Louisville made their first hit in the 2019 class on Thursday with the commitment of four-star guard Josh Nickelberry. A heavily recruited prospect out of North Carolina, Nickelberry becomes the first high school prospect to pledge to Chris Mack during his time at the ACC program.

Nickelberry discussed the reasoning behind his commitment. “It was the best situation, honestly,” he said. “They have the opportunity to play early and get me to my main goal, which is the NBA. Coach (Chris) Mack is a great coach, as well. They told me I could be their lead guy by running both the one and the two.”

A member of the Rivals150, Nickelberry chose Louisville over NC State, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Clemson and a handful of others. He will primarily be valued for his scoring as he brings good size to the perimeter and a confident approach. He is a sturdy three-level scorer that can also defend multiple positions in the backcourt.

The first commitment in the 2019 class for the Cardinals, Chris Mack and his staff remain heavily entrenched within the recruitments of many others found in the Rivals150. Local product David Johnson is a solid target of the Cardinals’, as are frontline prospects Isaiah Stewart, Greg Gantt, Matt Hurt and Jason Jitoboh.