Kenny Payne hoping to score recruiting wins with these prospects attending Louisville Live

U of L men's basketball coach Kenny Payne has built quite the guest list for his first Louisville Live on Friday, and we aren't talking about hosts Jack Harlow, Angel McCoughtry and Peyton Siva.

Payne and the Cardinals are welcoming three uncommitted five-star recruits to their annual tipoff event, which will bring a basketball court to the baseball diamond at Louisville Slugger Field. Gates open at 7 p.m., and the festivities get going at 8 p.m.

With Payne looking to bring a "championship culture" back to his alma mater — and understanding it doesn't happen overnight — how the head coach and his staff sell the program to the players who can lead that process in the years to come is at the forefront of their inaugural campaign. As of Wednesday, Louisville's 2023 recruiting class ranks 25th on 247Sports' national leaderboard with two four-star commits: Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams.

Speaking to the media at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, Payne said he is looking for prospects who offer "high-end talent with high-end character." The player headlining this year's initial Louisville Live guest list, AJ Johnson, certainly has the former; and the interest he's getting from the Cardinals would imply their staff believes he has the latter, as well.

Hours before Louisville Live tipped off, however, 247Sports' Travis Branham reported that Johnson would not be able to make the event due to a "sickness in the family" and plans to reschedule his visit. Branham followed that up by reporting that a second expected guest, five-star 2024 prospect Carter Bryant, won't be attending and is instead targeting early November for an official visit.

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Johnson comes in at No. 15 on 247Sports' composite rankings of the 2023 class. The California native trails only DJ Wagner, the top rising senior in the country, as the No. 2 combo guard in the class, according to the national recruiting database.

Wagner, of course, was thought to be leaning Louisville in the eyes of some national recruiting pundits after Payne hired his grandfather, U of L legend Milt Wager, as the team's director of player development and alumni relations in May. Cardinals fans and former greats backed this momentum swing with a strong turnout to watch Wagner and his teammate, coveted 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw, take the court during a session of Nike's EYBL circuit in the 502.

Five months later, and those pundits have overwhelmingly flipped their predictions to favor archrival Kentucky due to Wagner's name, image and likeness partnership with Nike and his family ties to John Calipari. UK's head coach helped Wagner's father, Dajuan Wagner, develop into an NBA lottery pick at Memphis and is currently coaching his stepbrother, Kareem Watkins, who joined the Wildcats as a walk-on in November 2020.

With Wagner a near lock to join Bradshaw as part of Calipari's star-studded 2023 haul, Payne and company have been one of the staffs vying hardest for Johnson's pledge, according to Rob Cassidy of Rivals.com., who reports Texas is the Cardinals' biggest competition for the electrifying guard.

Speaking with On3's Jamie Shaw in early October, Johnson said receiving an offer from Louisville "meant something" and that "I could see myself playing more at Louisville, early on."

“I watched a lot of their play style last year," Johnson said. "I know it’s going to be different with new coaches, but I saw how those old coaches played and I liked it."

Here is a running list of the recruits who will reportedly be attending Louisville Live:

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Elliot Cadeau

Position: Guard

High school: Link Academy (Branson, Missouri)

Class: 2024

College commitment status: Undecided

247 Sports Composite rating: 5 stars

What to know: After a strong summer on Nike's EYBL circuit, Elliot Cadeau earned a scholarship offer from Louisville on July 24. The 6-1 native of New Jersey is the top-ranked point guard and the No. 10 overall talent in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings, but told ZagsBlog.com in August that he is still considering reclassifying to 2023. Cadeau has more than a dozen offers, including Baylor, North Carolina Syracuse and Texas Tech, and has reportedly been hearing from members of Kentucky's staff. The coveted guard plays on the international stage for Sweden and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B.

Trentyn Flowers

Position: Forward

High school: Combine Academy (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Class: 2024

College commitment status: Undecided

247 Sports Composite rating: 5 stars

What to know: Louisville is among the last 13 programs standing for Trentyn Flowers, the No. 7 small forward and a top-25 overall talent in the 2024 class on 247Sports' composite rankings. The 6-8 wing told Cardinal Authority it was a "no-brainer" for him to visit Louisville Live after being impressed by Payne and his staff and their "great blueprint" for developing talent. With U of L going up against a cutthroat group of contenders for Flowers' pledge, including Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina, the Cardinals are hoping his trip to the 502 is a memorable one.

Kaleb Glenn

Position: Forward

High school: La Lumiere School (La Porte, Indiana)

Class: 2023

College commitment status: Louisville

247 Sports Composite rating: 4 stars

What to know: The first commitment in Louisville's 2023 class, Kaleb Glenn pledged to ex-head coach Chris Mack and the Cardinals on Sept. 24, 2021. Since Payne has taken over the reins, Glenn said the new coach has reaffirmed his commitment by fostering a familial relationship during their interactions. A Louisville native and former Male High School star, Glenn chose U of L over offers from Indiana, Cincinnati and seven other Power 5 programs. The 6-6 wing transferred to La Lumiere, a college prep boarding and day school in La Porte, Indiana, for his senior year. He's the 14th best player at his position in the Class of 2023, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

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Karter Knox

Position: Forward

High school: Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Florida)

Class: 2024

College commitment status: Undecided

247 Sports Composite rating: 5 stars

What to know: The younger brother of NBA lottery pick Kevin Knox, who played for Payne at Kentucky, Karter Knox earned a scholarship from Louisville in late May. At 6-6, Knox is the No. 2 wing and No. 5 overall talent in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He also holds an offer from UK and visited Lexington for Big Blue Madness on Oct. 14. Other contenders for his pledge include: Auburn, Arizona State, Boise State, Florida State and Illinois.

EJ Walker

Position: Forward, guard

High school: Lloyd Memorial (Erlanger, Kentucky)

Class: 2025

College commitment status: Undecided

247 Sports Composite rating: N/A

What to know: EJ Walker landed on college coaches' radars with a standout freshman season at Lloyd Memorial. The 6-8 forward/guard averaged 10.7 points on a team-best 56.2% shooting and grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game. Walker heads into Year 2 with the Juggernauts having already amassed more than 10 reported scholarship offers, including Dayton, Duquesne, Ohio University, Purdue, Stony Brook, Toledo, West Virginia and Xavier. Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Minnesota and Wisconsin have also reportedly sent coaches to watch Walker work out over the past several months.

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: U of L basketball recruiting: Louisville Live prospect visitors list