Basketball schedule (or lack thereof) and more recruiting

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Staff Columnist Jenny O'Bryan discusses schedules for WBB today and rules from the NCAA.)

In the recent weeks many teams have started to release their schedules for the upcoming basketball season.  The slow release usually starts with the out of conference (OOC) slate followed by conferences releasing their schedules. 

To date Louisville Women’s Basketball has not released an OOC slate nor has The American released their conference schedules.  The men’s schedule has been released and message board fodder suggests the women’s schedule will be released very, very soon. 

In the meantime I have been able to glean a few games on the schedule by perusing others’ releases.    The women will open at YUM Center in the preseason NIT.   The first game against Loyola University Chicago will be 11/8 with a guarantee of at least two more matches.   The Cardinals will travel to Bowling Green/WKU to face former assistant Michelle Clark-Heard’s crew on Thanksgiving Eve, 11/27.    December 1 the Cards are back on the road to UK for the annual Battle of the Bluegrass. 

Additionally, ESPN has announced their women’s basketball coverage and
Louisville makes it on the big screen twice, both times against Connecticut.  February 9 the Cards travel to Connecticut and March 3 the Huskies make the trek to The YUM Center. 

For the full slate of ESPN coverage of women’s basketball:

 

2014 ESPN2 Big Monday presented by Bud Light Women’s Basketball Schedule

Jan 13, 7 p.m. Connecticut at Baylor

Jan 20, 7 p.m. Notre Dame at Tennessee

Jan 27, 7 p.m. Notre Dame at Maryland

Jan 27, 9 p.m. USC at Stanford

Feb _3, 7 p.m. Baylor at Oklahoma

Feb 10, 7 p.m. North Carolina at Duke

Feb 10, 9 p.m. Vanderbilt at Tennessee

Feb 17, 7 p.m. Maryland at Duke

Feb 24, 7 p.m. Penn State at Nebraska

Mar _3, 7 p.m. Connecticut at Louisville

2014 ESPN Sunday Women’s Basketball Schedule

Feb _2, 2 p.m. Notre Dame at Duke

Feb _9, 1 p.m. Louisville at Connecticut

Feb 16, 1 p.m. Kentucky at Tennessee

Feb 23, 1 p.m. Duke at Notre Dame

Mar _2, 1 p.m. Duke at North Carolina

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As I have been known to do, I wanted to touch base on recruiting.  If you listen to us on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour, we are constantly bemoaning the myriad of rules the NCAA has.

It appears there are some changes in the rules as it pertains to recruiting.  One of the biggest changes I am hearing about is the important date of September 1.  Historically, this date pertains to seniors; when coaches can call, text and email seniors on an unlimited basis.   However, new recruiting rules have backed this timeline up a full year!  As of September 1 coaches can now have this unlimited access to juniors in high school, specifically this year, the class of 2015. 

This presents an interesting balancing act on the coaches part, I presume.   The class of 2014 is at a pivotal point in their recruitment.  If kids are still uncommitted, and we know Louisville is after a lot of kids in this class, they will be making their official visits, home visits will be made, culminating in many signing in the early signing period in November.    All the while, coaches will start courting the class of 2015. 

There are two other rule changes that I am aware of:

1) In-home visits can be made to recruits in the class of 2015 during the month of September.  This previously happened with recruits in their senior year.   (We are aware of a minimum of two home visits that are scheduled for juniors, Asia Durr (9/25) and Napheesa Collier (9/27).  Other big names in this class that are likely to be visited (but that I have not found information about) are Te’a Cooper, De’Janae Boykin and Katie Lou Samualson.  All are in the top 25 of their class and have Louisville associated with their name).

2) Official visits.  We have covered that a lot here at Cardinal Couple.  Anofficial visit historically happens in the fall of one’s senior year.  It is paid for by the university the recruit is visiting and the recruit gets a maximum of 5 official visits.   The change in this arena will allow official visits to begin in the spring of one’s junior year, after the National Championship game.  The limit remains 5, but kids can start making them in April.  (For comparison sake, the current rising senior class of 2014 is just not setting and taking their official visits). 

How all these rule changes will impact recruiting depends on who you talk to.  As a fan of the game with no previous experience personally, the biggest drawback I see is the potential for earlier commitments from kids.  I personally find this problematic.  

As we all know Louisville was on the unfortunate side of losing two elite recruits in the class of 2013 who verbally committed to the program at the end of their sophomore year in high school.  As any parent of a teenager will tell you, wait a minute, and you will get a different answer from a teen.  Deciding one’s future, by way of choosing a college that is responsible for their education and basketball career, at such an early age I believe is most often times a mistake. 

My concern with these new rules is that it will lead to, if not encourage, earlier commitments.  If that in fact happens, by nature of the population one is dealing with, it will also likely increase decommitments.   Decommitments hurt the university most, I believe.  If one believes they have a recruit, they will quit recruiting said position.   A change of heart by the recruit leaves the university vulnerable to not being able to fill their needs with a high quality recruit, having lost out on prospects while they assumed their position was filled.   I understand a recruit having a change of heart.  What one may think they want as a sophomore in high school can absolutely change by one’s senior year, if for no other reason than maturation.  Not to mention any number of other things that could lead one to change their mind.   It’s too risky for all involved.   I don’t like it.  I would much rather my teenager make a decision as late as possible to weigh all options fully and understand the full impact of said decision. 

I have also read several opinions that these rule changes will change the
very nature and meaning of the current
summer circuit of basketball played by athletes and likely remove AAU coaches from the middleman role they currently hold between coaches and athletes. (Under current rules if a coach was interested in a young prospect that they could not yet contact, the AAU coach would be contacted and word would be gotten to the athlete that a school is interested.)  Again, whether these changes are good or bad, likely depends on who you ask. 

As we look forward to this fall and recruiting info on the class of 2014 and anticipate news from recruits on U of L’s radar, the class of 2014 is far from in the books. 
 

Meanwhile, a plethora of names are dropping in the class of 2015 as their recruiting accelerates in to full throttle.    It looks like a fun fall for recruiting junkies like me!

-Jenny

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