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The Gators men’s basketball team bid farewell to a number of players following the conclusion of the NCAA tournament, and Saturday night, one of those players has found a new home for next season. Reporting indicates that shooting guard Noah Locke, a three-year starter at Florida, has committed to play for the Louisville Cardinals next season.
Locke, a four-star recruit who found immediate success with the Gators, hit the transfer portal on March 25 and was instantly one of the top targets available. A number of high major clubs reached out to him within the first few days after he opened his recruiting availability.
Unlike many players who transfer, he’s a known quantity who is without question capable of performing at the high major level. The Gators leaned heavily on Locke during their 2020-2021 run, mainly relying on him for designed catch-and-shoot plays and as a pick and roll ball handler. Averaging 10.6 points per game and hitting 40.4% of three-point shots, he will rightly be expected to play at a similar level for the Cardinals next season if they use him in a similar role.
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Because he was not expected to leave the program, naturally, there was speculation as to the reason why Locke entered the portal. Of course, it’d be tough to know for sure unless we heard it from his mouth. However, one hypothesis is that he wanted to be used as a point guard, which is not a role White has been willing to put him in during his career with the Gators.
At the end of the day, Locke is a nice piece to have in the program. He raises the floor of the team considerably, which is part of what helped keep the Gators afloat when the world seemed to be crashing down around their ears. However, he doesn’t do much to raise the ceiling of the team – especially if he’s been promised a leading role in the Cards’ offense.
Locke joins grad transfer Jarrod West in the Louisville backcourt. Pursued by a number of high major teams, West is a defensive terror and was a prolific scorer in the Conference USA East. A much larger guard with a proven offensive billing, Locke is the yin to West’s yang and the pair will be a force to be reckoned with in the ACC.
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