The freshmen are here! The freshmen are here! -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FIVE OF SIX UofL WBB FRESHMEN ON CAMPUS


To begin with, I've always felt a little unsettled about calling first-year women's student-athletes "freshmen". After all, these are women...not men...but the term "freshwomen" sort of implies something else...so, let's just call them "frosh". A nice, generic term...as long as you don't replace the "h" with a "t". That would imply cold weather and we're not ready for that to arrive for quite some time, hopefully.

Kylee Shook, Ciera Johnson, Sydney Zambrotta, Jazmine Jones and walk-on Jessica Laemmle have hit the Belknap Campus, posed for all the photo-ops and said goodbyes to their folks for awhile...as they go into life beyond high-school. There is excitement, some need a remedial course on how to flash the "L" and the competitions on-court are soon to begin with those who came here before you.

The question I've been getting from some readers is:

"Where is Bionca Dunham?" 

Let's not panic, here. After all, she just lost her grandfather and was chosen prom queen in the last week...two polar opposites in emotional and life-changing events. There may be the finishing up of schooling involved here...after all, Louisville schools just got out last week and Philly may be on a different calendar schedule. 

Maybe she wanted to see the Phillies one last time before heading to the best city for minor-league baseball. 

A brief check of her Twitter account does not indicate any estimated arrival date. That's not uncommon on Twitter...I seldom notify anyone when I'm making a trip to campus or changing venue either on Twitter posts. Twitter seems to be more of an instantaneous stream-of-consciousness release mechanism anyway...take it in small doses and use lots of references. Dunham's handle is @bgriner3 in case you want to follow. 

Bionca's arrival date will not impact the type of player she is. A scorer, inside force, blocking machine and glass-cleaner. Most know how excited I was when Jazmine Jones committed. There was similar excitement (especially after watching video of her) when Bionca said "yes" to UofL. So many of you are madly-in-love with this entire 2016 class. Someone could probably start or devote a website that specifically followed them each day and it would receive significant traffic and hit counts. 

You love your Cardinals...yes, you do...dear readers. 

Finally, let's remember that arrival isn't the main concern for her or any student-athlete. It's what you do after you touch down and roll into the terminal. The transition to college life. The whole student-athlete persona. Using time-management skills and common sense in the same activity. Realizing just how much this community loves and follows the student-athletes that are here. 

Smiling little girls gazing up at you in wonderment and awe. Receiving the autograph, the hug or pat on the head and running back to a parent flush and giddy with excitement. Yes, you have that power now.

A new phase in life. The next step. Go forth confidently, ye frosh. The path is clear for enjoyable travelling. 

paulie
xxxxx