then did some umpiring... man! Those were some funny movies. Almost as funny as U6's team this year.

 

[Swimcat20]

Payne will eventually make them decent again, but it's going to be awhile.

 

[MethodUK]

Most sensible UL fans I know see the writing on the wall and realize this year could be rough. Now that's only 6 people.

The rest think Fabio and Master P are going to run through the ACC... If Kenny can't pull some good recruits in the first 2 years they will get impatient. If he goes the route of UL football NIL they might scoop up some sooner than later

 

[BaronReborn84]

This is a stretch for my Swiss cheese memory, but wasn't Fabio Basili the name of the operatic singer from one of the Police Squad movies? Leslie Nielson impersonated him at a baseball game, then did some umpiring... man! Those were some funny movies. Almost as funny as U6's team this year.

Such a great movie but it was Enrico Palazzo lol love Leslie Nielsen

 

[wcc31]

Payne will eventually make them decent again, but it's going to be awhile.

Maybe. Who knows. His top assistant had the same exact rep before getting hired and fired by Wake.

 

[cats2010]

Such a great movie but it was Enrico Palazzo lol love Leslie Nielsen

“Hey, it’s Enrico Palazzo” 😂

Loved Leslie Nielsen and the Naked Gun Movies.

 

[BigBlueFan19]

Oh man, this really is John Wall and Peyton Siva all over again, isn't it?

Lol.. I thought about this a couple days ago and had a good laugh. They use to be horrible about comparing players. That hasn’t been a thing the past few years tho! 😁

 

[IL Wildcat]

Payne will eventually make them decent again, but it's going to be awhile.

But will UofL give him enough times to prove he can get it done?

 

[CincyUKFan]

I don't disagree with your take on this. But also, if we're being honest, you're pretty homerific yourself, no? If we move through your little write-ups, I'm confident we'll see the same level of homerism.

 

[Fox2monk]

I know other people have asked about this but I want a run back. Two guards?

They have four total but one is a walk on lol.

 

[Fox2monk]

Circle 11/21 on your calendars if you wanna watch an SEC team drill Louisville before we do. They play Arkansas in Maui. It's looking like three straight gut punches are about to happen to their fanbase. At some point Wagner more than likely commits to UK, they're getting their punishment by late fall which could mean a tourney ban this year, and then they have to watch their team struggle for most of the season as the Blue Bloods continue to load up on talent for the future.

Wagner is taking his sweet time. Has he even announced any timeframe yet?

 

[IL Wildcat]

I don't disagree with your take on this. But also, if we're being honest, you're pretty homerific yourself, no? If we move through your little write-ups, I'm confident we'll see the same level of homerism.

I'm sure I'm a bit of a homer when it comes to my team. Most are bullish on their own team this time of year, when there are many unknowns and no on-court evidence to make a case for a player. However, I don't think I'm quite this bad. I will admit, I'm usually better (less biased) at evaluating the players of other teams than my own. Then again, it's been a while since I've had to make a 3-star previously unknown recruit sound like an elite talent. 😁