As the basketball coach at the University of Louisville, Pat Kelsey has been in his position for a fortnight.
His attention has been on the here and now, trying to assemble a roster for the upcoming season by searching the transfer site and hiring personnel. However, Kelsey and his team are already beginning to consider the program’s next recruitment efforts as well.
Louisville has offered Utah Prep 2025 point guard JJ Mandaquit a scholarship, as he revealed on social media on Thursday night. Kelsey’s first open offer for a recruit in the high school rankings goes to the 6-foot-1, 190-pound four-star talent.
Mandaquit, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, played well at Utah Prep in Herriman, Utah, and has a ton of USA Basketball experience. In the ’25 class, he is ranked No. 54 overall by 247Sports, while he comes in at No. 49 in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Mandaquit assisted Team USA in winning the gold in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship last summer. He competed for the USA Men’s U16 national team as well.
Aside from Tennessee, Washington State, Hawaii, Utah, Utah State, San Diego State, and Santa Clara, Louisville is the ninth offer on the table for Mandaquit. Among others, Arizona, LSU, and UCLA have expressed interest in him.
Mandaquit was dubbed one of the top stock-risers in the early going of the ’25 class by 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham.
“I haven’t noticed many significant changes in the 2025 class thus far, but JJ Mandaquit is a guy I believe will improve and, more importantly, see a significant increase in recruitment. Although we now rank him in the approximate Top 50, his recruiting hasn’t lived up to that yet, but it is beginning to after his performances in the Border League and at USA Basketball. He has shown that he is not just a dangerous scorer, especially in ball screens, but also one of the best floor generals in the class. While Mandaquit doesn’t have a very interesting upside, he consistently demonstrates his dependability and honesty on the field, making him a viable four-year player in the major leagues.”
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