Ryan Conwell sneaks glances up at the rafters whenever Louisville basketball practices at the KFC Yum! Center.
The retired numbers. The national championship banners. They’re reminders he’s living a dream.
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“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,” the senior guard said. “I’m in this position for a reason.”
To describe Conwell’s journey as long and winding would be an understatement. From being overlooked as a high schooler to his three trips through the NCAA transfer portal after coaching changes at each of his previous stops, the 6-foot-4 Indianapolis native has run the gamut of modern Division I basketball.
But now here he is: in a hoops-crazed city that feels like a second home — a key figure in the No. 10 Cardinals’ hunt for a national championship in Year 2 of the Pat Kelsey era.
“I’m just thankful to be in this position,” Conwell said, “being able to wear this Louisville across my chest.”
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‘A little chip on his shoulder’
According to the talent evaluators at 247Sports.com, Conwell was the 13th-best player to hit the transfer portal this past offseason after earning third-team All-Big East honors as a junior at Xavier.
After his first three seasons at Pike High School, he had zero DI scholarship offers despite leading the Red Devils in scoring with 16.4 points per game as a junior.
“I definitely had those nights where it’s like, ‘Dang, this might not be it,'” Conwell said. “You always have those doubts.”
“The desire, the passion, the drive has always been there,” added his father, Rod Conwell. “I think that’s what kind of motivates him now — playing with a little chip on his shoulder.”
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Conwell’s life changed at the Indy Top 100 camp in June 2021. That’s where he caught the eyes of Indiana State coach Josh Schertz, who was attending his first recruiting event on behalf of the Sycamores after making the jump from the DII ranks.
Ryan Conwell poses for a picture on Nov. 8, 2021, at Pike High School in Indianapolis. Conwell transferred to Louisville for his senior season after stops at South Florida, Indiana State and Xavier.
“At the time, he was a Division II recruit — ranked like 30th in the state,” Schertz told The Indianapolis Star in 2023. “My associate head coach, Matthew Graves, was with me. I said to him, ‘I’ve never coached in the Missouri Valley; I have no idea what that looks like; but I have coached Division II. He’s not a Division II player.'”
A week later, Conwell received his first DI offer while visiting Schertz in Terre Haute. From there, “it seemed like the floodgates opened,” his dad said. “Everybody saw his potential.”
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South Florida’s Brian Gregory wasn’t far behind Schertz. He called Conwell his “primary target at the guard position” in a statement when he signed with the Bulls in November 2021 — over offers from more than a dozen DI programs.
“I love guards who can impact the game in a variety of ways, and Ryan is exactly that,” Gregory said. “He will give us depth at the position and bring a maturity that will lend itself to him having a tremendous collegiate career.”
Conwell cemented his DI status by being crowned the 2022 Marion County Player of the Year, averaging 22.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and three steals during his final go-around at Pike. What he didn’t know when he set off for USF was just how eventful his collegiate journey would be: four programs in as many years.
‘He doesn’t change’
Feb 18, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Ryan Conwell (7) takes the court during player introductions before the game against the Butler Bulldogs at the Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
To say the least, there are misconceptions about players who can’t seem to stay out of the transfer portal. Earlier this month at SEC media day, Arkansas coach John Calipari said, “You just can’t transfer four times, because it’s not good for you. Four schools in four years, you’ll never have a college degree.”
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The Hall of Famer clearly isn’t familiar with Conwell’s story.
“It has helped me mature faster,” he said. “I’m thankful for my whole path.”
South Florida fired Gregory after the Bulls went 14-18 during Conwell’s freshman season. He started 21 of the team’s 32 games, but his stat line wasn’t exceptional: 5.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 18.5 minutes per contest. His takeaways from the stint in Tampa: “I have to be a great player on both ends of the court and come to work every single day understanding the intensity that it takes to play at the college level.”
This is where Schertz reenters the picture. After turning down Indiana State entering his senior year at Pike, Conwell decided to join the Sycamores for what ended up being a near-storybook sophomore campaign. ISU went 32-7, falling one win short of an automatic NCAA Tournament bid, and he was voted MVC Newcomer of the Year after averaging 16.6 points per game and ranking 15th nationally in made 3-pointers with 109.
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“He helped me understand the game more,” Conwell said of Schertz. “The X’s and O’s, the different schemes, how teams guard and how you can use that to your advantage.”
