Sunday Cardinal Couple WBB News, Sam and Coaches, Podcasting

WBB News Keeps Rolling

Assistant Coach Sam Purcell was named one of the 50 most impactful assistant coaches in the league by Silver Wave Media.  I've never heard of the organization, but browsing through their list, I think they have compiled a good one, and their characterization of Purcell is spot on.

Purcell is a powerfully energetic, charismatic and a very spirited coach.  He is a go-getter, a producer, the ultimate brand ambassador. A highly decorated recruiter, Purcell’s accomplishments are numerous.  In seventeen years of coaching, the teams he has been a part of have combined for a 444-185 record, thirteen post season appearances, advanced to the NCAA tournament eleven times, a Final Four, two Elite Eights, four Sweet Sixteens and a WNIT Championship.

A selection of others on the list include Delisha Milton-Jones at Syracuse, Ariel Massengale at Lipscomb, Dean Lockwood at Michigan State, Kelly Finley at Florida, and twin sisters Jasmine and Cinnamon Lister at UConn and UC Irvine respectively.  These are all good company, indeed, for Purcell.

Assistant coaches often fly under the radar a bit, so it's good to get some recognition for some of the gems of the coaching world.  This would be a good list to read to through to be aware of some likely candidates for head coaching positions in the next few years.  The full list can be found at:

https://www.silverwavesmedia.com/news_article/show/1099958

We, here at Cardinal Couple, have watched a procession of assistant coaches through the UofL program go on to take head coaching positions.  Bethann Shapiro Ord went to Weber State and is now at Binghamton. Michelle Clark-Heard took the head spot role at WKU for six years before moving on to Cincinnati.  Cam Newbauer only spent a year on Jeff Walz's bench before getting a leading role of his own at Belmont for four years and now helms one of the flagship SEC squads at Florida.  And most recently Samantha Williams has taken the first chair at EKU.

Let's not forget "double B's" either. Becky Burke transitioned a Cardinal student-athlete role at UofL into becoming the head coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and now the head coach at the University of Charleston.

Walz is growing quite the coaching tree, and as much as I would love for Purcell to remain at Louisville, in no small part due to the absolutely delightful interviews we get from him, there is little doubt in my mind that a position will call him away at some point.  In the meantime, we'll continue to benefit from his presence and his infectious enthusiasm.

More Thank Yous

Two more message of thanks got posted this week by WBB seniors, and, like last week, I want to share them so more of Card Nation can see them.

First from Bionca Dunham:

Dear Card Nation,

First off, I would like to thank the best fans in the country for being a second family for me over the last four years.  The support you have shown me these last four years has been truly amazing!

To Coach Walz and the rest of the staff, thank you so much for believing in me and for your commitment and dedication in ensuring that I became the best basketball player and person I could possibly be while at Louisville.

To my teammates, together we have accomplished so much and I'm so proud of everyone of you.  For my teammates who are also leaving this year, I wish you all the best of luck.  I'm so excited for everyone to go out into the world and begin their exciting adventures.

Going to miss you all.  Thank you for the incredible journey.  Now on to the next chapter.  Card Nation thank you,

(signed) B Dunham

Also from Yacine Diop:

Dear Card Nation,

It broke my heart that the season had to end like this.  I have always dreamed about getting to the Final Four and having a chance to compete for a National Championship.  I truly believe that we had what it takes to accomplish that dream this year, but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to prove it.

But I just want to say thank you to Coach Walz and the Athletic Department for believing in me and helping me get to where I am today.

Thanks to my teammates for all the good times we shared that will forever be remembered.

Thank you to the medical staff and Kaiti for helping get me back on the court so that I can once again play the game I love.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to Card Nation for all of your support.

From the bottom of my heart,

(signed) Yacine D

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Paulie, Case, and I got together once again for an enjoyable hour of conversation, mostly around
Women's Basketball this time, for weekly edition of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast.

We had some fun with the scheduling segment of thinking about what might have been, but beyond that, we had some good discussions around coaching vacancies and the hype that can surround some of those.  We caught up with Field Hockey's Meche Pastor a little bit.  Check it out!

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JMcA