Koren Johnson uses the transfer site to pledge to play basketball for Louisville and to Pat Kelsey.

Joining Pat Kelsey’s first-year Louisville men’s basketball team is the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year.

After visiting campus this week, 6-foot-2, 175-pound sophomore guard Koren Johnson, who played for Washington for the previous two seasons, committed to the Cardinals on Monday, according to a report from On3’s Joe Tipton.

Johnson, a native of Seattle, was Kelsey’s sixth pledge this summer via the NCAA transfer site.

When he committed, 247Sports ranked him as the 121st available transfer. There are still two years left on his eligibility.

Pullman, Washington, USA, March 7, 2024; In the second half at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum, guard Koren Johnson (0) of the Washington Huskies scores a basket against the Washington State Cougars. Seattle Huskies prevailed 74–68. Required Credit: USA TODAY Sports/James Snook
J’Vonne Hadley, a senior guard from Colorado, Terrence Edwards Jr., a redshirt junior wing from James Madison, and two players who were on Kelsey’s final Charleston squad, junior guard Reyne Smith and freshman forward James Scott, will join Johnson on the 2024–25 roster.

Aly Khalifa, a junior center from BYU, has also committed to Kelsey; however, the 6-11, 270-pound Egyptian intends to redshirt in 2024–25 while recovering from a knee ailment.

Johnson played in 31 games for Washington in 2023–24, making five starts. In 24.2 minutes per game, he averaged 11.1 points on 41.1% shooting, 41 for 110 (37.3%) from 3-point range, 1.97 assist-turnover ratio, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

“When he’s performed well, observe our accomplishments,” stated former head coach of the Huskies Mike Hopkins in March. “We’ve been a different team.”

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Tracker for the Louisville basketball transfer portal: Koren Johnson of Washington is added by Pat Kelsey
In a victory over Stanford on February 15, he scored a career-high thirty points, making it his finest game to date. It was the most points an underclassman has scored since 2017 and the most points a Huskies player has scored off the bench since 2002.

Hopkins left Washington after the team’s 17-15 (9-11 Pac-12) record at the end of the season.

Hopkins described Johnson as “arguably the most talented player in our program” prior to his dismissal.

Hopkins remarked, “He can score; he can pass,” as per a Dawgman account. It’s the aspect of consistency. He is animated.”

Johnson was ranked by ESPN as the 25th-best point guard in the 2022 cycle and the best recruit in the state of Washington. After an All-American career with the Huskies, coach Brandon Roy, who was a lottery choice in the 2006 NBA Draft, was his coach at Garfield High School.

The link is available until May 1 and as of Monday, every Louisville scholarship player from the 2023–24 campaign had registered.

Five had moved on as of the time of publication: Curtis Williams (Georgetown), JJ Traynor (DePaul), Tre White (Illinois), Skyy Clark (UCLA), and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (N.C. State).

Highlights of Koren Johnson: See Louisville basketball players commit via the transfer portal