Sananda Fru is becoming force for Louisville basketball, Pat Kelsey

To the uninitiated, it may sound like Louisville basketball fans are booing Sananda Fru whenever the 6-foot-11 German does something impressive on the court.

His mom thought that was the case the first time she heard the KFC Yum! Center shout his last name in unison, elongating the vowel, through her television back home in Berlin. “I was like, ‘Why are they booing you?'” she told him over the phone afterward.

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Quite the opposite. The former Basketball Bundesliga standout is emerging as a model of consistency in the post for Pat Kelsey and the 11th-ranked Cardinals (9-1) — and in turn a fan favorite. Opposing teams should take note: The 22-year-old junior feels as if he’s on a path of “steady improvement.”

“You can feel it,” Kelsey said. “You can see it in his demeanor.”

Fru still has a lot to assimilate as he continues to adjust to a new culture and a new brand of basketball. Case in point: his lane violation with teammate Mikel Brown Jr. at the free-throw line and 48 seconds remaining in regulation of UofL’s Dec. 6 win over Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Back home, the back end of Brown’s two shots would have counted despite the big man stepping into the paint early. Here, the Hoosiers got the ball down 11 points. “Jimmy Naismith is rolling over in his grave right now,” Kelsey thought to himself on the sideline.

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“We’ll have a little discussion about that,” the coach said afterward. “But come to think of it, it won’t be much of a discussion — I’ll do most of the talking, and he’ll do most of the listening.”

That was not the first instance of Fru being the recipient of what Kelsey likes to describe as “aggressive counseling.” He got an earful during halftime of the Cards’ come-from-behind victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 21 at Heritage Bank Center when he entered the locker room with as many turnovers as points (two), one rebound and a block across 11 minutes of run.

His response? Nine points on 3-for-3 shooting, three boards,…

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Publish date : 2025-12-15 10:11:00

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