The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
‘A REALLY GOOD FIT’
Committing to Cardinals led to unexpected reunion for 5-star guard Imari Berry
Imari Berry was left with about two months to make a decision.
The No. 19-ranked girls basketball player in the country had to find a new college home after decommitting from Clemson. A coaching change caused Berry to back out. Louisville had always been among her top schools and was the first to reach out after she reopened her recruiting.
The early bird got the worm, in this case, with Berry choosing U of L in April. Two months later, the 5foot-10 point guard was reunited with the reason she initially chose Clemson: Amanda Butler. On June 25, Louisville announced that the Tigers’ former head coach would join its coaching staff.
“Adding Amanda just gave a little more sense of security for Imari knowing, hey, that that’s the coach I had agreed to play with the first time,” U of L coach Jeff Walz said. “So it’s been a really good fit.”
‘My mom loved her’
Berry’s recruiting process was no different than any other highly touted high school athlete: She had countless scholarship offers and schools reaching out to her. That’s what happens when you average 23.5 points per game as a freshman.
As a sophomore, she had 11 offers, including her home state school, Tennessee. Louisville had shown interest, attending some of Berry’s AAU games, but hadn’t extended an offer then. The level of interest got to the point where, ahead of her junior season, she decided not to post any more of her offers on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I want to lock in and learn more about the programs without any outside influences,” Berry wrote. “I want to focus on building my own connection with the coaches so that when I am ready to make a decision on where to further my basketball career and education, I can make the decision that is best for me and my family.”
Berry locking in resulted in her reaching 1,000 career points, helping Clarksville (Tennessee) High School to a 27-5 record and a state quarterfinal appearance. She ended her prep career with 2,510 points a year later, averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 2.8 assists as a senior.
And one of the strongest relationships she forged on the recruiting trail was with Butler.
Berry doesn’t remember when her relationship with Butler, then Clemson’s head coach, began, but the two had an instant connection. Butler was funny and well-liked by many of the people around Berry, including Berry’s mother.
“My mom loved her. My mom really doesn’t like people,” Berry said. “So, then, I loved her.”
Berry announced her commitment to Clemson in August 2023. It was the second time in two years that Butler had received a commitment from a top-20 recruit after signing five-star guard Ruby
Whitehorn, who was ranked 15th in the Class of 2022.
But Whitehorn and Berry donning Clemson jerseys together never happened. Butler was fired March 12, and Berry decommitted a week later.
“I committed because I wanted to play for Butler,” Berry said.
Becoming a Cardinal
Berry wasn’t sure what she was going to do.
The coach she’d built a rapport with was now gone, and Berry was left searching for a new hoops home.
Louisville was intriguing because of its tradition as one of the country’s better programs. And Berry saw some of the same characteristics in Walz that she liked about Butler.
“He’s a good person. He’s funny,” Berry said. “When I was watching (Louisville) play, they play really good, push the ball, move fast. I wanted to play at that pace.”
A little more than a month after she decided Clemson wasn’t for her, Berry committed to Louisville, announcing her decision April 20. Besides her growing relationship with Walz, Berry already had two friends in the 2024 recruiting class. The Tennessee native had known five-star forward Mackenly Randolph for a while. She and Sacred Heart guard Reagan Bender were also on the United Family AAU team.
“She can shoot really well,” Berry said of Bender, who’s also her roommate this school year. “So I try to push the ball up the court faster for her to get the shot off.”
Berry’s introduction to college has included learning to cook and doing her own laundry. She’s also getting adjusted to the pace of the college game and learning her teammates’ tendencies. Although Berry’s shooting garners the attention, she’s most looking forward to being a floor facilitator.
“Nyla (Harris is) a good post player, so I feel like my passing skills could give me and her a connection on the floor,” Berry said. “And then Jayda (Curry). She’s a shooter, so I could drive and kick it, and she’ll knock down the shot.”
Butler joining Louisville’s program has been a bonus, putting Berry in an even better spot than she’d initially imagined.