Monday Cardinal Couple -- USA wins gold in FIBA U 18 104-74 over Canada

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Wilson's 25, Moore's seven assists lead USA to win

Five games in five days is a lot to ask of any athlete. For
the FIBA Americas USA squad, it looked like they could have gone another five straight and barely broke a sweat. 

Led by A'ja Wilson's 25 points and 11 rebounds...plus a outstanding performance by Louisville's Mariya Moore...USA jumped out to a commanding lead and never looked back.

Mariya Moore (Salesian H.S./Richmond, Calif.) dished out seven assists, and Wilson with 11 attempted free throws tied the USA U18 single-game record – a mark that was set by Turner on Aug. 8 and also matched by Shepard on Aug. 9. 

“This game was special because it was the gold medal game,” Wilson said. “We took care of business and executed everything. Great things started to happen, and things fell into place. It was a great game."

In a rematch against the Canadians, the USA squad jumped out to a 26-12 first quarter lead and extended that to a 50-32 halftime advantage. The Americans kept it rolling after the break and held a 79-47 point differential after three...winning by over a Canadian squad they had defeated by 31 two nights earlier. 

For the five-game tournament, the USA outscored its opponents by a convincing 44.8 points per game margin, and four U.S. players averaged double-digit scoring, including a USA U18 Women’s competition record 19.0 points per game from Wilson, who also set a USA competition record for field goal percentage with 76.5 percent (39-51 FGs). Collier averaged 14.0 ppg., Turner averaged 13.6 ppg. and Shepard scored 12.6 pp


////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Ever wonder what overseas ball is like for ex-USA college stars and WNBA players? Check out the link from one of UConn's "three scribes" for GEno...the always, ever pleasant John Altavilla: 

http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81043964/
...
..
.

Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- The Fist Philosophy

.

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-The Fist Philosophy

-Walz eyeing two for 2014?

-Pinocchio speaks

( Regular Wednesday columnist Jenny O'Bryan has the flu and asked me to fill in for her today. She felt so bad that the missed Saturday's WBB game and a trip she, Renee and friends had booked to go to South Bend and watch the WBB game Monday night.

You know Jenny's got it bad when she misses out on her beloved UofL women's basketball team. Twice in a row and it's really got her down and out. She reports that she is starting to feel a little better, though and we're looking forward to her back on the site next week  - Paulie)

The Fist Philosophy

I developed the "fist philosophy" several years back when I was in a brief period of crisis. I've shared it with a few people over the years, most recently my massage/physical therapist Demond Thompson. As some of you know, I've got shot knees and a bad I.T. tendon in my quad. He does great work and I'd be a lot worse off if it wasn't for his work on me.

He surprised me by putting my philosophy (he named it for me...I never really had a name for it) on his website:

Renaissance Fitness

He did a great job of writing it up and expressing it, better than I do, for sure...so, here it is.

THE FIST PHILOSOPHY

A simple cure for the blues.

This is a suggestion made by my buddy Paul. He told me this the other day and I thought it was brilliant. If you're having a bad day, or having a moment, stop for a second and then open your hand. Then, think about five things you are grateful for.

1. Family. It doesn't matter if it's mother, father, spouse, significant other, siblings or kids. If you're not grateful for any of them, go to extended family :) . After you spend some time here, close your index finger.

2. Friends. This one is a bit fun because there are people you choose to have in your life. Remind yourself of good times you've had and be grateful that you've had them. After you spend some time thinking of them, close your middle finger.

3. Job. (You can use school here, too). Most of us don't like our job ALL of the time, but we like it at least some of the time. If nothing else, your job provides you with an opportunity to earn an income to support yourself and/or your family. And hang out with your friends. After you've spent some time thinking about your job, close your ring finger.

4. Work. Some people confuse their job with their work. Your job is your "nine-to-five" or your 15 credit hours that you earn your living from or pursue to earn a living. Your work is what you were put on the planet to do that only you can do. If your job is your work, that's awesome. Sometimes it's not. I work as a massage/physical therapist, but my job is helping people to get better through better movement. Two related things, but actually different. After spending some time thinking about your work, close your pinky.

5. Life. Be grateful that you're alive. Just by having the problem that you are dwelling on, you have a chance to experience it. We truly get to experience life when we handle our problems head on...because we learn from them. After you've reflected on life a bit, close your thumb around your fingers.

What are you left with?

A fist.

Your hand is strongest when clenched in a fist, and you are strong because of the five things you're grateful for.

Give it a shot and see what you think.

( Thanks for letting me share this with you, CARDINAL COUPLE readers. We'll dive back into the world of UofL women's sports tomorrow...Jeff McAdams grabs the lacrosse stick and challenges Nikki Boltja to a shoot-out. We're not sure what he'll bring to the table tomorrow, but if it's Jeff...it's gonna be good.)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>




White has the coaches flocking to her games

Coach Walz and crew are back out on the recruiting trail before Sunday's game against DePaul from what we hear. Coaches do that, you know. We've heard that a couple of potential targets include Jatatie White and A'ja Wilson.

White, a very impressive post, is highly regarded in the 2014 Class and stands 6'4". She's out of Charlotte, NC and plays for Providence Day School. Can take over games with her scoring and rebounding.

Aja a powerful presence in the paint

Wilson hails from Hopkins, SC and is a 6'3" combo forward. Has the strength and aggressiveness to be an impact player at the next level and another Class of 2014 player that is highly-sought after.

It's no secret that both of these girls are potential benefits to any program they choose and the Cardinal coaching staff is making sure they get a lot of "face time" at their games....as well as others that are on the 2014 radar.

Bringing Sydney Brackemyer into the 2014 class is a major coup for the Cards. The guys at Peach State Hoops love her and she's the type of player that other players would die to play with because she does so many things well and gets her teammates actively involved as well. Syd is all about team.

Obviously, recruiting is a major part of a coach's job. It's the part that doesn't get the press clippings and internet discussion right away...but if the seeds planted now grow into sturdy program contributors...the fruits of the labor are shared by the entire fan base. Coaches are farmers, in a sense. Let's hope the "Cardinal Farmers" have a bumper crop...

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Finally, in a non-women's sports look, clown-prince Bobby Petrino has placed the blame on Arkansas' dismal season after his dismissal on...(wait for it)...him.

Really, Bobby? Ya think? (Paulie delivers "Gibbs slap" to the back of the coach's head.)

He also claims that his new employer (WKU) has a better training and conditioning facility than Arkansas.

They're gonna love that in Fayetteville.

Pinocchio has spoken. Here's hoping Willie Taggert goes 11-1 in Tampa (losing only to the Cards) and B.P. goes 1-11 and ends up working as a salesman at a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership.

It just boggles the mind, sometimes. It really does. I wonder if Hilter accepted responsibility for the fall of the Third Reich?




--

--