LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The youngest player on the Louisville men’s basketball roster just might be its most emphatic voice.

Mikel Brown Jr. is 19 years old. He’s a freshman point guard. He hasn’t played a minute of college basketball. He hasn’t even put the uniform on yet. But if belief were bricks, he’d already have a new arena half-built.

“Man, we’re building a beast,” he said Sunday afternoon.

It was supposed to be a basketball camp he was putting on for local kids. Turns out, it was a warning.

Brown has only practiced with the Cardinals in practice for a matter of weeks. But he already sounds like he’s spent years running Pat Kelsey’s locker room, filling whiteboards and water bottles at the same time. He’s got all the tools: Team USA credentials, zip-code speed, and a quote game that would make even Ali smile.

Of his new coach, he said, “I’m gonna run through a wall for that guy.”

I’m not sure that was metaphorical. He wasn’t joking. No drywall is safe.

Kelsey has energized the program and fanbase with a whirlwind summer of workouts, media content, and bold scheduling decisions. And Brown — a Top 10 national recruit who committed on New Year’s Day — is here for all of it.

“I love him to death,” Brown said. “… You know, he always says, ‘Man, put a smile on your face.’ Like during practice, when we’re in the heat of battle. We just have fun with things – and play hard.”

The 8-minute session with local reporters was supposed to be a light media stop during the camp. Brown turned it into something more — a glimpse of how Louisville’s youngest player is already helping to define its tone.

“Our chemistry is already there, even though we’ve just been we’ve been with each other for about three, four months,” he said. “And everybody’s positive, everybody respects each other. Everybody’s work working hard. We’re playing together, and we’re very unselfish, and we love each other. So, I think that goes a long way. We’re gonna play hard and bring it, try to bring a ‘ship.”

Brown said he’s been taking advantage of the periodic presence of last year’s point guard, Chucky Hepburn, and newly elevated Louisville assistant coach Peyton Siva.

“Just been trying to pick their brains and learn more about, obviously, the system and how PK likes to play and how to be a better point guard for this team,” he said.

But Brown also has experience of his own to draw from — including time with Team USA and international competition – a standout role in a gold medal effort at the U19 World Cup in Switzerland this past summer. That, he said, helped mold him into the kind of leader he wants to be.

“You’ve got to step up as a point guard,” Brown said. “That just brings the leadership out of me. You’ve got to lead your team to where we’re supposed to go.”

Where that is remains to be seen. But Brown says the road starts Oct. 24, when Louisville hosts Kansas in an exhibition game at the KFC Yum! Center. And again, he sounded like Kelsey was feeding him lines through an earpiece.

“We’re not looking ahead,” he said. “The next thing is the most important thing. That’s what Coach says.”

He’s already soaking in the city, too. Brown attended Louisville’s football win over Eastern Kentucky last weekend and said the crowd at L&N Stadium gave him chills. The same goes for his everyday interactions with fans.

“Everywhere I walk around, people, people know,” he said. “They’re like, ‘Go Cards. Bring it home!” That just gives me motivation to just go harder.”

It’s still September. Brown hasn’t made a college assist or taken a shot. But the energy and enthusiasm he’s bringing to Louisville feel authentic.

“We’ve been putting in the work,” he said. “We trust our work. We trust each other. We’re building chemistry. We’re definitely gonna be prepared.”

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