Indiana State Sycamores guard Ryan Conwell (3) rushes up the court Tuesday, March 26, 2024, during the quarterfinals of the NIT at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute.
With their success, however, came opportunities for upward mobility. Schertz was hired at Saint Louis, and Conwell took his talents to the Big East. He not only proved himself worthy of high-major competition while helping guide the Musketeers to March Madness — finishing seventh in the conference in scoring with 16.5 points per game on 45% shooting and a 41.3% clip from beyond the arc — but also earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
“I’m just so proud and happy for him,” his father said. “He understood the drive that he needed in the classroom as well as on the basketball court.”
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Some of that can be attributed to what Conwell said Xavier coach Sean Miller imparted to him: “Don’t take any days off. You’ve got to always be ready, always stay prepared and give your best effort every single day.”
Miller, of course, left Cincinnati this past spring to become Rodney Terry’s successor at Texas and tried to bring Conwell with him. The guard chose Louisville instead but didn’t lose his former coach’s respect.
“I just saw Sean the other day,” Kelsey told reporters in July. “Sean goes, ‘How’s Ryan doing?’ I said, ‘Man, he’s great; phenomenal kid.’ He goes, ‘You know what? (He) doesn’t change. When things get down, when things get bad, he doesn’t change.'”
“He’s been around college basketball so long, played for a bunch of really good coaches; and he has such a good feel on practice — such a good feel on the pulse of like, ‘What does my teammate need? What does the coaching staff need?'” Louisville assistant Michael Cassidy added. “If the coaching staff is trying to raise the level, he can feel it and sense it before it’s even happened; and he kind of rises to the occasion and rallies his teammates. I think that’s such an underrated thing that RC does.”
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‘Part of a family’
Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) reacts after scoring two plus drawing the foul during the Cards’ exhibition game against visiting Kansas at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Friday, October 24, 2025.
Rod Conwell said the Cards “rolled out the red carpet” when they pulled up to the Planet Fitness Kueber Center for an official visit in April. Members of the staff were waiting outside of the facility holding signs, while Kelsey brought boundless energy and a detailed plan for developing his son’s game to help him get to the NBA.
“It helped us see that it’s more than just bringing in a player and, ‘This is what we need you to do,'” he said. “It’s about how you can be a part of a family.”
“The culture is just — it’s very welcoming,” Conwell added. “You can be unapologetically yourself.”
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This is how he defines himself: “A man of God — someone who is very strong in his faith. Someone who never gives up, who is willing to find a way. Someone who’s always joyful, who wants to make others happy and smile. Someone who’s very dedicated to his work — loves to work, loves the game of basketball.”
“Ryan has that natural leadership ability,” sixth-year guard J’Vonne Hadley said. “It’s easy to see.”
Louisville was part of Conwell’s identity long before he committed to Kelsey. His mother, Daune, hails from the Indianapolis area, but his dad claims the 502.
Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) saves the ball from out of bounds in the exhibition game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Friday, October 24, 2025.
Rod Conwell grew up near Chickasaw Park, “around the corner” from U of L standouts such as Darrell Griffith and Bobby Turner, and attended Highland Park Missionary Baptist Church with Wesley Cox. He enjoyed watching the Kentucky Colonels at Freedom Hall as a youngster and went on to play basketball at Western High School. His father, Roger Conwell Jr., rose through the education ranks and served as principal at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, Meyzeek Middle School and Fern Creek Elementary School. “Close to 30, if not more,” of his relatives still live in the area.
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Conwell visited Louisville often as a child. The day after he picked the Cards, he shared a photo to his Instagram story from one of those trips. It was of him and his grandfather smiling outside the Yum! Center after they celebrated the latter’s birthday with a meal across the street at Doc Crow’s.
“This isn’t just a commitment — it’s a promise,” he wrote in another Instagram post that day. “Louisville, I’m all in. Let’s build something special!”
Roger Conwell Jr. died Nov. 21, 2023, at age 86. Conwell, who was in Las Vegas that night for a multi-team event with Indiana State, dedicated the remainder of his sophomore season to him — writing “GRANDPOPS” on his sneakers.
Two years later, he’s taking the court inside the 22,090-seat arena from that cherished childhood photograph. Sneaking glances up at the rafters.
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“It’s a blessing,” he said.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Ryan Conwell, Louisville basketball G, living a dream with Pat Kelsey
