USA U 23 WBB tryouts begin -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

36 VYE FOR THE CHANCE TO GO TO JAPAN

The best and brightest of the NCAA Women's College basketball world have convened in Colorado Springs for five days of tryouts, practice and competition to determine who the 12 players representing the USA will be in the round-robin tournaments that will be held in Japan from Aug. 12th-15th against Australia, Canada and Japan. 

The University of Louisville is one of the 22 universities that have player(s) involved in the tryouts.  Asia Durr and Myisha Hines-Allen will compete for the roster and their coach, Jeff Walz, is the head coach of the squad. Walz will not be one the official squad-picking committee...that's made up of six different coaches and people representing USA basketball...but he was on hand last night to hear lead clinician of the tryouts Geno Auriemma address the hopefuls. Although Walz isn't quite sure how the committee will divide the players into the four-team groups that will compete against each other for several days...he did have this to say about Geno's presence in the process:  

CAPTION THIS PICTURE

" I think it's perfect. You have a lot of great college basketball players who need to hear from someone else. They get the same rhetoric from their college coaches all the time. Now you get the Olympic coach come in here and basically back up what we've been saying. It's important for them to hear and understand. It's not just 'what do you do during and game' or 'how do you come to practice?' or 'how do you get your teammates better?' It's so valuable for him to come in and be a part of it." 

Geno had some very straight-forward words for the participants last night, including: 

"I'm not saying you're going to become an Olympian...but I'm not here to say that you won't either..."

Coach probably wouldn't mind having this gal out there.

The task ahead is formidable for these 36. Showcasing their skills in hopes of making the squad.  The players will train all week and also have a mini-tournament that will culminate with a gold meal game on Friday....the ultimate goal being to make the team that will travel to Japan. Five participants (Napheesa Collins, Azura Stevens, Katie Lou Samuelson and Gabby WIlliams of UConn...plus Rebecca Greenwell of Duke) will be unavailable to go to Japan because their schools have trips planned to go to Italy at the same time...but the selection committee will obviously have plenty of talent to choose from for the travelling roster. How many ACC girls will be selected? A lot of questions ahead. 

A training camp designed for the individual to get better. A chance to compare yourself with the top names in college women's basketball. A chance to travel internationally and compete against three other very viable and talented programs from other countries. 

We'll watch with interest on how this all shakes out with the University of Louisville girls...as well as former Card Mariya Moore, Ownesboro native Greenwell and Elizabethtown, KY's Erin Boley...who are also in Colorado Springs. A run down of the roster is truly impressive...11 girls that the Cards played against in the 2016-17 season are in-camp. Seven players Walz was with in Russian back in 2015 are also participating. 

Jeff Walz, Michelle Clark-Heard and Courtney Banghart will be presented with a roster that most WNBA franchises would be proud to enter in competition. Their job will be to mold them into a unit, yes, but just as importantly...to guide them in exploring their capabilities and learn about leadership. Jen Rizzotti, Wes Moore, Kara Lawson-Barling, Karen Aston and Tonya Cardoza...all pretty good basketball minds themselves... have the task of selecting the 12. I'd be surprised if they didn't consult closely with Walz and his staff...plus Geno...on the final squad, but we can't say with any certainty that they will. Separation of church and state scenario possibly at work here...it will be a great question to pose to Walz later this year, I'm thinking. Or, maybe just another thing for him to gripe at me about...the stakes are high when you're an independent and senile site-owner/editor dealing with a mad scientist.  

The bronze and gold medal of the training camp will be streamed live from the USA Training facility on August 4th. at 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. (MST) on usab.com and the final squad is expected to be announced later that Friday. 

Good luck to our Cardinals and in-state players! 


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NICE TO BE BACK ON THE PAGES...


A few of you may have noticed that Jeff, Case and Jared have been doing the columns for the last 11 days here at the website. (Or maybe you didn't...I am that inconspicuous, perhaps). A big thanks to them for carry the Cardinal Couple torch onward while Paulie took a much-needed and greatly enjoyed vacation far away from the UofL sports world. The guys did a wonderful job and it is my opinion that we've assembled the best darn writing staff here for coverage of UofL sports on the Internet. 

