Sunday Cardinal Couple -- Hines-Allen looking to finish strong

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-2014 prospect Hines-Allen #1 ranked in Jersey


We discussed the UofL WBB 2014 recruiting class on the Saturday CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR, but didn't get too far because Arianna Freeman and Syd Brackemyer are the only two pieces of the puzzle we can fill in yet.

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO 7/27/13

Syd will open the lid and appear on the grid
for Louisville

Just how many girls Jeff Walz will bring in no one exactly knows (the Cards are graduating at least four that we know of) and there are about a dozen or so that we hear linked with interest in Louisville.

One we'd like to see in the red and black is Myisha Hines-Allen. The senior at Montclair High School (Montclair, N.J.) is a 6'2" wing who averaged 21 points and grabbed 9 rebounds a game for the Mounties last season.

She's ranked #1 in New Jersey and Hoop Gurlz puts her at #17 in the nation for the class of 2014.

Hines-Allen will be a force

Basically, Hines-Allen can do it all. It's probably trite and overworked to compare prospects to the legendary Angel McCoughtry. The last player I did compare to Angel was Asia Taylor -- who was having a stellar senior season in high school before a leg injury slowed her down for almost two years.

Hines-Allen could be that good.

Her high school coach Bianca Brown is slow-playing her:

"From what I've seen this summer, Myshia has been more aggressive, more comfortable doing the things she will be asked to do."

We have a request also, Coach Brown, on something else you might ask her to do.

Consider Louisville.

The entire college basketball world is after "MHA" and she'll do well wherever she ends up. If Louisville is to keep a seat at the table of the elite women's basketball programs, the Cards need to win battles like this. The score on major coups for Louisville over the last three years is 1-2. Walz got Sara Hammond out of UConn's clutches. The Cards fought to land Sydney Moss. She migrated to Florida, was an All-SEC Freshman selection, but saw the error of her ways and is hiding out at Thomas More for a season.  Louisville saw Mercedes Russell decide on Tennessee...a decision some are still scratching their heads over. How long will she tolerate the Knoxville scene before pulling out and escaping the over-rated SEC WBB and Tennessee?

Dear Ms. Russell:

Louisville 86 - Tennessee 78. How do you like ol' Smokey and the Vols these days? But, it is important that a player feel comfortable and at ease with their college choice. If Mercedes is in that mode at UT, then all we can do is wish her a great four years and the best of luck.

Ask Holly Warlick, Jeff Walz, Geno Auriemma or any NCAA coach...


Do coaches feel pressure?

They just might answer the question with a question while shaking their head at you while giving you a puzzling look.

Do cupcakes have frosting?

(I actually heard someone ask a coach in a press conference once if they felt any pressure. The room became deathly silent. We were waiting for the coach's head to explode or armed security to escort the buffoon out of the room. If the coach had had a pie handy, it would probably have ended up in the scribe's face. The coach gave a terse, one-word reply. "Always").



It should be an interesting fall-signing period.


-Paulie


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