Louisville basketball signs 3-star PG Fabio Basili to 2022 class

Less than 90 days before Louisville basketball begins its 2022-23 season, the Cardinals have added a point guard to their roster.

Fabio Basili, a three-star prospect from Orlando, Florida, who originally reclassified to 2023, has returned to the 2022 class and on Wednesday signed a financial aid agreement with U of L, according to a report from On3.

Louisville Athletics confirmed Basili's signing Thursday in a news release and said the 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard will be on campus when the fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 22.

"We're excited to add another playmaker to this roster," first-year head coach Kenny Payne said in Thursday's news release. "Fabio is a fearless, confident, unselfish and talented basketball player who will help our team on both ends of the floor. I'm super excited to have him as a part of Louisville Basketball, a rich tradition that he will embrace and enhance."

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Basili told On3 that he chose the Cardinals over reported scholarship offers from the likes of Kansas State, DePaul, Chattanooga and TCU "because it was the best environment for me to succeed, from the coaching staff to my education."

According to On3, Basili made just one visit during his recruitment process: Louisville. The newest Cardinal hinted at his decision on Aug. 13, when he posted a picture from that visit to his Instagram story with the caption, "Few more days then I'm gone ... . trainers get up with me I got the gym."

With his signing, Basili joins former Oak Ridge High School teammate Mike James on the Cardinals' roster. James, who is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, showed love to Basili on Twitter after seeing the report that his fellow Pioneer is headed to the 502.

The Oak Ridge boys basketball team's Twitter account also weighed in on Basili's signing, saying the point guard helped lead the Pioneers to two Final 4 appearances and an Elite 8 during his 1,600-point career.

"We couldn’t be more proud of him," the team tweeted. "Go be Great."

What Louisville basketball is getting in 2022 PG signee Fabio Basili

In May, Payne told the Courier Journal that, in order to play at his preferred pace, the Cardinals would need to add guards who thrive while running the floor.

That was before U of L missed out on a couple of guards it was pursuing in the transfer portal, Tyrese Hunter and Malachi Smith. Until Basili's pledge Wednesday, Payne's inaugural roster had just one guard on scholarship, El Ellis, and walk-on Hercy Miller, the son of rapper/activist Master P.

So, from a sheer numbers standpoint, one could argue Basili is the most important piece of the Cardinals' 2022 class, which also includes a pair of four-star signees in Kamari Lands and Devin Ree in addition to sophomore Tennessee transfer Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.

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Basili averaged 19.6 points, 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game while leading Oak Ridge to a 21-8 record and 7A Florida state semifinals as a senior, according to U of L Athletics. The 6-4 guard also shot 39% from 3-point territory and was an all-state honorable mention.

Basili is not ranked nationally on the 247Sports Composite but is the No. 23 overall prospect out of Florida, according to the recruiting database.

Basili's highlight tape from the 2021 Pangos All-American Festival in Las Vegas shows a player who can burst ahead of the pack on fast breaks just as easily as he can stop dead in his tracks and bury a pull-up jumper. He showcased during the event a fearless and creative approach to driving the basket both when taking the layup and when dishing out dump-off passes that were more often that not timed to perfection.

Basili posted a triple-double in the All-American Festival's semifinal round — eight points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists — and followed that performance with 27 points and eight assists in the tournament championship.

When Louisville's 2022-23 season tips off Nov. 9 against Bellarmine, expect to see a lot of Basili, who instantly inserted himself into the Cardinals' point guard rotation Wednesday considering their lack of depth at the position.

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: Fabio Basili: 3-star PG joins Louisville basketball, Kenny Payne