Chinanu Onuaku will stay at Louisville

Pretty much the best indication that a player is not going to transfer from Louisville is when they get called out by name by Rick Pitino as a potential player who might transfer from Louisville.

Such is the case with freshman big man Chinanu Onuaku, whom the Courier-Journal is reporting will remain with the program.

It was hard to see Pitino's harsh words on Monday as anything more than a motivational tool for Onuaku, who spent most of his freshman season as the Cardinals' starting center before being usurped by sophomore Mangok Mathiang in the postseason. Onuaku finished the season averaging 3.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, but drew heavy criticism from his head coach at times for his lack of conditioning and unwillingness to focus on a scouting report.

If you watched Nanu on the bench during the tournament, this news should come as little surprise. He was always on his feet, always excited and always smiling. I think he really enjoys being a Cardinal, he just needs to put forth more of a consistent effort for an entire season. That's part of the maturation process for a guy who didn't even turn 18 until the start of the season.