Sometimes a renew, refresh and rejuvenation is needed. That, combined with the chance to step up my on-going physical rehab therapy after my hip replacement, was most welcome and I come back to this site and these pages ready and raring to go as our fall sports campaign draws closer. I'm walking really good these days. I can't express to you adequately, I suppose, just how important that is to me. Thanks for the calls, messages and encouragement. They served as motivation to stay on task. Let's go !!!

We have a fun August planned for you here at these pages and on THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR Saturdays on WCHQ 100.9 FM.  We've been having full studios for the radio show and that will continue...with several backups lined-up in case one of our starting foursome has a conflicting event on Saturday. We'll continue the "catching up" segments as as well...and the weekly quizzes...which some of you think are the best features of our broadcasts. Our last "catch-up" with Tia Gibbs was fantastic and is available for listening at the Crescent Hill Radio archives...as well as here at the site. We're waiting for someone to step up and defeat the "Worldwide" dominance of Jeff in the quizzes. 

Check the gear, warm up and stretch and get your mind and attitude "right"...fall sports are right around the corner and we'll go to battle in them together here at the Couple.


paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball -- Then there were two. -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HINES-ALLEN, CARTER REMAIN FROM THE 2014 CLASS


It was a much ballyhooed, highly ranked class. Five players that would continue to keep the Cards WBB program making NCAA regional finals and more. A talented group coming in to join an already existing talented group. Three five-star prospects, a four-star and four of the five in the ESPNW Top 100 rankings. 

Cards fans were excited about getting Myshia Hines-Allen, Mariya Moore, Arica Carter, Sydney Brackemyre and Arianna Freeman on campus. Rightly so, a lot of talent existed in the bunch and they were ranked eighth in the nation. 

We jump from May 2014 to June 2017. Along the way...Freeman decided that better opportunities existed at Colorado and went to play for the Buffs after a freshman season at UofL where she didn't see a lot of court time. She put up 7.7 and 3.2 for Colorado as a red-shirt sophomore on a 17-16 squad that got to the third round of the WNIT. She found the minutes she was looking for (18 per game). Would she have seen that many as a junior at Louisville last year? My guess is no. 

Brackemyre, injured before she got here, oft-injured while here and seeing the court just twice in two years at Louisville...was the next to wave good-bye to The Thinker statue on the Great Lawn off 3rd Street. Hers was a northern move....to the UofI (Indianapolis) Greyhounds in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The injuries healed, the playing time increased and the three-point shot we all knew she had returned in "Naptown"...she ended second leading scorer on the squad (15 p.p.g) for first-year coach Krystan Drayban and the 17-14 'Hounds. Would Brackemyre have been able to get close to those numbers and the 'Ville'? I just don't see that happening. We've seen it before with ex-UofL WBB players...a drop-down in competition quality results in a improved player performance. Get' em Syd! 

The spring of 2017 brought a surprise when a third member of that class decided to seek other venues. Although Mariya Moore was firmly ensconced as one of the top scorers and starters for the Cards after three seasons, she gave notice, packed her grip and left the building.  A desire to play closer to home. The chance to spend a coupe of years on the same roster as her younger sister. She gets what she wants. A big surprise in the women's college basketball community. Deep rumors that there may have been other reasons as well. In any event, investment in a program has to be 100% and hers was not for the Cardinal program in the future. Better to leave and be happy than to stay and sulk. 

Remember when? 

Hines-Allen and Arica Carter remain. 

MHA. The front line force. The one you want out on the court in the paint. Carter, maybe buoyed in her injury season, seeing the game from a different angle. She'll get every opportunity to run the point for Coach Walz. 

Two that survived the distance marathon. Two that showed that they are fully vested, made it through the ups and downs and have done the work. Two that have never experience the thrill of getting to an NCAA Final Four but still have that opportunity. Two of thirteen that will face the 2017-18 season with questions about the upcoming year but part of a unit that looks very strong, solid and experienced. 

On this first day of summer, thoughts race to November...when the two, along with 11 other very talented and skilled warriors, go on the quest that is the women's college basketball season.  How many of the three freshmen coming in will we be discussing senior seasons in a Cardinal uniform about several years from now. How will Carter come back from her injury? Who wins the battle for the vacated wing position, center and point-guard spots? 

When the leaves fall from the tree...we will see. 



FLORIDA FIASCO...CARDS BASEBALL FALLS TO GATORS

Leaving seven guys on base is no way to win a baseball game. Although the Louisville Cardinals outhit the Florida Gators seven to five last night...the Gators made the crucial at-bats count and tallied five runs to down Louisville 5-1 in the College World Series. 

