5-star recruit Flowers leaving Louisville for Australia's NBL

Five-star recruit Trentyn Flowers is leaving Louisville and signing with the Adelaide 36ers as part of the Australian NBL's "Next Stars" program, he announced Monday on social media.

LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets and Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder are among the recent players that have chosen to play in Australia over college.

Flowers was the 18th-ranked recruit on the ESPN 100 for 2023. The 6-foot-8 wing reclassified and committed to the Cardinals last spring over Creighton, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Alabama.

"We are certainly disappointed in his decision and the timing. We fully believe in the University of Louisville's ability to help student-athletes reach their goals," Cardinals bench boss Kenny Payne said in a statement obtained by Eric Crawford of WDRB.com.

Despite the loss of Flowers, the Cardinals still have a quartet of incoming four-star recruits headlined by No. 62 overall prospect Dennis Evans.

Louisville had a disastrous campaign in Payne's first season at the helm, posting a 2-18 record in ACC play and a 4-28 mark overall.