LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of Louisville's top recruits in the 2023 class will not be putting on a Cardinals uniform after all.
Trentyn Flowers, a 6-foot-8 forward from North Carolina, announced on social media Monday that he will instead play professionally in Australia this season. Flowers signed with Louisville in April.
Flowers announced his decision less than three months before Louisville's first game.
"Those that know me know my biggest dream has always been to play in the NBA," Flowers said in a message posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. "Recently, I have been blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime - to play professional basketball in Australia and take another big step towards my NBA dreams."
Flowers was part of a recruiting class ranked No. 6 in the country by 247Sports. The recruiting site ranked Flowers the No. 30 prospect in the nation and the sixth-best small forward.
He recently said he was moving to point guard.
U of L head coach Kenny Payne called the news disappointing.
“Earlier today, Trentyn and his family informed me of his decision to pursue a professional career overseas," Payne said in a statement. "We’re certainly disappointed in his decision and the timing. We fully believe in the University of Louisville’s ability to help student-athletes reach their goals, including to play at the highest levels of professional basketball – and we’re confident that Trentyn could have achieved his dreams by making Louisville his home. However, we wish Trentyn and his family well in all of their future endeavors.”
Flowers was a five-star prospect and reclassified from the 2024 class to the 2023 class in order to play this season.
"This was not an easy decision, because playing for Louisville was also a dream of mine," he said. "While my time in Louisville has been short, it has been an amazing experience and I can't thank you all enough."
The Cardinals are coming off a 4-28 season - the worst record in the modern history of the program.
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