It's now do-or-die time for Dan McDonnell's diamond-dwellers. Facing the TCU Horned Frogs Thursday night will get them another chance to knock off the Sunshine State stars. A loss and it's pack-your-bags time and come home. 

Long balls were the difference here. A solo shot in the third inning by UF gave them the lead. They would touch Cade McClure again for a three RBI fence clearer in the fourth. Both by guys who were batting under .250. 

Dan McDonnell's philosophy with this team has been one game and one win at a time. That's everyone's philosophy now...by default "Run to the Roar" has been a team motto of sorts this season. We'll alter it a bit for the next two games. First "Leap over the Frogs" and then...be a Gator Exterminator. 


paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Softball loses to NC State...Lacrosse today...Moore to USC -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS CRUMBLE IN QUARTERFINALS TO PACK


Lack-a-bat-ities picked a rotten time to reappear in the Louisville softball dugout.

Louisville fell to NC state in the opening round of the ACC Tournament 5-2 yesterday in Chapel Hill, NC. to the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The Cards could only muster two runs and six hits against Pack pitcher Peyton Silverman...while allowing NC State to touch starter Megan Hensley for four runs on nine hits and reliever Maryssa Becker for a run and five hits. 

The Pack put up a run in the first inning on the Cards and added another to go up 2-0 in the third inning. Louisville got one back, largely due to the efforts of Jordan McNary, who reached on a fielder's choice and then went from first to home on Morgan Meyer's bunt and a throwing error.

Things got worse for UofL in the top of the fifth. NC State pieced together five hits and a Cardinal fielding error contributed to three runs and a 5-1 lead. "Mike" Szydlowski tried to get the Cards back into the contest with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth...but the Cards could not piece anything together offensively in the final two innings and took a 5-2 loss. 

Sandy Pearsall on the loss: 

"I felt like our team didn't play defense toward the end and we were trying to hit it out of the park instead of doing what we did last weekend against them, which was hit the shots that we needed to hit, just keep the ball in their outfield and we didn't do that well today." 

The Cards now await their fate for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show will be on Sunday, May 14th. at 10 p.m. on ESPN 2. 64 teams will be selected. The guess here is that Louisville will be picked to go to one of 16 regional sites...where action will take place May 19-21. 


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LACROSSE BEGINS NCAA TOURNAMENT TONIGHT

The Louisville Lacrosse squad faces James Madison tonight at 6 p.m. at Penn State's field in first round NCAA action. It's the fourth consecutive NCAA appearance for Kellie Young's squad. 

The Cards and Dukes have never met in Lacrosse. Young was the head coach at JMU before accepting the Louisville job in 2006. 

The #18 ranked LaxCards will seek their first-ever NCAA Tournament win against a #16 James Madison that prides themselves on presenting a stingy defense. The Dukes (13-6) allow just 8.58 goals per contest...which ranks eighth nationally. They won the CAA title with wins over Delaware and Elon...who both made the tournament as well. 

Louisville (11-7) will look their own defensive stopper, goalie Brittany Read..who allows just 9.58 goals per game. She was the ACC Defender of the Year. On the attack, senior Hannah Koloski leads a talented group of scorers with 60 goals. Sophomore Meghan Siverson complied 52 scores on the season. 


You can catch the action on the Penn State athletics website live stream. Link below: 

LOUISVILLE VS JAMES MADISON



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MOORE JOINING MOORE AT USC. 

Reports on Twitter from several sources indicate that former Cardinal WBB player Mariya Moore will be joining her sister Minyon Moore at USC. 

There was speculation a few weeks ago that Minyon would be leaving USC and Mariya did make a visit to Cal recently...but it now looks like the sisters will be reunited on the Trojan campus. Mariya would have to sit a season before playing her senior year with Minyon...who would be a junior then. 

The move to Los Angeles for Mariya makes it possible for her parents to have the chance to see both girls play together and more frequently. The drive from Richmond, CA to L.A. is about five hours down I-5 and is also serviced by Amtrak. 

