It appeared as though Mark Pope was set to bring former BYU center Aly Khalifa with him to Kentucky. However, he lost the elite passing big to the Wildcats’ biggest rival.
Khalifa officially committed to Louisville on Thursday afternoon, his agent confirmed.
This is a huge victory for Pat Kelsey. Regardless of whether Khalifa even plays one single minute for the Cardinals, it was a massive statement on the recruiting trail. Both first-year head coaches were battling for a player who spent last season under Pope and only one could win.
Khalifa, a former three-star recruit from Australia, played his first two years at Charlotte and last year at BYU. The 6-foot-11 center averaged about 24 minutes per game in each of the last three years. He scored around eight points per game with 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists during that span.
While those numbers don’t necessarily jump out off of the page, Khalifa started 26 games for Pope during the 2023/24 season and is most valuable as a creator. As one of the best passing bigs in the country, he sees things in a way that opens up the floor for his teammates and has the ability to knock down shots when called upon.
It did not take long for Khalifa to enter the transfer portal after Pope’s departure. All signs pointed toward a reunion in Lexington. And then, out of seemingly nowhere, he took a visit to Louisville with a ‘do not contact’ tag.
His decision came down to the Wildcats, Cardinals and a return to the Cougars. Kelsey ultimately received his commitment.
Now, to be fair to Mark Pope, we don’t know how hard he went after Aly Khalifa. We also don’t know the role that NIL money played in the decision. Perhaps Louisville was simply willing to pay more. It is unknown.
However, regardless of how things went down, Pat Kelsey is able to boast that he landed one of Pope’s former players over Pope. That would be a big deal in itself. It is an even bigger deal that it involved a rivalry of two first-year coaches whose programs are separated by less than 100 miles.