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Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
Old Abe alum LJ Wells commits to Louisville basketball team
- Story byLeader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
- Old Abe alum LJ Wells commits to Louisville basketball team
LJ Wells will have a new basketball home this winter.
The 6-foot-8 forward, an Eau Claire Memorial alum, announced earlier this week via social media of his commitment to the Louisville Cardinals basketball team after spending four years at Northern Kentucky University.
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"It's an honor for sure," Wells told the Leader-Telegram. "This is a phenomenal program, so I'm definitely super grateful to call myself a Louisville Cardinal."
Wells averaged 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across 33 games started with the Norse last season.
Wells was named to the Horizon League all-tournament team after averaging 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds over three games in March. He started 16 of 32 games in 2024-25 as a junior and 27 of 33 as a sophomore, and he played in 18 games as a freshman.
"I felt like I took a step each year," Wells said. "Not even just like by the numbers, but like as a person as well. My biggest thing was consistency, and I worked on that, especially my senior year."
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"He was arguably NKU's best and most valuable player," Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey said via Wells' announcement. "We are excited to add someone like LJ that fits our culture perfectly. He's one of us before he even arrives."
With the NCAA's implementation of a new age-based, five-year eligibility model, Wells was among a group of athletes who sought the right to play a fifth season from a Jefferson County court in Kentucky.
Wells won his suit, granting him a temporary restraining order and a fifth year.
With a little help from Norse coach Darrin Horn, who is friends with Kelsey, Wells found his way to the Cardinals.
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"Pat Kelsey had reached out to my agent, and so my agent told me, 'Hey, there might be some interest in Louisville,'" Wells said. "I got on the phone with Pat Kelsey, and we were kind of talking through kind of the works of getting me down there if it was possibility (or) if I was interested.
"We had a couple phone calls, and then the last phone call we had he asked me if I was ready to be a Cardinal."
Wells said it was convenient that Northern Kentucky is just over 100 miles away from Louisville. But, his decision was more focused on basketball.
"For me, it's about getting better," Wells said. "There's some of the best players in the country on this team, and I figured if I have the opportunity to practice against these guys each day, that's only going to help me."
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The Cardinals are coming off a 24-11 season where they reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, a place Wells has his sights on.
"I feel like everybody who plays basketball around March, they turn their TV on and hope that that can be them someday," Wells said. "It's definitely super special to think that that can be me."
During his high school days, Wells was a standout for the Old Abes under coach Chad Brieske.
"I am extremely proud of watching him grow into the man he has become," Brieske said. "It is exciting to see him achieve one of his dreams of playing basketball at the highest level of college basketball, but I am even more proud of him graduating with a college education and being a mentor to so many young kids in this area who have similar aspirations."
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Wells, a 2022 Memorial grad, earned a high honorable mention on the Associated Press' all-state teams and second-team All-Northwest honors during his senior year with the Old Abes.
He led Memorial in scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (9.5 per game) and helped Memorial to a 13-1 in-conference record and its first Big Rivers Conference title in six years.
"It's definitely an honor to be able to inspire all the kids that love basketball (in Eau Claire) and show them that it's possible to do it from a smaller, underrated city, that it's still possible to reach your dreams in basketball," Wells said.
Wells said he still talks to Brieske and the Old Abes program. He also said Brieske was elated of his commitment and hopes to make it to a game or two in Louisville.
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"He is a true success story of the importance that athletics can play in a well-rounded educational experience at Eau Claire Memorial," Brieske said. "We look forward to supporting him and the Louisville Cardinals this season. The ACC is an amazing basketball conference, and I love that LJ has the opportunity to play in that conference and push himself to be the best version of what he can be."