Minyon Moore‏ @MinyonMoore

It's always been a dream of mine to play basketball with my sister again. Congrats on your commitment to USC! #weback @Riyabelikeee

paulie
xxxxx

Boo Williams Girls Nike Invitational ...Top KY Seniors...Paulie College-- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

96 TEAMS IN U-16 Division

One of the premiere event in spring girls basketball takes place this weekend in Hampton Roads, VA when the Boo Williams 2017 EYBL and NIKE Invitational takes place over a three-day period. College coaches will flock to two different areas to watch the best and the brightest 16 and under high school girls hoopsters do battle. Seven divisions, 200 teams descend upon the Boo Williams Sportsplex (8 courts) and Hampton Roads Convention Center (12 courts).

The major AAU program in Kentucky is Kentucky Premier. They'll be sending four squads to Hampton Roads to compete and they're sending eight squads to Murfreesboro, TN. this weekend to take part in the NEB Spring Invitational.  

You can be assured that the Louisville coaching staff will be in attendance in Virginia. Walz, Purcell and Norman all making the trip to the Boo Williams. Sam Williams is headed to Texas to view the Heart of Texas Showcase. 


TOP 10 KENTUCKY GIRLS 2018 SENIORS

In our "much too early" look at some of the top girls' high school senior for next season...we'll present this list. 

Seygan Robins - Mercer Co.  5-8         Emmy Souder - Mercer Co. 6-2
Macey Turley - Murray 5-7                   Lindsey Proffitt - Perry Co. Central 5-9
Ally Niece - Simon Kenton 5-8             Jaela Johnson - Manual  5-5
Blair Green - Harlan 6-1                     Tyrah McClendon-Engleman - Holmes 5-8
Grace Berger - Sacred Heart 5-11       Molly Lockhart - Butler 6-1


PAULIE COLLEGE TRANSFER SQUAD

With all the transfers this spring of college basketball players...let's have a little fun here. 

I am pleased to announce that Paulie College will participate in 2018-19 NCAA Division I women's basketball. My small, liberal-arts and preparatory law school should be a great success and I've decided, in addition to being the founder, I'm going to be the head WBB coach as well. 

I think Jeff Walz has taught me enough over the last ten years (or, at least he has tried) to handle the job. If I need further schooling I'll call Quentin Hillsman.

I'm going to build this initial roster with eight transfers and six freshmen. I'm pretty sure the NCAA won't allow me to offer 14 basketball scholarships in one year...so a few of these will be on academic scholarship and also various state lottery winners.

TRANSFERS IN:                                     PREVIOUS SCHOOL 

Mariella Fasoula                                     Boston College
Destiny Slocum                                     Maryland
Erin Boley                                             Notre Dame
Mariya Moore                                        Louisville
Minyon Moore                                        USC
Beatrice Mompremier                             Baylor 
Tori McCoy                                            Ohio State
Brenna Wise                                          Pittsburgh


My six freshmen: 

Olivia Nelson-Ododa (VA), Aquira DeCosta (CA), Seygan Robins (KY), 
Emmy Souder (KY), Honesty Scott-Grayson (VA) and Queen Egbo (TX).

As far as an assistant coaching staff, I'm going to make offers to Sam Purcell (Louisville), David Stallings (Bullitt East), Chris Souder (Mercer County), Cortnee Walton (WAVE TV) and Becky Burke (Emery Riddle). 

If I can't get three out of that bunch...I'm going the media star, "I played a basketball coach in the movies" route and ask Gene Hackman, Nick Nolte and Samuel L. Jackson. If I can't fill my three slots after that...I'll ask the nice lady who cuts my hair, my favorite bartender in Churchill Downs Gold Room and my co-hosts on the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR Jeff "Worldwide" McAdams and "Best" Case Hoskins.

Sports Information Director has to be Howie Lindsey. He knows everything and can talk all day. 

We will be known as the Paulie Peccadilloes and our mascot a huge question mark. I'm shooting for the Big East as our conference affiliation...but I'll settle for the AAC or C-USA. If I can get Syracuse thrown out of the ACC, that would be another option. We'll play our games in our spacious, newly constructed Baskerville Holmes Athletic and Convocation Center. 

Season tickets on sale now. Call my secretary Gladys C. Hughes for pricing levels. If one of the staff chimps answers...either hang up or be prepared to wait on hold for over an hour. They go at their own pace...


paulie
xxxxx  

Louisville Softball drops two to Noles...More on the transfers -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS SWEPT BY FSU

#2/3 Florida State took two against the Louisville Softball team on Sunday. The Noles were dominant in the opener, run-ruling the Cards 11-0 in the first and then coming back to win the second 4-3 in ten innings. 

