When he committed to head coach Kenny Payne and the Louisville men's basketball team in March, Trentyn Flowers labeled himself a "program changer."

Less than five months later, one of the most promising newcomers in Payne's top-flight 2023 recruiting class is leaving said program without having suited up for the Cardinals.

Flowers, a 6-foot-8 guard/forward who had reclassified to enroll at U of L a year ahead of schedule, announced Monday he will pursue an opportunity to play professional basketball with the Adelaide 36ers of Australia's National Basketball League instead of spending the 2023-24 season at U of L. He is signing a two-year contract with the 36ers, according to a news release from the team.

Payne in a statement said he learned of Flowers' plan to leave the program Monday. The move came seven days before the start of fall classes.

In a statement posted to his social media accounts, Flowers said the decision was not easy "because playing for Louisville was also a dream of mine." He is choosing to take his game Down Under, he said, to "pour all of my focus and commitment" into pursuing a future in the NBA.

"While my time at Louisville has been short, it has been an amazing experience and I can't thank you all enough," Flowers wrote. "The coaching staff has been very supportive and has helped me tremendously this summer, and playing alongside such tremendous players was really inspiring. The love and support the entire city has shown me is something I'll never forget."

After making the announcement, Flowers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, for a follow-up post that read, "I'm a point guard now let's get that right." It has since been deleted from his account, but Flowers later told ESPN he's joining the 36ers "to play point guard, to learn how to run a team."

"The timing wasn't the best, but it was the best step for me and my game," said Flowers, a product of Combine Academy near Charlotte, North Carolina. "I can only move on and make the best of what I decided. Anyone that says I made the wrong decision — I feel otherwise."

Flowers was among several players standing 6-6 or taller Payne praised at the conclusion of summer workouts for their ability to rotate on the perimeter while also clocking minutes at forward. Incoming Illinois transfer Skyy Clark is the projected starting point guard, and Payne said redshirt sophomore Mike James has improved his ball-handling and shooting abilities so much that he now feels comfortable playing him anywhere from the one to the four.

With Flowers in line to play a crucial role on a roster featuring nine newcomers, Payne said he and his staff were "certainly disappointed in his decision and the timing."

"We fully believe in the University of Louisville’s ability to help student-athletes reach their goals, including to play at the highest levels of professional basketball — and we’re confident that Trentyn could have achieved his dreams by making Louisville his home," Payne said. "However, we wish Trentyn and his family well in all of their future endeavors."

A five-star prospect who ranked among the top 25 players in the Class of 2023 on the 247Sports Composite, Flowers verbally pledged to Louisville on March 17, 10 days after the worst season in modern program history came to an end. He picked the Cardinals over four schools that earned NCAA tournament berths — Alabama, Arkansas, Creighton and Kansas — and 2022 runner-up North Carolina.

At the time, he told The Courier Journal the decision to do so and reclassify, bypassing his senior year of high school, was a "no-brainer" after being recruited primarily by assistant coach Nolan Smith.

"It's a blessing," Flowers said after his commitment. "Knowing that I'm getting closer to my dreams means so much, and then to be able to play at a place like Louisville, where they've always won and (produced) a bunch of NBA draft picks, you just have a great support system around you. I'm taking it very personally stepping in the door."

Flowers' father, Travis Flowers, told The Courier Journal U of L's coaches "did a really good job of just being consistent, letting Trentyn know, 'We want you; we respect your talent; you're ready for this moment.'

"I think, in any player's mind, the belief of the coaching staff is a big thing," he said.

When Flowers posted his announcement Monday, his mother, Kristi Flowers, shared it on X and wrote, "When God opens a door you have the choice to walk through or remain. You chose to walk. Couldn't be prouder!"

Flowers is the second high-profile 2023 recruit to bypass college for a head start on a pro career in the NBL. Nearly five months after committing to Texas over Louisville and signing with the Longhorns last November, top-10 combo guard AJ Johnson asked out of his National Letter of Intent and inked a deal with the Illawarra Hawks.

The Australian league has a track record of producing players who can succeed at the highest level. LaMelo Ball played with the Hawks for one season before being drafted third overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 2020 and proceeding to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award. In 2021, the Oklahoma Thunder selected Josh Giddey with the sixth overall pick after the 6-8 guard spent one season running with the 36ers.

"Unlike most kids his age, Trentyn has the ability to play the game at an elite level," 36ers head coach CJ Bruton said in a statement from the team. "I can see him having a similar impact as Josh Giddey and LaMelo Ball had on the league."

USA TODAY Sports in June projected Flowers as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, going to the Thunder. Other early mock drafts, from The Athletic and ESPN, do not include him among the top 59 players available.

Flowers' departure leaves Louisville with 12 scholarship players heading into the 2022-23 season, although one of those players, consensus four-star point guard Ty-Laur Johnson, has not yet enrolled at the university and arrived on campus. Payne in July said he was hopefully Johnson could join the team once an undisclosed "process" is finished.

The Cardinals' group of newcomers is composed of three other high-school signees — 7-foot-1 center Dennis Evans, former Male High School standout Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr., the top play in the Class of 2023 from the state of Michigan — and four transfers: Clark, Danilo Jovanovich (Miami), Tre White (Southern California) and Koron Davis from the junior-college ranks.

Clark responded to Flowers' departure Monday night on X, telling Louisville fans to "take it easy on young fella."

"He did what he felt like was best for him," Clark wrote. "The timing was bad and I’m a living testament to that and for that I’m sorry no matter the circumstances. He's a special talent and felt this was best but we good over here in (Denny) Crum (Hall) trust me!"

Payne is working with only four scholarship holdovers from the 2022-23 squad — Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, James, Emmanuel Okorafor and JJ Traynor — after losing seven to the NCAA transfer portal.

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

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball news: Kenny Payne's team loses Trentyn Flowers