The Louisville women’s basketball team boasts several young stars whose names will look quite familiar to NBA fans.

Entering the 2024-25 campaign, Louisville ranks No. 17 in the nation and is once again poised to make an appearance at the Big Dance. The Cardinals are expected to rely on two promising freshmen who both have direct ties to the NBA – and it hasn’t taken long for them to make their presence felt.

Forward Mackenly Randolph and guard Izela Arenas – the daughters of former All-Stars Zach Randolph and Gilbert Arenas – each saw the court in Louisville’s 66-59 season-opening loss to No. 5 UCLA at Adidas Arena in Paris. The former amassed three rebounds, three assists and two points on 1-of-six shooting after cracking the starting five, while the latter recorded three points, one rebound and one assist in 10 minutes off the bench.

This isn’t the first time that Mackenly and Izela have played together. The dominant tandem were teammates at Sierra Canyon, where they helped propel the Trailblazers to district, state and national championships.

A five-star prospect, Mackenly was recruited by several programs across the nation before settling on Louisville. The No. 23 player in the 2024 recruiting class averaged 19.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game her senior year of high school en route to becoming Sierra Canyon’s second McDonald’s All-American.

“Mac displays a relentless pursuit of excellence,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz said in a statement. “She is a tremendous leader on and off the court and brings with her a championship mindset. Her energy is contagious, and her versatility will be showcased in our system. If you need a rebound, she will pursue it.

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Zach Randolph and Gilbert Arenas both enjoyed decorated careers in the NBA

Zach Randolph and Gilbert Arenas both enjoyed decorated careers in the NBA ( 

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Getty Images)

“Need a bucket, she’ll manufacture points. She will win the hearts of the Cardinal faithful with her hustle, toughness and determination. She is a bonafide winner.”

Mackenly’s father, Zach, achieved similar success at the professional level. Over a decorated 19-year NBA career, the imposing forward tallied 18,578 points, 10,208 rebounds and 2,049 assists before walking away from basketball in 2019. His number, meanwhile, is retired by the Memphis Grizzlies – the team he played eight seasons for.

As for Izela, she joined the Cardinals as a four-star recruit and the No. 88 player in the 2024 class. During her final year with the Trailblazers, the 5-foot-9 guard averaged 16.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

Similar to Randolph, Arenas enjoyed a successful career in the NBA, suiting up for the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic. Over 12 seasons in the league, he accumulated 11,402 points, 2,168 rebounds and 2,909 assists before taking his talents overseas to play in China.