The less said about the first contest the better. FSU jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead that Louisville contributed to with four errors. Three Seminole singles and a walk also contributed to the early hole that the Cards dug for themselves. 

Maryssa Becker and the Cards did settle down in the circle and on the field for a couple of innings after that but couldn't find any batting success against FSU hurler Jessica Burroughs. FSU added three runs in the top of the fourth and three more in the top of the fifth to hold the 11-0 lead as UofL approached the plate in the bottom of the fifth. Burroughs was three outs away from a no-hitter and got two of those before Morgan Meyer connected on a double to bust up the attempt. 

Coach Pearsall on the run-rule: 

"We started off on a bad note, with an error, and...unfortunately, that set the tone for us. That first inning hurt us. After that, we settled down but you can't make those kinds of mistakes against a team like Florida State. We knew they were going to hit the ball...so we can't give them runs." 

The second contest was a pitcher duel that was a battle of the Megan's. The Cards' Megan Hensley FSU's Megan King kept the zeroes piling up until Louisville broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Singles by Meyer and Jordan McNary and an error that allowed Caitlin Ferguson to reach first loaded the bases for Becker. She responded with a 2 RBI single to give Louisville the lead. 

FSU would not be denied and countered with two in the top of the seventh. Louisville went down in order to bring on bonus softball. After a scoreless eighth, the Noles Carsyn Gordon blasted a shot to left center to make it 3-2. The Cards used a double play to get out of danger and tied it back up in the bottom of the ninth when Nicole Pufahl singled and eventually scored on an Alison "Mike, Mike, Mike" Szydlowski single.

Louisville was in a great position to win the contest as the inning went on when Meyer reached on a two-out error to seemingly load the bases...but Szydlowski was caught in a rundown between third and home and the final out was recorded when she tried to slide into home. 

The Noles put together two hits to regain the lead at 4-3 in the top of the tenth. Louisville would counter with runners at first and third with two outs but could not push across the tying run. 

Sandy Pearsall was proud of Hensley's effort: 

" This was Megan's best effort since she returned from her injury. I was pleased that she was able to throw that many innings today and thought she did a good job. The outcome was not what we wanted...but we fought and dug and kept coming back." 

The two squads will complete the series tonight at Ulmer with a first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. ESPNU will provide coverage. 


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CARDINAL TRANSFERS 

We've received a lot of e-mails, messages and phone calls about the three transfers from the Louisville women's basketball squad over the weekend. People wanting to know "What's the real story behind Mariya Moore leaving?"... "Why would she want to go with one year left?"..."Why is Ciera Johnson going when it looked like she was going to be the starting center for next year?..."Will there be more transfers?" 

And so on and so forth...

Most everyone seemed to think that it was a good move for Brianna Jones "Jonesey" to go to a place where she could get more playing time. Cardinal fans will miss that bright smile and she seemed to be a great teammate to all. Here's hoping she can find the time she desires at Georgetown and she lights up the Big East. She goes to a roster that currently listed eight players for 2017-18 and five of them are seniors. So, after sitting a year, she'll have a shot to compete for a starting role on a squad that just might need some quality, experienced players. 

The Ciera Johnson situation stemmed from her desire to play closer to her family after trying a season away from them. She's has a great family and will be missed...but players make decisions and hers was to try her fortunes hopefully somewhere in the Lone Star State. The Duncanville, TX center had some bright moments for the Cards...in my personal opinion, though...and mirroring what some of you have mentioned to me...she could stand to lose a few pounds and develop better hands. We're not exactly sure which schools Ciera will be contacted by or will contact. If she's is Big 12 bound...she'll need to use that season of sitting to get ready for some very tough post-players in the conference. 

Mariya Moore was the first to announce and was the one who, by far, caught the vast majority by surprise. Mariya expressed a desire to play her final season closer to her home in Hercules, California (a suburb of San Francisco) where her parents could make more games.  The decision to leave after three successful seasons as a Cardinal had to be a hard one...but college is a time where a student-athlete has a limited window to acquire a degree and perform. Moore's decision also coincides with her younger sister (Minyan) and her decision to leave USC. Is there a plan for them to play together somewhere? Is it because of the coaching change at USC? California or maybe even the University of San Francisco would appear to be logical possibilities if this was the motive and driving factor. As far as any other reasons for Mariya leaving...we won't play conspiracy theorists here. 

