Kenny Payne keeps making headlines with his recent transfer portal dominance. According to On3’s Joe Tipton, the Cardinals have reached out to Temple transfer Khalif Battle, joining numerous high-major schools that have also contacted him since entering the portal last Tuesday.
Battle’s departure from Temple was due to a disagreement with then-head coach Aaron McKie in late February, but the guard still managed to finish as the Owls’ leading scorer for the season, averaging 17.9 points per game in 27 appearances, including eight starts. He also logged 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.6 made threes per game while shooting 41.0 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Before transferring to Temple, Battle spent his freshman year at Butler exclusively in a reserve role. He then spent the next three seasons with the Owls, averaging 15.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists over 11 games and four starts during his sophomore campaign. Battle started the first seven games of his junior year before suffering a season-ending injury to his left foot, during which he managed to put up 21.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Payne has been focusing on building a backcourt that can compete in the tough ACC conference. The team only had three true scholarship guards on its 2022-23 roster, with El Ellis being the only one to receive regular playing time. Ellis led the team in both scoring and minutes, averaging 17.7 points and 35.9 minutes per game. Ellis may still come back for another season but at this time it appears he is weighing his options.
Adding Battle to their roster could provide a much-needed boost to the Cardinals’ backcourt, giving them more scoring options and depth. Louisville is not the only high-major school that has reached out to Battle, so Payne will have to work hard to convince the guard to choose his program.
The transfer portal is competitive but it appears Kenny Payne is set on making some noise with early recruiting in the offseason.
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