By JACOB POLACHECK
The University of Louisville announced the signings of graduate transfers Carlik Jones and Charles Minlend Jr. on Wednesday.
Jones, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard from Cincinnati, Ohio, averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals as a redshirt junior at Radford last season.
“We are excited to add arguably the best transfer guard available in Carlik Jones,” Louisville head coach Chris Mack said in a press release Wednesday. “He has a tremendous feel for the game but most importantly loves to win. His decision making will add much needed experience to our team.
Jones helped lead Radford to a 21-11 record last season and their second consecutive Big South Conference regular season championship.
“Carlik is a talented scorer who can shoot it, drive it and finish through contact. His career at Radford was ultra-impressive,” Mack said. “He’s a quality young man who comes from a tremendous family. I believe Cardinal fans are going to love what he brings to our program.”
Jones also considered Maryland, Michigan State, Marquette, Texas Tech, West Virginia and Gonzaga.
Minlend, a 6-foot-4, 208-pound guard from Concord, N.C., averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals as a redshirt junior at San Francisco last season.
“We are equally excited to be adding one of the fiercest competitors out there in power guard Charles Minlend,” Mack said. “Charles had a special career at San Francisco and established himself as a player who competes on both ends of the floor.”
Last season Minlend helped lead San Francisco to a 22-12 record, the schools best win total in 35 years.
His ability on offense to drive it, post it and get fouled often was evident in all the tape we watched as a staff. Charles’ toughness will help replace some key figures from a season ago. His desire to compete in the ACC, a conference he grew up watching helped us immensely during his short recruitment to Louisville. We can’t wait to get started.”
Minlend also considered Arizona, Arkansas, Butler, Gonzaga, Indiana and Mississippi State.
Minlend and Jones join D’Andre Davis and J.J. Traynor as the third and fourth new additions to the Cardinals’ roster for next season.
Photo: Louisville Athletics
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