As we have stated before, the success of a unit depends on its core and unity. The Cards will have plenty of strengths on their (as of now) 12 player roster. Some of you have even started discussing starting line-ups for 2017-18. We won't go there just yet. Coach Walz and staff still have Hines-Allen, Durr, Shook, Jazz Jones, Fuehring, Carter, Zambrotta, Dunham and Laemmle on the roster and add Duvall, Evans and Kakala. That's a very strong roster of 12.

Will there be more attrition? Any add-ons? Not that we know of as of this morning. Anything, of course, is possible in the world of college basketball. Everyone was ready to hand UConn the 2017 NCAA women's basketball crown. Transfers much large than the trio of Cards leaving have already occurred this spring. 

We will follow women's college basketball with a dutiful interest the rest of the spring, through the summer and the rest of the year. But, we will also explore the end of softball, lacrosse and the other spring sports currently taking place on campus. 

There's a lot of joy and excitement still to report. We're on it!!

paulie
xxxxx

Thunder (and Lightning?) Over Louisville Edition -- Walz on Moore... SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

JEFF WALZ ON MOORE TRANSFER

A early morning chat with Jeff Walz on Mariya's transfer. Coach is in Dallas, waiting to fly to the west coast for recruiting.

Excerpts from our conversation below:

"Mariya is leaving the program to play her senior year closer to home. The main thing here is the happiness of the individual. We bring in young student-athletes, we try and prepare them for life after college and we are responsive to their needs. Mariya's happiness is priority #1. College is a learning experience and the student's opportunity to set the ground work for later life is so very important. Mariya is an incredible young women who contributed greatly to our program and I'm sure she'll be a successful and vital part of wherever she decides to continue her education and athletics. In the final analysis, it's not about the points or the wins...it is about what motivates these individuals to be the best they can be and succeed in the world, plus their comfort and happiness in daily life. I wish her all the best in her new directions and we are grateful to her for what she brought to Louisville basketball.  The heart wants what the heart wants, she'll be fine and this program will continue to achieve and build upon the successes we have had in my time here."  

So...Moore is gone. A bit surprising, yes. But it goes to show the quality and sincerity of the man guiding the Cards WBB program. What kind of coach would Jeff be if he didn't back and support the decision a young women makes about the rest of her life. What kind of fans would we be if we didn't wish her the best of luck and success? One player does not make a unit, It is the total of the players.

Players come and go. Coaches deal with a myriad of emotions, personalities and issues. The key, the constant is the program. The unit. Although Moore's departure is news, it will not slow down this team's goal to work hard every day and achieve success. We at CARDINAL COUPLE wish Mariya the best and hope she excels wherever she lands. The unit will carry on.

paulie
xxxxx


RAINY DAY FOR THUNDER





Though the forecast for today has settled a bit with rain clearing
out this morning and returning mid-day, I don't expect to see any record breaking crowds at the opening event of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The threat of being wet and cold all day, combined with the huge negative impact the low cloud ceiling will have on the airshow, have made many, including myself, change their plans about heading down to the waterfront this year. It's unfortunate that we've had nearly perfect weather for almost two weeks just to have the weather be this crappy on the one day we want it to be nice. Oh well, such is life in the Ohio River Valley. Rain may hinder some from camping out on the Great Lawn all day but it won't hinder our love of Cardinal Sports!

Cards Struggle on "Duke Day"

A couple of weeks ago, you may remember that the University of Louisville and the University of Notre Dame had their own College Olympics, facing off in three sports in the same day. The same thing happened with the Cards and the Blue Devils of Duke yesterday as the two schools faced off in baseball and men's and women's tennis. It was an unfortunate day for all three squads, and at least two of the matchups had surprising results. The baseball team squared off against a Duke team that was barely above .500 overall and well below that mark in conference and promptly put up a honker to start the series. Coming off of the 11-7 thrashing in Lexington on Tuesday, you might have expected the Cards to show a little more fight, but they went down 3-0 in the first two innings before ultimately losing 5-3. It was an uncharacteristically bad night for the Cardinals' Ace, Brendan McKay, but even the best pitchers in The Show struggle from time to time. Drew Ellis seemed to be the only one trying support McKay with some offense, homering twice in the loss.

