Pat Kelsey and Louisville receive positive news regarding transfer player ahead of the 2025-26 season

Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals were without their 6-foot-11 center Aly Khalifa last season after he redshirted the season due to a knee injury. With the previous season being his senior year of college basketball, playing this season would require that Khalifa get an eligibility waiver.

However, his application was initially denied. On Friday, according to On3’s Joe Tipton, Khalifa has now gotten the waiver and will be with the Cardinals in the 2025-26 season.

Before redshirting last season, Khalifa hadn’t had the chance to play for the Cardinals at all. He had just transferred to Louisville after playing his junior year with the BYU Cougars, where he averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

Before BYU, Khalifa spent two years with the Charlotte 49ers. As a freshman, he won the 2022 Conference USA Freshman of the Year award. He went on to play in 65 games at Charlotte, averaging a career-high 11.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg in his sophomore season.

Speaking about his move to Louisville, Khalifa expressed his goal of reaching his potential and helping lead the Cardinals to a championship:

“I can reach my potential and be the best version of myself with the amazing coaching staff and teammates. I can help our team win a championship and I’m able to play in front of one of the best fan bases in the country.”

Apart from Khalifa, Kelsey has also made other additions to his team. He has recruited a five-star Class of 2025 high school prospects, Mikel Brown Jr., along with three highly rated international prospects, Sananda Fru, Mouhamed Camara and Vangelis Zougris.

From the transfer portal, Kelsey has also secured Ryan Conwell from Xavier, Adrian Wooley from Kennesaw State and Isaac McKneely from Virginia.

“A huge part of our success” - Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey on Aly Khalifa’s impact last season

While announcing Aly Khalifa’s eligibility waiver in his team meeting with the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey took a moment to acknowledge Khalifa’s contributions to the team last season despite not playing.

“He didn’t get enough credit last year for the impact that he had on our team,” Kelsey said. "The leadership behind the scenes, he was an extension of the coaching staff, sold our culture in the locker room every single day. He didn’t score a basket for Louisville last year, but he was a huge huge huge part of our success.”

Kelsey and the Cardinals ended last season with a 27-8 overall record, reaching the first round of the NCAA tournament. They’ll be looking to build on that performance and go even further in the upcoming season.

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos