CARDS HONOR FIVE SENIORS TONIGHT
Sometimes, I wonder where the time goes...
Shoni Schimmel, Nita Slaughter, Polly Harrington and Charmaine Tay were also a part of that freshman class. Names we'll either remember for a long time or bring up on rare occasions when discussing the history of UofL WBB.
Fast forward to 2011-12. Sara Hammond joined the ranks, Louisville winning the battle with UConn to gain her services. Jude Schimmel became the second off-spring of Cece and Rick to arrive on campus. Bria Smith reconsidered and said "no" to Virginia after a coaching change and "yes" to Coach Walz. Dyer was healthy and Vails was ready to swat shots and rebound.
108 victories these five have been a part of. Final fours and the biggest upset win in the history of women's college basketball. Opening a brand new downtown arena. Playing in three different conferences. Injuries, setbacks and times in the limelight and times watching from the seats on the sidelines. Ah...the life of a college student-athlete.
Boston College comes into town tonight to be the Cards senior night opponent. Chances are...if head coach Erik Johnson could have picked another opponent or another night to face the #8 Cardinals...he probably would have traded with any of the ACC members on the spot. Unless the option was the Irish.
These Eagles are 12-15 and 4-10 in ACC play. Unless they pull off the biggest shocker in ACC Tournament play history in Greensboro, they'll be concentrating on studies instead of offensive sets in mid-March. They've lost three of their last five...Sue Semrau's Seminoles delivering the latest "L" 86-68 on Paulie's birthday Sunday.
These Bostonians shoot the three a lot. Kelly Hughes has made 74 of them this year for BC. They connect on an ACC-best 8.4 in 23 attempts per game.
A pre-game honoring of the five seniors will make you want to arrive early to the KFC YUM! Center. All five will start against the Golden Eagles.
It's the final home game of the year for Louisville WBB. It's your chance to say "we love ya and goodbye" to "The Hammer", "Hey Jude", "I see ya Bria", "URinDyerNeedofme" and "Roni". Five women that came, saw, conquered, dealt with the pain and pleasure and performed for your entertainment. They deserve your applause one more time. They've certainly earned it.
It'll be on WKRD 790 and Cards TV if you can't attend. An expected good time is planned for all. Unless you're sporting Baldwin the Eagle's gear. We'll wrap it up later tonight...
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Words From Walz
Check it out at the link below:
WALZ TALKS SENIORS AND BC
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Durr, Cole named to WBCA All-American Team
Congratulations are in order to 2015 signees Asia Durr and Taja Cole for being named to the WBCA high school All-American team. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association honored Durr on the 10-player first team and Cole was one of twenty selected as honorable mention.
Katie Lou Samuelson was picked as WBCA Player of the Year.
paulie
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Is Samuelson really better than Durr or is it a case of that biased East Coast, UConn loving coaches fraternity throwing in their lots with one of Geno's?
ReplyDeleteCurtis Franklin
You took the words out of my mouth. No matter the ranking, it's extra votes if you are UCONN bound.
DeleteDoes anyone know if the doors open earlier than 6:00 p.m. for the game tonight?
Curtis, if Samuelson is better than Durr she is really, really, really good. They play different positions, of course, and Samuelson played against bigger schools than Durr in high school.
DeleteI'll take my chances with Durr. One good thing about a guard is that it's easier to get the ball in her hands than it is for a wing or, especially, a post player. And for the next four years the ball will be in Durr's hands a lot.
Not sure of the door opening procedure and time tonight....Venue Services will do basically whatever the UofL support staff wants, in conjunction with the KFC YUM! Center event staff.
DeletePaulie
Katie Lou is a 6'3" wing that has a good midrange and 3 point shooting resume. Asia a 1 or 2 guard. No straight comparison.
DeleteThere isn't much to separate players of this caliber. The difference might be that KLS's team is ranked #1 in the nation while Durr's is not a national power.
DeleteShoni Schimmel was ranked 5th in her class and ended up being the MVP of the
ReplyDeleteWNBA all-star game in her rookie season. Those ranking are incredibly arbitrary and frequently wrong. Though I admit the possibility that Durr may be overrated, I have a feeling that she is not and will be an amazing asset to the Cards program, success and legacy. GO CARDS.
Shoni was recognized nationwide for her scoring ability. Some coaches passed on her because of "coachability" issues. Preliminary high school rankings aren't worth the printer ink it takes to generate them. The true test is how the individual reacts and performs at that next level. Charmaine Tay came in as a highly ranked, all-world prospect. Two schools and five years later, she's singing rap songs on YouTube. Angel McCoughtry spent a year at a postgrad school and disappeared from the rankings. Tom Collen remembered her and brought her on board.
DeleteRankings, like recruiting, are a roll of the dice.
Blue Lou
Rankings are a good starting point, but not the end all. Most players (most, not all!) will get better at the next level. A one star senior in high school can develop into a 4 star senior college player with the right coaching and work ethic. I like to use Gorgui as a good example, he was NOT very good as a freshman, ended up not even playing his senior year in college.
DeleteWe don't follow the rankings real close here other than mention of them and the occasional discussions we get here in the comments sections. It's like betting on horse-racing. Sometimes the favorites produce. Sometimes longshots sneak in there. In the final analysis...it comes down to the individual's ability to learn. perform and listen at the next level.
DeletePaulie
So true!
DeleteNice write up Paulie. The only time I get jealous of the local Card fans is on Senior Day. Hope they all get the respect & honor they deserve and we have a big turn out and of course beat BC.
ReplyDeleteGo Cards.
Absolutely! Headed to the YUM! in a few. Hoping for a big win tonight and great send off for the seniors. Can't wait to see the halftime show. Hope the YUM! is packed. It's cold outside and slight snow flurries falling.
DeletePaulie