A sad but accurate description of yesterday's results.

The surprising tennis result came at the hands of the women's team. You might remember that the Cards started the season extremely hot, winning match after match. Such was not the case yesterday in Durham, as the fifteenth ranked Blue Devils swept the Cards 7-0. Yikes. The men's team fared better than the women's, to be sure, but were ultimately unable to secure a win. They fell 3-4. 

The Diamond Cards will get another couple of shots at Duke this weekend as they hope to continue their series winning streak, and both tennis teams will look to bounce back during their matches on Sunday.

Senior Day for Louisville Lacrosse

Senior Hannah Koloski

Another top ranked opponent for Louisville Lacrosse today, as they host number seven Syracuse in their regular season finale. In order to have postseason aspirations, Louisville pretty much has to win this game and the ACC tournament in my opinion to have a shot at making the small field. The game will begin at 1PM (around the time the rain is set to start back up), and the senior day ceremony will take place pregame. Seniors Stephanie McNamara, Hannah Koloski, Anne L'Heureux, and Heidi Smith will be honored. The team is likely to miss Koloski the most after this year, as she leads the country in free position goals per game and shots on goal per game and is second in the country with goals scored at 57. Youth on the team has showed that they can score, but let's enjoy the offensive dynamo as much as we can for the rest of the year.

WBB Lands Huge Commitment

With a video on its way to potentially going viral in CardNation, Mykasa Robinson verbally committed to Louisville head coach, Jeff Walz, by lifting her warmup jersey to reveal a Louisville Cardinals shirt at the GNBA Spring Invitational. Robinson, a point guard in the 2018 class, was previously committed to Colorado, where her sister is a sophomore, before reopening her recruitment at the end of March. Robinson is ranked the 13th overall player in the class and the number 4 point guard, which only serves to bolster Walz's ever increasing beast of a backcourt. Some digging showed that Robinson's decommitment from Colorado did not follow a coaching change, so this one will be interesting to watch, and we'll be anxiously awaiting Mykasa's signing. Nonetheless, this is a huge grab for the Cards and a great start to Walz's 2018 class.

Return to the Airwaves

After a holiday break last week, Paulie, Worldwide, and I will be back in the studio to bring you up to speed on all of the happenings that we can fit into an hour. Many of the things you hear on the show have been mentioned previously on the site, but our banter and Paulie's technical goofs are often enough to entice listeners to the show. Tune into 100.9 WCHQ FM or on the WCHQ app to hear us bring the joy of Louisville women's athletics to live radio from 11-12 today!

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Court in session....how will they judge? Friday CARDINAL COUPLE

******BREAKING NEWS******

MARIYA MOORE LEAVING LOUISVILLE WBB

Sources close to the UofL WBB program have confirmed that junior Mariya Moore has decided to leave the Cards. She will leave the program at the end of the semester and return to California. Her hopes are to play her senior season closer to home. It is also being reported that her sister Minyon Moore is leaving USC. The news on Minyon comes from her father's Instgram page. 

Moore was a second-team All ACC selection in the 2016-17 season and averaged 12 points a game for the Cards. A check of the 2016-17 roster at gocards.com still has Moore listed...but several reports on Moore leaving Louisville began to surface last night and it has been confirmed that she won't play for Louisville in the 2017-18 season. 



LOUISVILLE PRESENTS CASE TO NCAA COMMITTEE ON INFRACTIONS.

Back on the popular 1960's television show LAUGH IN, there was a segment called "Here Comes Da Judge". The late Flip Wilson was "yer honor". The skit also produced a song by Pigmeat Markham called....wait for it...Here Comes Da Judge. 

SONG LINK: HERE COMES DA JUDGE!

I'm pretty sure I've still got a t-shirt somewhere with that saying on it...unless Sonja has donated it to one of the thrift stores she likes to give old stuff to. 

Yesterday, in Cincinnati, the Cards faced the judge...or, in this case, an 11 hour session in front of members of the NCAA Committee on Infractions to present their side of the prostitute/sex scandal that stunned the campus, community and college sports back in October 2015.

Nothing like swift justice, right? 

Decisioning should come in 6-8 weeks on the series of incidents where Andre McGee allegedly paid for women's to "entertain" in Billy Minardi Hall. 

