Louisville adds fifth-year forward LJ Wells to the basketball roster for this season

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville coach Pat Kelsey added another fifth-year player to the roster Monday with forward LJ Wells now available this season for the Cardinals.

Kelsey said he is friends with Northern Kentucky coach Darrin Horn, who gushes about Wells’ character, work ethic and coachability. Wells spent the past four seasons at Northern Kentucky and started 33 games for the Norse as a senior averaging 15 points and 7.3 rebounds.

“He was arguably NKU’s best and most valuable player,” Kelsey said. “We are excited to add someone like LJ that fits our culture perfectly. He’s one of us before he even arrives.”

The Cardinals also have guard Seth Trimble, who transferred from North Carolina by taking advantage of the recent preliminary injunction from a Colorado judge giving student-athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 a fifth season of eligibility for the upcoming year.

Trimble and Wells both are among a group of athletes that sought the right to play a fifth season from a Kentucky county court.

A 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, Wells also was named to the Horizon League tournament team after scoring 22.3 points and grabbing 8.7 rebounds over three tournament games in March. He started 16 of 32 games as a junior, 27 of 33 as a sophomore and played in 18 games as a freshman.

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