Lady Cards should reach new heights on front line......Xavier, Lindsey Wilson on schedule

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*Louisville women's basketball team returns height, experience in the post.

*Two more non-conference games for Lady Cards announced.

*Pictures of Paul and Sonja on the Johnson farm.

Hi, David Watson with you this morning to review the third component of the
University of Louisville women's basketball team for 2011-12. WE look at the front line today.

We'll combine the "4" and "5" spots in this review and we'll look at five young ladies who will compete for playing time at these spots. First, the returnees:

1931 Model A Ford that still runs on the Johnson farm in
North Dakota. They didn't let Paul drive this one...

Asia Taylor goes into her junior year as the Cardinal front liner with the most experience in the Walz system of basketball. Taylor is an aggressive, hard-working forward who crashes the boards with skill and has quick feet on defense. Foul prone at times, Taylor needs work on around the hoop putbacks. She's shown she can score when needed to but with development of a soft putback from under the basket, her game would reach the plateau most expected her to be at when she arrive on campus. To her credit, she's been slowed by injuries during her time her and we haven't seen the "real" Asia yet.

Sherrone Vails saw a lot of court time as a freshman, primarily spelling Keisha Hines in the post. Aggressiveness and shot selection seem to be the two areas where her game could improve. She's a shot-swatter, but there's a lot more to defense than just that and her tendency to "hand-guard" gets her in foul trouble quickly. Whether she'll earn the start in the post this year or back up remains to be seen. She does give the team 100% when she is out there, though and can run the court well.

Shawnta Dyer gets to the court after sitting out last year with a heel fracture. She was spectacular in the Cards pre-season and against Indiana Wesleyan and it gives us hope that she'll be a strong force in the paint for the Cards. Her size makes her a tough one to keep off the boards. If she's developed a mid-range jumper and can rebound effectively remains to be fully seen. If so, she could nail down a starting spot before long.

Cierra Robertson-Warren is available now after sitting out her transfer year. She should be an immediate and strong impact in the post based on

Paul and Sonja with a antique tractor. Rumors that they
are giving up CARDINAL COUPLE and becoming farmers
are NOT true.

a few games she had as a freshman at North Carolina. She follows missed shots well and works hard to get in a position to score. The question here is how well has the knee recovered from minor surgery this spring and will she be in shape to handle 20-25 minutes of post play? If so, she could dominate the BIG EAST.

Sara Hammond draws mention here also even though we discussed her a few days ago. She played in the paint exclusively in high school and has the quick inside game to be effectively if that is where Walz decides to use her. She has a great shooting range and goes to the boards well, in addition to her shot-blocking skills. Her game is all-over-the-court and we can see her being a strength inside if needed.

August is just a few days away and we'll get reports on the majority of the girls we've discussed over the last week and how they do in Canada soon.

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According to schedules released by the respective schools, Louisville women's basketball will play Lindsey Wilson and Xavier in the 2011-12 season. They'll face Lindsey Wilson on Sunday, October 30th. No location has been listed for the one yet but you'd have to assume it'll be in the KFC YUM! Center for this exhibition game.

They'll also host Xavier in the YUM on Sunday, November 20th.

Great sidebars on both games. Louisville defeated Xavier to reach the Sweet Sixteen in March and former Cardinal Ashley Rainey and future Card Monny Niamke play for Lindsey Wilson.

Thanks to CARDINAL COUPLE reader Kenny S. for the find!!

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1951 Mercury on the Johnson Farm. Still runs great. Even
after Paul drove it.



Speaking of reports, I talked with THE CARDINAL COUPLE (Paul and Sonja) and they are enjoying their time in Fargo, ND and Minnesota. They'll be back with you in a few days. They'll probably be glad to be home I would guess. They've covered eight states so far in their summer road trip, logged over 1500 driving miles, seen friends and relatives in four different cities and (according to Paul) been great Cardinal ambassadors everywhere they've gone.

They sent me the pictures last night that I have included on today's entry.