The Cards went to these hearings and told the truth, according to athletic director and vice-president Tom Jurich (which is always a good thing to do...in court and in all other aspects of life, as well).  Chuck Smrt, Tom and Rick Pitino were on hand to answer questions from the committee...along with a few lawyers...and offer rebuttals. Also there was acting UofL President Dr. Greg Postel and former program assistant Brandon Williams, accused of a major program violation in the original charges and guy who refused to give up his cell phone. 

Andre McGee was not present. I wonder if he's still driving for Uber? 

Details of the proceedings are confidential. UofL officials are prohibited by the NCAA from answering questions about the proceedings. There was even confusion on where the proceeding were going to take place...some local television stations were headed to Indianapolis to cover the event (home of the NCAA) when they found out it was Cincinnati and a ballroom at the Hyatt. A quick right-turn at Columbus, Indiana ("Take a right on 46 and head to I-74, boys!") and off to Ohio. 

At least the Cards were at a hearing and not up in front of Judge Smails from the movie Caddyshack...as for Cincy as a locale? Maybe they had tickets for the Reds and Cubs...

Some say Pitino didn't speak about the hearings after all was said and done yesterday. Some say Jurich likes the new interim President Postel and thinks they'll get along fine. We'll come back to that.  All are wondering how this thing is going to turn out. Six weeks can't go by fast enough. Let's hope an organization that usually moves at a turtle's pace can proceed on this issue like Julian Leparoux guiding a horse down Churchill's stretch to the wire. 

-- Take a vacation, Rick...A lot of observers are speculating that Coach Pitino will be suspended for a few games next season. How many and when during the season is the big question. Three games at the start of the year? Sure no problem. Seven games during ACC Conference play? Could be a big problem. 

-- Take down the 2013 National Championship banner and vacate the title? That probably won't happen. A penalty too harsh for what happened. 

-- Monetary fines? Yeah, probably so. The NCAA loves to levy fines. 

Let's not forget that the Cards reported the violations on their own and took measures against themselves....sitting out the 2016 NCAA Tournament. There's been a board upheaval and former president James Ramsey is gone. 

Most Cardinal fans just want this chapter to be finished and the whole episode to come to closure. Other schools have "allegedly" done much worse, didn't self-report their actions and still haven't gone to trial yet. We want to be done with it.

Tom Jurich on his Thursday in Cincy: 

“It was a long day, but very productive,” Jurich said. “We said from Day One that we’d tell the truth, and we’ve done that. I was extremely impressed, this was my first time, really, to be around Dr. Postel, certainly in a very challenging environment. I couldn’t be more proud of him and look so forward to working with him now in the future. I always say to my staff, you like to evaluate people when you’re going through adversity. Well, this is adversity. Seeing him stand up for our institution and for our athletic department, and to stand for what is real, I was so impressed. So I look forward to (that) with Dr. Postel. I think our university is in great hands. And I can’t say that enough.”

On the subject of the hearing, Jurich, continued, “We exchanged all of our information and the enforcement staff gave all of their information. The committee on infractions listened, they asked questions when they felt were needed. I think it was very, very thorough, and I think it goes without saying that I can’t wait to get this behind us. I’ve been told, in there, that we are not allowed to answer any questions, I’m told that until this is resolved, the thing it looks like it could be resolved in 6 to 8 weeks.”

Well? We're waiting !

It seems this has been going on for way too long, in my humble opinion. The NCAA is a huge and ponderous entity that moves at their own slow and lumbering pace and reacts slowly, if not deliberately, on infractions. Let's go back to horse racing, everyone wants to see the results of the race posted as soon as possible...especially if a horse you liked might be involved in them.

 This whole Louisville vs. NCAA episode is like running the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May and then informing the attendees and watchers that the posting of the official results will be on the Fourth of July.

Well? We're waiting...

What say you, readers? 


*****************************************************


DID YOU NOTICE? 

Last night I was flipping around the cable channels looking for something to watch when I landed on the NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers. During a crowd shot, who do I see but UofL head women's basketball coach Jeff Walz and his lovely wife Lauren watching the contest...center court and about five rows up from the action.  

Although Walz wasn't there scouting potential players for the Cards...he'll get back to that this weekend...he did get to see an exciting contest (for some) where the Cavs overcame a 25-point halftime deficit to rally and beat Indiana. 

Lebron James. Wow, just wow. 

Not a bad Thursday night date, Coach. 
paulie
xxxxx