The latest piece of Louisville’s 2026-27 puzzle was put into place Monday night with the commitment of class of 2026 forward Boyuan Zhang.
Zhang, a 6’7 lefty, came to the United States from China last year and played his senior season of high school ball at Veritas Academy in Garden Grove, California. He averaged 20.2 points per game over 14 contests in 2025-26.
Zhang has also been a standout for China in international competitions for years. At the FIBA U19 World Cup last summer, he averaged 14.7
ppg while shooting 42.2 percent from the field.
A highly-skilled three-level scorer with college-ready strength, Zhang picked Louisville over Illinois, Oregon and USC, among others.
Zhang isn’t a freak athlete, but he’s got a quicker first step than you’d expect at first glance. Shot selection is something of an issue, but that’s the case with 85 percent of incoming freshmen in college basketball.
This is a good addition and a player who I think will be a big-time producer at the college level at some point. I don’t think it’s too much to expect him to contribute at Louisville in 2026-27.
