Thursday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—DeVante Parker and the New England Patriots have agreed to a new 3-year contract worth up to $33M. The deal, done by Parker’s long-time agent and owner of Management One Jimmy Gould, also includes $14M in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses.

—Louisville has several players on this All-ACC transfer portal team.

—Trentyn Flowers is a lottery pick in For the Win’s first NBA mock draft for 2024.

11. Oklahoma City Thunder: Trentyn Flowers

TEAM: Louisville

CLASS: Freshman

POSITION: Forward

HEIGHT: 6-8

DRAFT AGE: 19.2

Trentyn Flowers is one of our favorite sleeper picks, although he was indeed a standout during the 2022 Nike EYBL Peach Jam tournament. He averaged 21 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per 40 minutes.

“His versatility is there,” an NBA scout told For The Win. “He can facilitate and initiate offense as a secondary playmaker. He can score at every level and play above the rim.”

Flowers already has a great feel for the game and he offers pro-caliber size, conditioning and work ethic.

—Matt McGavic takes a closer look at Louisville’s defensive line for 2023.

—An ACC spokesman says that Louisville was omitted from the ACC/SEC Challenge by virtue of finishing last in the conference, which was also the league’s policy with the prior ACC/Big 10 Challenge.

It’s worth noting, however, that the league didn’t always adhere to that policy. For instance, in 2019, Virginia Tech was kept out of the event despite going 12-6 in league play and making the Sweet 16 the year before.

—Very cool gift from Giannis to his former teammate.

—Top 25 running back Derrick McFall has Louisville, Alabama, Texas, TCU, Florida and Texas A&M in his final six.

—Kenny Payne, Alabama’s Nate Oats, Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann, Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry, and Virginia’s Tony Bennett spent solid chunks of their Thursday watching 2024 Top-20 small forward Kon Knueppel.

—Knueppel, who is also drawing significant attention from Duke, took an official visit to Louisville earlier this month. He described the visit as “different.”

“It was just different,” Knueppel said of the visit that the sharpshooter took to U of L last week.

In explaining the ‘different’ comment, Knueppel said Payne’s message was all about player development and it was something that intrigued him.

“When you go on most visits it’s always about the program and how you are going to benefit the program,” he said. Their message is more about how we’re going to benefit you.

“They have great facilities and it’s all about player development.”

Knueppel, who has not set any kind of timetable for a decision and said he will make more visits, did say that player development “is a big deal for me.”

“Wherever you go, you are going to get better,” he said. “It’s just who can take you to that next level and I think there are some schools out there better at that than others.

“It will be a pretty sizable part of my decision.”

—Pitbull will perform at Waterfront Park on Aug. 26. The perfect birthday present for your boy.

—Billy Richmond, the No. 20 overall hooper in the class of 2024 according to ESPN, says Louisville is among the schools most in contact with him.

—Could the Saudi PIF be college football’s next super booster? It sounds like it’s a matter of when, not if.

—Outside of the Old English L on the pants (it’s a personal thing), these look glorious.

—The schedule for the 2023 U of L field hockey season is now out.

—Louisville’s Amy Calabrese will serve as the Chair of the Senior Woman Administrators for the ACC, per the league office.

—The NCAA’s new gambling penalties are ... surprisingly reasonable, says The Athletic.

—Dana continues to have a season to remember.

—Keith Law’s latest MLB mock draft for The Athletic has no Louisville players being selected in the first round.

—The 502 Circle is hosting a golf outing at the end of this month. More information here.

—Rick Bozich sat down with Chane Behanan, who wants the Cardinal fan base to see the best of him.

Behanan never had the chance to say goodbye to Louisville fans, and he wants them to see the best of Chane Behanan.

Behanan said he might consider returning to the NBA G-League franchise in Salt Lake City, which retains his rights, or attempt to resurrect his career in Europe or Asia.

You can still play, Chane?

Behanan laughed. For several seconds. As loudly as he laughed during any part of our 19-minute conversation.

“They say the old wine is the good tasting one,” Behanan said.

“Everybody always asks me that question. I always tell them that I don’t think it ever left.”

—Never forget Alvin Sims’ ability to cram on fools.

—Mike Krzyzewski discusses the ACC’s “magical decade” and the future of college basketball here.

—Kind of wild to see in graphic form.

—The Hollywood Reporter picks the 10 best TV shows of 2023 so far. I’ve at least heard of most of them.

—Bobby Petrino released a statement on the passing of Ryan Mallett, his former QB at Arkansas. Mallett drowned in Florida earlier this week.

—His recruiting rankings aren’t sparkling, but let the record show that I am very in on 2024 PG commit T.J. Robinson’s game.

—While everyone was fussing about TV revenue in the ACC and Pac-12, those leagues were winning more national championships than any other in 2022-23.

—After a terrific run, Kyle Kuric bids farewell to Barcelona. He’ll play this upcoming season for BC Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia.

—This is an awful look for Kyle Neptune if it’s true.

—Brooks Holton give a broad overview of the setup for Kenny Payne’s second season at Louisville.

—The LEO highlights 10 of the best 4th of July events in Louisville.

—Kentucky’s swim and dive coach has resigned in the midst of an investigation into his program.

—The most electrifying atmosphere for a sporting event I’ve ever attended. We should have won.

—The NCAA Football Oversight Committee has recommended that the DI Council extend a waiver thru 2024-25 that eliminates the football signing limit. This would continue to permit teams to sign an unlimited number of recruits as long as they stay at/under the 85.

—Avery Karl, an Honorable Mention sprinter from the class of 2024, will swim for the Louisville Cardinals beginning in the fall in 2024.

—The Canadian smoke has driven this city mad.

—Since October, Feed Louisville has moved hundreds of unhoused people into a former Days Inn - where case managers help put them on the path to permanent housing. The program has already successfully moved at least 120 people into new homes.

—Congrats to Louisville’s Merissah Russell, who has made the Canada Senior Women’s National Team AmeriCup roster.

—And finally, heading into his team’s exhibition tour in Canada next week, Jeff Walz “feels great” about the squad he’s assembled for 2023-24. The Cards begin play in Toronto on July 7.