Wednesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Could Kyle Filipowski’s return to Duke result in Louisville landing 5-star Mackenzie Mbako? It sounds like U of L or an early trip to the professional ranks are the top options for the now former Blue Devil signee.

—According to Jon Rothstein, the Louisville men’s basketball team’s return game against DePaul — which was originally supposed to be played last season — will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9 in Chicago.

—Like Skyy Clark, Trentyn Flowers has now officially signed with U of L.

The University of Louisville men’s basketball program announced Wednesday the signing of Trentyn Flowers to a national letter of intent in the 2023 class.

The 6-foot-8 guard comes to The Ville from Combine Academy in Charlotte, N.C. The current junior will be reclassifying into the 2023 class.

“Trentyn is one of the most talented young players – regardless of class – in the country,” UofL head coach Kenny Payne said. “He’s a 6-8 guard who can score, rebound, pass and defend, and he’s an elite athlete with a very good basketball IQ. He has a bright future in his game and has the discipline and work ethic to be a great basketball player. He’s as excited as we are for him to be a part of this basketball program.”

—U of L women’s basketball may have lost Hailey Van Lith, but they’ve signed Hennie van Schaik.

—C.L. Brown is returning to The Courier Journal as a columnist.

—Four-star RB Derrick McFall (2024) from Texas has Louisville, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Florida and TCU as his final six schools.

—This is handy.

—The ACC and commissioner Jim Phillips are finalizing a three-year contract extension that will keep him atop the league through essentially the rest of the decade.

—Walter Clayton Jr.’s commitment to Florida hopefully helps Louisville’s chances with North Texas transfer Tylor Perry, who visited UF earlier this week.

—Odell Beckham reportedly signed with the Ravens with the understanding that Lamar Jackson would be his quarterback.

—Gonna need Sean Moth to take on this challenge.

—Florida State hoops standout Matthew Cleveland is in the transfer portal.

—A pair of Sacred Heart stars headline the Courier-Journal’s All-State squad for girls basketball.

—Ballard star Gabe Sisk was the lone Louisvillian on the boys team.

—Merissah Russell is already locked in for her senior season.

—The U of L softball team fell to Indiana Tuesday night.

—An interfaith vigil will take place Wednesday night at 5 p.m. at the Muhammad Ali Center to remember the victims from Monday’s tragedy, allow the public to offer prayers for the injured, and to begin work toward a more peaceful city

—ESPN ranks the 10 best quarterbacks in college football for next season.

—Trentyn Flowers talks a bit about his commitment to Louisville here.

Leader: Tell me about where you grew up. How are your parents an influence on you? Are there any other athletes in your family?

Trentyn: I was born in Maryland, however, I grew up mainly in Georgia. My parents are great examples in my life. They are always there for me and sacrifice everything for my betterment. They push me to be great and have instilled high character and morals in me. My brother, Brysen, is a natural athlete in both football and a beast at basketball. My sister, Kristiana, has always been good at gymnastics, cheer, dance, volleyball, and basketball.

Leader: Are you a player a coach can give it to in the clutch? Why?

Trentyn: I am definitely a player a coach can give it to in clutch situations because I am always going to make the right play. Whether I am making the shot or making my teammates better, I want to win.

Leader: What made you commit to Louisville?

Trentyn: I love what they are building and the coaching staff I feel very comfortable with them:

Leader: Have you had a chance to talk with Skyy Clark? He is another NBA draft prospect and you will be teaming with him. How does it feel to play with him?

Trentyn: I’ve always liked the way Skyy plays and we have already had a chance to talk I can’t wait to get on the court with him to do some special things.

—The Louisville volleyball team will play three matches at the KFC Yum Center this season, and ticket packages for those three matches are now available.

—Western Kentucky transfer Dayvion McKnight has committed to Xavier.

—Legacy football recruit Chris Johnson Jr. took a visit to Louisville on Monday.

—Carlik is still the man.

—Registration is now open for the first Coach Payne Legacy Camps Father-Son camp, which will take place on June 3 and 4.

—Jae’Lyn Withers is continuing his college career at North Carolina.

—The Athletic’s updated transfer portal rankings for signed players only has Kamari Lands at No. 22 and Skyy Clark at No. 25.

25. Skyy Clark | 6-3 guard | Three years of eligibility | Transferred from Illinois to Louisville

The scout: Clark has the game to be a really good scorer at the college level. The jump shot looks good, and he can knock it down off the dribble or catch. He shot a solid 41.9 percent off the dribble in 13 games, per Synergy. The sample size is small, but the stroke looks legit. He’s got some wiggle and speed with the ball in his hands. He’s built well too, equipped to get into the paint and finish around big bodies. He’s more of a combo guard than a true point. He’s built to score. He wasn’t quite ready to run a team as a freshman and had just as many turnovers (27) as assists. He took a leave of absence for personal reasons in early January and then left the Illini program shortly thereafter. He needs some seasoning, but the package is there to be a big scorer at some point. He’d fit best in a system that can utilize his abilities off the bounce.

The fit: Louisville just needs guards. So for Kenny Payne to go into the portal early and pick up a former five-star guard in Clark is a terrific outcome, and one that will hopefully lead to more efficient offense in 2023-24. Even if Clark ends up settling in more as a combo guard and the team needs to find more of a true point, just having another shot creator and ballhandler out there would be immensely beneficial because the Cardinals just simply did not have enough of that this past season.

—The CBS transfer portal rankings have Clark at No. 15.

—247 Sports has Clark down at No. 54 in its portal rankings.

—Indiana reportedly has serious interest in U of L transfer El Ellis.

—These are gorgeous.

—Big Red Louie looks at the addition of Hennie Van Schaik.

—ACC portal movement has picked up significant steam this week.

—Cardinal Authority has a new U of L football recruiting notebook.

—Maurice Turner is enjoying the competition amongst the U of L stable of running backs.

—Worst Wrangler commercial yet.

—Louisville is now in the mix for UMass transfer RJ Luis, a 6’7 guard who averaged 11.2 ppg last season as a freshman.

—A new episode of the Locked on Louisville podcast is out.

—Lou City’s Joshua Wynder has received his first USMNT call up.

—Lat the Cataurus Hicks hype train begin.

—Louisville is among the schools that have been in the most contact with North Texas transfer Tylor Perry.

—Tar Heel Blog reacts to the news of UNC adding Jae’Lyn Withers.

—And finally, On3’s latest class of 2024 rankings for college football have Louisville’s class ranked at No. 15.