( In the Thursday Edition of CARDINAL COUPLE, we'll look at the upcoming NCAA Championship Field events, the latest buzz on Lexie and a reversal of ruling. Jump in, buckle up, hold on and strap in Bill The Goat...we're coupling you this Thursday!)
THROWING IT OUT THERE AND FROM THE VAULT
Chanel Krause is first up, going in the pole vault finals that start around 7:45 ET. "E" will put the shot around 8:40 p.m. The discus finals...which Henderson will also participate in...aren't until Saturday afternoon.
Coverage on Thursday is on ESPNU (7-8:30 p.m.) and ESPN (8:30 - 11:30 p.m.)
Although both Krause and "E" would have to be considered longshots to win the respective events...based on their season bests and the season bests of their competition...throw that out (get it?) the window. It's the Finals. All 24 competitors have a 'shot'.OK, done with the puns.
Best of luck to UofL's scintillating sophomores!
IS LEXIE FLYING SOUTH?
You remember Lexie, right? As a freshman, she torched Louisville for 20 points and six assists in the Terps win over the Cards in the NCAA Regional final in the KFC YUM! Center in 2014.
Seeing her in a back court with Durr, Cole, Carter, Jones in the 2016-17 season probably has Coach Walz dancing like Gene Kelly in Singing In The Rain.
She would have to sit a year...that's true...but what a great mentor and knowledge source she could be to the freshmen that will be in the back court for Walz in 2015-16.
Her Dad is Dee Brown...who knows a thing or two about hoops also. Oh, those magical Celtics teams with Dee dancin in the back court and getting air. Highly unofficial rumors from questionable sources indicate that she loved the visit. How could she not? After all, it is Louisville...
WE STAND CORRECTED
On Tuesday, we threw three questions at you about "lines". We advised you on Wednesday that the answer to Question 1 was 'count the free throw' (question below). In a chat last evening with a very knowledgeable source, we found out that that is wrong. A player at the line shooting cannot cross that free throw line until the ball makes contact with the net, backboard or rim. If the player that is shooting steps over the line...it is a lane violation and no point awarded if the ball goes in.
Although this would be detrimental to the Walzian theorem that suggests "3" is better than "2"...the theorem may have to undergo a radical adjustment now that the "one plus one" is leaving the game.
Thanks to regular reader Vivian who raised the objection. We eventually get things right here at CC....even if it takes several attempts.
paulie
xxxxx
1) Basketball's Mariya Moore is at the free throw line for free throws. She shoots and hits the first one. Her left foot goes over the line as the ball is in the air. It touches down over that line before the ball goes through the hoop. Count the point or not?
Be fair, Paulie, I was talking to Worldwide - bragging that I got it right.... Oops! I was just the person that posted it.
ReplyDeleteDuly noted and lauding praise upon my "steamed" colleague.
DeletePaulie
Wow,Paulie, you even have his mother calling him Worldwide.
ReplyDeleteI propose that in 2016, we develop a new nickname for him...I'll work on a list but the names coming to mind now are
DeleteDevice
J-Mac
Beethoven
Reginald
Paulie
If mama ain't happy, nobody's happy.
DeleteBlue Lou
Paulie, Brown will have two years left after she sits out a year.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably what you meant when you said "her final three years of college" - one year sitting, two years playing.
DeleteCorrect...Mike
DeleteSitting one, playing two.
Paulie
Not to change the subject but wasn't Louisville being considered by a former UCF guard who sat out last year? What's up with that situation?
ReplyDeleteI fully trust and can advise that the basketball program is committed to making relevant announcements as needed about the status of any possible player when they deem it the right time and neccessary to do so.
DeleteTrust your coaches and staff.
Paulie
Paulie that is vague. What do you mean? Can you be blunt and tell us what you know? You sound like a first rate politician.
DeleteIn the words of the iconic Sgt. Schultz from Hogan's Heroes...
Delete"I know nothing!"
Paulie
Very good news. Like our chances since we got her to visit. Brown can provide us a lot of leadership and skill. I'm not sure if Carter is the answer at PG. She didn't show much last season. Brown could come in and start right away with Cole being back-up.. A back court of Lexie, Asia, and Mariya would be insanely good.
ReplyDeleteI'm no expert here but I am guessing that Arica realizes that she will need to step her game up to be in the mix and if that commitment to improvement is there...she'll be that "out-of-this-world" point guard that the staff saw in high school and recruited. Coaches provide playing time based on performance.
DeletePaulie
Arica wasn't as good as I thought she would be last year. She wasn't "all world" in high school. She was a smart player with a tenacious desire to do what it took to help her team win a couple of state championships. I think she'll put in the effort but I don't think her skills are strong enough to be what we need in a really good pg. Just like it took Jude two thirds of her senior year before she developed her confidence offensively and be a point guard who would penetrate and set up her teammates. From the Florida State game on Jude was a much better offensive player. But boy it took a while. I still remember the Kentucky game. She was a scared rabbit. It was great to see her bounce back and play with confidence and her quiet swagger late in the year and in the tournament.
DeleteI really like Arica's length, defense and ball handling. I thought she brought the ball up court under pressure better than Jude did. She didn't get enough minutes to prove much either way on her offense and it seemed like she had problems following the game plan at times but that's just the learning curve for a freshman.
DeleteIt will be interesting to see how she does. I don't think she distinguished herself enough last year to be our presumptive point guard and of course the competition is going to be brutal even if we don't get some of these talented transfers that folks are talking about.
Having kids like Arica and Mariya on our club is great for our West Coast recruiting footprint. Hope she sticks with us and has a great year.
I think Jude probably used as much of her god given potential as any kid that has played for U of L. Her ACC stat line ended up being really strong. As I recall she was top five in most of the important PG metrics. She just never really got going offensively which is probably why the WNBA passed on her. That and her size and foot speed challenges. Will be interesting to see if Jude and Shoni end up being able to get a BB gig together over in Europe like they've been saying they'd like to do.
Shoni needs to drop some lbs and get in game shape or the only thing she's going to get this year in the W is more splinters. She didn't start and played 14 minutes last night...