LOUISVILLE, Ky. – While the Louisville men’s basketball program is actively searching for some front court players, head coach Pat Kelsey landed another player that he is familiar with for his first year at the helm.

Kobe Rodgers, who spent this past season at Charleston with Kelsey, announced Thursday that he is following his head coach to his new stop. He’s the ninth transfer commitment for Kelsey, the third to follow him from the Cougars, and the second that will redshirt the upcoming 2024-25 season.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard was Charleston’s go-to backcourt bench option this past season, but also saw a handful of starts as well. Playing 31 games with 18 starts, he averaged 9.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and and a team-best 1.2 steals per game. He also shot an even 50.0 percent from the field, and was 45.0 percent on three-point attempts.

Rodgers was named to the All-CAA Tournament Team after averaging 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in three games, helping Charleston win the CAA Championship. He also had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists against Alabama before having to be helped off the court with 4:07 left.

The Cincinnati, Ohio native spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career in the Division II ranks with Nova Southeastern, helping the Sharks win the D2 title in 2023 as a sophomore. That season, he averaged 13.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.4 steals across 30 games.

But beyond his stat lines, what else does Rodgers bring to the table for the Cardinals?

While players like Terrence Edwards Jr., Aboubacar Traore and James Scott headline Louisville’s current crop of transfers in terms of pure athleticism, Rodgers’ overall athletic ability is very underrated. He is point guard, but he’s a lot more of an effective scorer than you would think, and more so a combo guard vs. a true point guard.

Whether in true 1-on-1 matchups, off a screen or on dribble handoffs, Rodgers is solid on the drive thanks to his shiftiness and ability to absorb contact. He also finishes well at the rim with a good double move. He isn’t afraid to attack the paint no matter how crowded it is, as evidenced by the fact that he converted on 58 percent of his attempts at the rim.

Additionally, he’s another player that has a tendency to play a little bigger than you would expect, mainly because of the hustle he operates with. Despite being 6-foot-3, he was Charleston’s third-best rebounder. Because of this, another way that Rodgers is an effective scorer is on put backs. He does a good job of boxing out, and has great timing on missed shots to snag the offensive rebound and subsequent shot.

Because of his hustle and overall play style, Rodgers does a good job and both getting to and scoring at the free throw line. He sports a free throw rate of 41.8 percent, and connected on 79.3 percent of his attempts at the charity stripe.

Even when not directly at the rim, Rodgers has can score in a variety of ways. He can move his pivot foot quickly to get an open look off a post move within 10-15 feet of the rim, and has a good midrange jumper that he mainly utilizes coming off of a screen.