Scouting Louisville basketball's 2025-26 roster: Isaac McKneely

After leading Louisville basketball to one of the largest turnarounds in Division I history, Pat Kelsey built a 2025-26 roster that's garnering lofty expectations. This summer, The Courier Journal is taking a player-by-player look at the team, dissecting what each one will bring to the Cardinals. Up next: Isaac McKneely.

To catch up on previous entries in the series, click here.

When Isaac McKneely signed with Louisville basketball in April, Pat Kelsey said the former Virginia guard was one of those guys "you lose sleep over during preparation and scouting."

Can the coach rest peacefully now, knowing that the ACC's most accurate 3-point shooter last season is on his team? Tough to say, because his mind is no doubt racing with ideas to take McKneely's game up a notch in his fast-paced, trigger-happy offense.

"One of his special gifts as a player is his ability to make shots," Kelsey said in a statement, "but his basketball IQ, athleticism, ability to pass and competitive nature are all strengths. ... He is a selfless, faith-driven young man who will be a major factor in our success both on the court and in the Louisville community."

McKneely, a 6-foot-4 native of Poca, West Virginia, was the Cardinals' third and final addition from the NCAA transfer portal this offseason — joining Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State). He finished second in the ACC to U of L's Reyne Smith in made 3s per game with 3.2 en route to a spot on the all-conference honorable mention list as a junior.

Between Smith and fellow departures Terrence Edwards Jr., Chucky Hepburn, Aboubacar Traore and Noah Waterman, Louisville lost 277 of its 328 made 3s and 816 of its 999 attempts from 2024-25. Its 32.8% conversion rate was the lowest of a Kelsey-led team since Winthrop shot 31.3% in 2012-13 — his first season as a head coach.

We all know what McKneely's here to do: fire away early and often. But, as Kelsey alluded to, there's more in his bag than that — and more talent around him than he had in 2024-25. Here's a breakdown of his junior season and what his role could be in Year 2 of the Kelsey era:

Scouting report: Recapping Isaac McKneely's 2024-25 season

McKneely was the brightest spot of a Virginia season that started with the surprising retirement of longtime coach Tony Bennett and ended with the Cavaliers sitting at 15-17 after a first-round exit in the ACC Tournament.

McKneely led UVA with 14.4 points per game on 43.9% shooting, both personal high-water marks, and had eight outings scoring 20 or more. He cracked the program's top five in career 3s (233) as a junior by knocking down 101 on 240 attempts. His 42.1% clip from 3 was the best in the ACC and ranked 21st across Division I.

According to CBBAnalytics.com, 89% (214) of McKneely's attempted 3s in 2024-25 came from NBA range. He connected on 88, posting his third consecutive season of shooting above 40% from way back.

"At the end of this last year, he was only behind (Kentucky's) Koby Brea and (Houston's) L.J. Cryer in terms of his predicted efficiency from beyond the arc; and those guys are gone this year," said Evan Miyakawa, the analytics guru behind EvanMiya.com. "In terms of skill, I don't think there is anyone in the country that's going to be a better 3-point shooter than Isaac McKneely."

Per BartTorvik.com, McKneely is one of only 13 high-major players dating back to 2007-08 to average 14 or more attempts from 3 per 100 possessions during a season and convert more than 42% of those shots. He's at his most dangerous maneuvering around screens and shooting off the catch but made more unassisted 3s as a junior than his sophomore and freshman campaigns combined.

Despite its struggles under interim coach Ron Sanchez, Virginia finished 2024-25 ranked third nationally in assists per made field goals (63.6%) playing at the grind-it-out tempo that was Bennett's calling card for more than a decade. McKneely wasn't the primary initiator but had a big role in that success. Torvik says he was one of only two high-major players who boasted a plus-18% assist rate while shooting better than 40% from 3 last season. He averaged only 1.7 turnovers per 40 minutes.

McKneely is not known for his defense — averaging less than a steal per 40 minutes across his 98-game collegiate career. However, his foundation to build upon is solid: three years of ACC experience playing for a program that, under Bennett, made having a firm grasp of the pack line a nonnegotiable for seeing the court.

McKneely might not give the Cards lockdown minutes but shouldn't be a liability on that end, either. U of L's roster has him up 10 pounds (205) from his UVA days (195), and he was among the top performers in several combine testing drills this summer: the approach vertical jump, the standing vertical jump and the 3/4 sprint.

Isaac McKneely's 2025-26 outlook with Louisville basketball

Smith laid out the blueprint for a sharpshooter operating in Kelsey's system — in seemingly constant motion while his teammates tried to create windows for him to pull up from 3. McKneely, like the Australian, doesn't need much space to hurt you. He should be the go-to guy in Louisville's after-timeout sets.

Simply having McKneely on the court is a win for the Cards offensively. Even in a slump, he'll command the type of attention that frees up others for open looks and doesn't make many mistakes as a facilitator. If he can match or exceed Smith's 2024-25 production, there's a good chance U of L will rank among the country's top scorers; because this team has more proven volume shooters than Kelsey's first at the helm. You can't double-team all of them.

Hoop-Explorer.com lists three player projections for 2025-26: balanced, optimistic and pessimistic. At his very best, McKneely has a projected net rating of 5.4 (in the 91st percentile), meaning he'd be more than five points per 100 possessions better than the average DI player. At his worst, the number drops to 2.4 (in the 74th percentile).

First look at @IsaacMcKneely in the Red and Black #GoCardspic.twitter.com/r7ustMdZT8

— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) June 5, 2025

This is the part of the breakdown where we have to note just how loaded Louisville's backcourt is and how players such as McKneely will in all likelihood see less playing time than his 85.9% minute share at Virginia in 2024-25. It's not a knock against his game; it's Kelsey taking advantage of a deeper rotation and situational matchups while operating at a faster pace than injuries allowed the Cards to last season.

McKneely will compete with Conwell, Wooley and Kobe Rodgers for minutes on the perimeter alongside freshman Mikel Brown Jr. — the projected starting point guard. He, like Smith, tracks as a traditional 2 but at 6-4 has more potential to slide out to the wing if U of L opts for a three-guard lineup.

It's going to be fascinating to watch how Kelsey manages McKneely and the other backcourt pieces throughout the season. It's a much better problem to have for Louisville than seeing his name at the top of a scouting report.

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball roster 2025-26: Isaac McKneely scouting report