Emoni Bates has not officially committed to Louisville, but the number of crystal ball predictions and claims of a “done deal” from sources of varying degrees of legitimacy all seem to indicate that this has become more of a matter of when than if.
The reaction from within the Cardinal fan base to this news has been, it seems to me at least, mostly optimistic. There are some who view it as inviting disaster over for dinner, some who view it as Louisville getting a can’t-miss NBA lottery pick, but the largest contingent of U of L fans is the group who simply believes this is a risk worth taking for a program that isn’t in the position it’s accustomed to being in and the one it hopes to return to in the next two or three years.