Louisville WBB Tipoff Luncheon another success -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ANNUAL TIPOFF LUNCHEON HOLDS SURPRISES AND OFFERS

A sold out crowd converged on the Downtown Louisville Marriott Wednesday morning for Jeff Walz's ninth annual Louisville Women's basketball luncheon. It was the first time at the ediface on 2nd and Jefferson and...based on the fan and player reaction...a venue that met with approval and satisfaction. 

Walz address media (Photo courtesy of Charlie Springer - UofL Card Game) Note Paulie standing to the right of Coach

Walz met briefly with members of the media before the festivities began to answer questions and discuss the early practices the team has held. A couple of relevant items from that presser revealed that freshman Asia Durr was about 60% healed from a sports hernia she suffered over the summer and there is a promotion to entice people to attend the first game on Nov. 15th. against California. 

If a season ticket holder invites 25 people to the Cal contest and if 25 tickets are purchased for them...the University will buy that season ticket holder's ticket for them for the entire 2016-17 season. More details are available at the UofL Ticket Office.

BRIAHANNA JACKSON NOW A CARD

That was one of the several surprises in store for the luncheon. After dining, Cards WBB play-by-play radio announcer Matt Andrews introduced the squad and the names Briahanna Jackson and Dakota Weatherford were introduced to the crowd as players that will be on the 2015-16 team.

Jackson, a 5'3" guard out of Tampa that spent 1 1/2 seasons at UCF, joins the squad. She was the AAC Freshman of the year for the Knights and put 28 points on UConn her sophomore season. Rumors over the last year that she was on campus and undergoing instruction with the coaches and participating in practices proved to be true. 

If solid and in shape (and accounts report that she is) she'll be a dangerous weapon for Louisville at the point guard slot. CARDINAL COUPLE did request to interview her at the banquet but asst. SID Ira Green had other players in mind he wanted me to talk to.

DAKOTA WEATHERFORD gives the "L" 

Also introduced was 5'6" guard Dakota Weatherford from Arcadia, IN. who has transferred in from Evansville. She was a starter her freshman year for the Purple Aces and averaged 6.7 minutes in 30.8 minutes per game in the 2013-14 season. She'll add depth to an already strong group of backcourt players on the roster. 

CARDINAL COUPLE did get the chance to gather interviews from several players and notables in attendance. First was superstar swimmer Kelsi Worrell. She expressed her amazement at the event and I did ask her if she ever played any hoops....since she looked to be about 6'2" or so. She revealed she was wearing heels and had no coordination at all on the court. 

We got interviews with freshman Erin de Grate and sophomore Myshia Hines-Allen also....and our yearly chat with assistant basketball coach Sam Purcell. All these will be played on our Saturday morning radio show THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR...which airs at 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 and streams live at:

 www.crescenthillradio.com. 

In case you miss the live broadcast, it (and all our shows) are available on the SoundCloud at the site. Click the microphone at the top of the page to hear our latest show.


Paulie also got the chance to talk to UofL great Candyce Bingham...who attended the affair and was swarmed by adoring fans.  "CB" is back in town after serving as an assistant coach at WKU. She'll be coaching at Manual High School in Louisville this winter. 

All in all, another great event staged for the Cardinal fans. As the keynote speaker, Jeff Walz spent considerable time thanking all the people involved with UofL women's basketball and also reflected on his early years here at Louisville. Walz also emphasized that his mission is to bring a National Championship to Louisville. 

Based on the current roster and recruiting successes the staff has had, that may occur sooner than later...

paulie