Louisville basketball grad transfer Lamarr Kimble leads with patience

Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble wasn't the hero.

That's what Neumann-Goretti High School basketball coach Carl Arrigale remembers about his former point guard from a Philadelphia league game Kimble's senior year.

Rival school Archbishop John Carroll had taken a one-point lead with 10 seconds left. Neumann-Goretti threw the ball in and got it to Kimble. Arrigale didn't call a timeout.

"Most kids in that situation — a senior, arguably the best player on the team — are going to come down and try to be the hero," Arrigale said.

With seconds ticking away, Kimble dribbled into the lane toward the hoop. Two defenders closed in, and Kimble kicked the ball out to sophomore Quade Green. Green, the future Kentucky signee, made the game-winning shot.

"Everyone was talking about that shot but I thought Lamarr's play was just as big by him making the right play, being the hero in the other way," Arrigale said.

It's exactly the type of unselfish play and leadership Kimble intends to apply at Louisville next season as a graduate transfer point guard.

A three-year captain at Saint Joseph's University, Kimble was ranked 10th on ESPN's list of Top 100 college basketball transfers after he announced his commitment to Louisville.

Kimble's addition gives the Cardinals an experienced option at lead guard; it also gives him one final chance to be an unsung hero.

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Kimble told the Courier Journal that Louisville's recruiting pitch was simple: "We've got an opportunity at the point guard position for a good guard, and on top of that we've got a good opportunity to win."

For a player like Kimble who describes himself as "built around winning," that was all he needed to hear.

Kimble was familiar with Louisville assistant Luke Murray, who had a long history of recruiting in the Philadelphia area in past stops at Towson and Xavier, but had never before spoken with or met head coach Chris Mack.

On the first day Kimble put his name in the transfer portal, he heard from coaches at schools including Wichita State, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, NC State and Villanova. Murray also reached out to Kimble, and Mack called the next day.

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In multiple conversations that followed, Mack assured Kimble he would push him to improve on both ends of the floor. Kimble said he felt like he'd known Mack "forever."

Louisville's staff made sure to point to the success of Christen Cunningham, last season's grad transfer point guard, as an example of what Kimble could do in his final year — increase his shooting percentage and assist rate, for one.

In 2018-19 at St. Joe's, Kimble averaged 15.6 points and 2.8 assists on 39.7% shooting while playing in only 23 games.Through 33 games for Louisville, Cunningham averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 assists on 46.6% shooting.

But Cardinals coaches also made clear that they don't expect Kimble to be a carbon copy of Cunningham. Kimble's role is flexible, Mack explained, depending on how the chips fall with other players and how much energy he puts forth every day.

"At the end of the day they want me to take that role and do more with it," Kimble said.

Kimble's main competitors at point guard are incoming freshman David Johnson and rising junior Darius Perry, and he knows the role won't be handed to him.

Louisville will also be somewhat of a fresh start for Kimble, who had each of his final three seasons at St. Joe's interrupted or shut down by injuries.

"It just seemed like every time he was ready to take off and bust out something would happen and set him back," Arrigale said. "He could’ve quit a million times but he just kept battling and I’m really proud of him throughout the whole thing."

Kimble came out on the other side with a new skill: patience.

"I've been growing every day from that and that's a pro and a con of the injuries that I’ve went through," he said. "I think it's helped me become a better leader and a better person off the court. I learned not to get rattled in big moments, about sticking to the script and not being too high, too low."

Kimble said he's never played in the specific type of pack-line defense Louisville uses but said the ball screen actions and inside-out flow of the offense suit him.

"I can get in the lane and cause a lot of havoc, make the defense close out to me and get guys easier shots," he said. "I'm looking forward to making the game easier for others."

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The Cardinals will rely on Kimble to set up looks for noted scorers like incoming freshman Samuell Williamson and rising junior Jordan Nwora (if he doesn't stay in the NBA draft). Kimble likely won't be highest priority for opposing defenses, and with the emphasis Louisville puts on shooting drills he should also be able to take advantage of that to score when needed.

Another thing Kimble looks forward to is reclaiming the feeling from his favorite memory at St. Joe's: Winning the 2016 Atlantic 10 Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the only time in his career. The Hawks beat Cincinnati before falling to Oregon in the second round.

"The intensity that goes into a March Madness game is something I'm dying to get back to again," Kimble said.

Until he gets there, Kimble will be fine deferring heroism for simple playmaking, just like his pass to Green all those years ago in a Philadelphia high school gym.

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According to Arrigale, that game set the tone for the rest of the season. Neumann-Goretti went on to win its second straight state title, beating Archbishop Carroll 69-67 in the title game as Kimble scored 10 points.

Kimble went on to establish himself as a leader at St. Joe's and now hopes to do the same at Louisville — hero or not.

Danielle Lerner: 502-582-4042; dlerner@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @Danielle_Lerner. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/daniellel.