Louisville basketball receives commitment from an overseas prospect

According to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, Sananda Fru, a promising German forward, has committed to Louisville.

Fru, a 6’11, 245-pound forward, is 21 years old and presently plays for Lowen Braunschweig in Germany’s premier professional league. He has started 17 games for Braunschweig this season, averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 75 percent from the field.

Here is Fru in action:

Fru was mostly recruited by Louisville’s assistant Brian Kloman.

U of L has recently attracted numerous foreign prospects, with Fru rising to the top of the list. That seems excellent to me.

Why did Sananda Fru choose Louisville Basketball and Pat Kelsey? His agent tells us more

On Feb. 11, Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey secured a commitment from big man Sananda Fru, who now plays in Germany’s top-tier Basketball Bundesliga.

Milan Nikolic, Fru’s agent, discussed the recruitment process during a radio visit on ESPN Louisville’s The Drew Deener Show.

According to his agent, Sananda Fru did not make a commitment to Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey to “eventually become one of the guys.”

The 6-foot-11, 245-pound German forward, a member of the Cardinals’ 2025 recruiting class, aspires to be the guy right away.

“He’s coming in to have a big role with Louisville,” Fru’s agent, Milan Nikolic, told Drew Deener and Mark Blankenbaker on ESPN Louisville on February 12. “That’s, I think, what everybody expects and what he brings to the table.”

Fru, 21, is presently in his fourth season in Germany’s top-tier Basketball Bundesliga and has previously represented his country’s U20 national team in the European Championships in 2022 and 2023. This season, Löwen Braunschweig has averaged 11.3 points on 65.8% shooting, five rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 24.1 minutes per game (17 games, 16 starts). .

“Depending on when their season finishes, or how deep they go in the playoff run, we will decide with staff when it’s best for him to come over,” Nikolic told the crowd. “But his approach is: ‘The sooner the better.'”

A person with firsthand knowledge of the recruiting process told The Courier Journal that Fru “should” have two years of college eligibility. He is Kelsey’s second pledge of the cycle, joining five-star point guard Michael Brown Jr., a McDonald’s All-American whom he battled against two years ago at an Adidas camp in Italy.

How did the Cards arrive on Fru? Nikolic shared his views with Deener and Blankenbaker before accompanying 502 Circle founder Marc Spiegel and president Dan Furman to see him perform in person.

Why Louisville?

Jan 14, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Louisville Cardinals assistant coaches Brian Kloman (standing) and Mike Cassidy give instructions to forward Khani Rooths (9) and guard Reyne Smith (6) and forward James Scott (0) before entering the game in the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Kelsey always lectures about “The Power of the Unit,” which Nikolic claimed was on show during Fru’s recruiting.

“The whole (process) — with the guys from the collective, with the coaching staff, with the support staff, with the managers — everything was top notch,” stated the man. “It wasn’t only what I like to term ‘American friendly.’ It was authentic, honest, and sincere; everything they said made sense.”

Nikolic reported that assistant coach Brian Kloman initiated contact “around summertime.” A series of virtual encounters followed. In early December, he visited Louisville and saw the Cards lose to Duke at the KFC Yum! Centre. The enthusiasm around the program during Kelsey’s dramatic Year 1 turnaround was contagious, even if Fru only got a taste from afar.

“I was sending Sananda pictures and videos throughout the game; and he was super, super excited about it,” Nikolic told me. “The closer the date comes for him to come over, the more excited he gets.”

The ReviVille. 🔁📈 pic.twitter.com/yLjWXkRWsG

— Dan Furman (@Dan_Furman) February 13, 2025

Nikolic informed Deener and Blankenbaker that Tre Mitchell, a former Kentucky forward, sparked Fru’s interest in entering Division I when he joined at Löwen Braunschweig in August. He then pointed out two former European players who are having quick collegiate success this season: Egor Demin at BYU and Kasparas Jakucionis at Illinois His client, he feels, may pave his own route at U of L for a variety of reasons. .

No. 1: Eli Foy, a strength and conditioning coach who helped Deandre Ayton become the top selection in the 2018 NBA Draft while working with Sean Miller at Arizona.

“This is the biggest field of improvement for Sananda,” Nikolic told the audience. “Body-wise, he’s somewhat of a late bloomer.”

“If you go back a year or two and look at him, he still hasn’t filled out his frame, I think,” Nikolic told the reporter. “When it comes to strength and muscles, I believe there is a lot of potential. I’m hopeful that this is a significant factor in his development, particularly when he considers joining the NBA or returning to Europe.

No. 2: Kelsey’s offensive and defensive systems, which reward players who can attack the basket while also posing a 3-point threat, setting a dizzying number of screens, and making the extra pass when necessary — players who can guard multiple positions without sacrificing their physicality in the post.

Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey watches his team during their game against the Bellarmine Knights on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

“How they want to play, and how they want to use Sananda, was something that was very, very intriguing for us,” Nikolic told the crowd. “… It was crucial, with who he is and where he’s at in his young career, that simply the basketball fit is right.”

They’re especially keen on Kelsey allowing Fru to fire more regularly from deep. The big man is 4 for 14 from beyond the arc this season with Löwen Braunschweig. In 2023-24, he made a career-high seven of twenty-one attempts. .

“I think it’s an undervalued factor of his game,” Nikolic added. “Working with coach Kelsey and the rest of the staff, I truly hope that this will evolve further.”