Pat Kelsey needed only 55 days to completely overhaul the Louisville men's basketball roster.

Starting with zero scholarship returners from the disastrous Kenny Payne era, the Cardinals' new head coach amassed a collection of incoming talent that, as of Wednesday, On3.com considered the best in the country.

It's an experienced group. Of the 13 new players, eight are entering their final season of eligibility:

• Frank Anselem-Ibe (center, Georgia)

• Terrence Edwards Jr. (guard/forward, James Madison)

• J'Vonne Hadley (guard, Colorado)

• Chucky Hepburn (guard, Wisconsin)

• Kasean Pryor (forward, South Florida)

• Reyne Smith (guard, Charleston)

• Aboubacar Traore (forward, Long Beach State)

• Noah Waterman (forward, BYU)

Aly Khalifa (center, BYU) and Kobe Rodgers (guard, Charleston) would make 10 but plan to redshirt the 2024-25 campaign while rehabbing injuries.

Rounding out the portal additions are Koren Johnson (guard, Washington) and James Scott (forward, Charleston), a rising junior and sophomore, respectively. Former Michigan signee Khani Rooths, a consensus four-star forward, will be the lone freshman.

Per statistician Kelly Dickey, U of L hasn't had a team with zero returning players since the 1943-44 squad, most of whom were Navy trainees attending the university during World War II. With walk-on Aidan McCool back in the fold, its streak dating back to 1944-45 of having at least one returner who scored the previous season remains alive.

So, can we talk about who's going to start now?

During an episode of the "College Hoops Today" podcast released Monday, Kelsey told CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein "it's hard" at this juncture to say which players will have the biggest roles in Year 1 of his tenure.

"I don't think now's the time, really, to name specific guys," he said," but I love the DNA of our team."

What is that, exactly? Speaking in intangibles, Kelsey told Rothstein his Cards will be tough and have chips on their shoulders. In terms of the X's and O's, he said, these guys are adaptable — meaning a bevy of lineup combinations are at his disposal — and will raise one another's level of play on the court.

Oh, and they can shoot. Seven of the transfers who will suit up in 2024-25 have finished a season at 35% or better from 3-point range at one point or another during their collegiate careers.

"It'll be a team," Kelsey said, "that the city of Louisville will be really proud of."

Only five players can start, though. So, while the coach and his staff prepare for summer workouts, here's an early projection of what their first starting lineup could look like — assuming everyone is healthy:

At point guard, Chucky Hepburn

Hepburn has started every game of his collegiate career. Why stop now?

"The best point guards are extensions of the coach on the floor," Kelsey told Rothstein. "Obviously, he is that."

Hepburn epitomizes consistency. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Omaha, Nebraska, native logged more than 30 minutes per game during each of his three seasons at Wisconsin and is coming off an appearance on the Big Ten's All-Defensive Team.

Hepburn's scoring output dipped from 12.2 points per contest to 9.2 in 2023-24, but he posted career highs in field-goal percentage (42.9%) assists (137), rebounds (117) and steals (74); the latter of which put him in a tie for 18th across Division I.

His 3.2 assist-turnover ratio ranked second in the Big Ten and 14th nationally.

In short, there should be no doubt about who's running the show when Year 1 of the Kelsey era tips off.

On the wings, Terrence Edwards Jr. and J'Vonne Hadley

This is where Kelsey and his staff can start to get creative. Edwards and Hadley project as their most dynamic wings. How they position them on the court will likely come down to matchups.

A 6-6, 190-pound Atlanta native, Edwards brings with him from James Madison last season's Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year award. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie called him "a sort of super-charged Swiss army knife."

As the Dukes' primary creator, Edwards led the team in scoring with 17.2 points on 42.7% shooting (34.3% from 3) across 30.3 minutes per game. He also chipped in 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists against 2.4 turnovers.

Per data from advanced analytics guru Evan Miyakawa, Edwards was one of James Madison's least-impactful defenders in 2023-24. Vecenie described his abilities on that end of the court as "solid (though not necessarily elite)."

Taking a step forward in that regard will only make the fifth-year player more crucial to Kelsey's scheme.

Hadley is coming off his first season as a full-time starter at the DI level.

He wasn't Colorado's primary scoring option in 2023-24 but proved to be an efficient one; finishing fourth on the team with 11.6 points on 53.8% shooting (41.7% from 3) across 34.3 minutes per contest.

To boot, the 6-6, 205-pound St. Paul, Minnesota, native was the Buffaloes' second-best rebounder (217) and facilitator, totaling 88 assists against 47 turnovers. And he prides himself on being a lockdown defender.

Hadley on Tuesday told The Courier Journal he's striving to be in contention for the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year award and wants his energy on that end to be infectious among his teammates. Last season, he finished second on Colorado in steals (42) and fourth in blocks (10).

Speaking with The Denver Gazette in December, Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle called Hadley the "heart and soul" and the "unsung hero" of his team. As one of Kelsey's starters, he could be a tone-setter in 2024-25.

At power forward, Noah Waterman

Only two DI teams attempted more 3s than Kelsey's final Charleston squad.

BYU was one of them, and Waterman was one of its sharpest shooters with a 57-for-154 (37%) clip from beyond the arc.

It's a match made in heaven on paper, the 6-11, 220-pound Savannah, New York, native spreading the court in Kelsey's up-tempo offense while towering over, and keeping pace with, smaller defensive assignments.

Waterman is a career 38.9% 3-point shooter; and he's coming off a season in which he converted 63.2% of his 2s while finishing second on the Cougars in rebounds (179) and blocks (19) across 24.1 minutes per game. What he lacks in physicality, he makes up for with his length, his quickness and his experience as a sixth-year player.

If the goal is, as Kelsey told Rothstein, to "get old" and "stay old," why not trot out the oldest member of his roster in the starting lineup?

At center, Kasean Pryor

Pryor is not a prototypical center but could improve upon last season's breakout performance at South Florida if Kelsey and his staff slot him into a slightly more traditional role.

They shouldn't want to limit the 6-10, 210-pound Chicago native's outside shot, considering he went 37 for 105 (35.2%) from 3 during his lone campaign with the Bulls. Rather, with initiators such as Hepburn, Edwards and Hadley, everyone involved could benefit from him spending more time around the basket.

In 2023-24, Pryor averaged 13 points on 44.7% shooting and a team-high 7.9 rebounds across 26.3 minutes per game. He scored 20 or more six times, had 12 double-doubles and grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 14 contests.

With Waterman as a stretch-4, it might be wise to have Pryor bulk up with strength coach Eli Foy and cut back on his midrange jumpers. He converted those at a 38.5% clip last season, so they don't have to leave his bag entirely; but, on the best possible version of this team, he becomes more of a force in the post without losing his versatility on defense.

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball roster: Who will Pat Kelsey start in 2024-25?