USA U 19 WBB ready to roll in Spain -- Saturday Cardinal Couple

WALZ, MOORE WILL BE IN ACTION SUNDAY IN THE SPAIN U-19 INTERNATIONAL INVITATIONAL

The USA U 19 women's basketball team is in Murcia, Spain and will go through a second day of practice before playing in the Spanish event that will be contested over three days.

USA faces Australia at noon ET on Sunday, Canada at noon on Monday and finally Spain on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. We are checking for any possible TV for these events. 

The team is having their second day of practices today and reports are that the coaches and players are eagerly awaiting the chance to play against some excellent international competition. 

We have word from several highly credible sources (but no official statement) that Katie Lou Samuelson did not make the trip to Spain...having to go home on a family issue. No word on whether she'll catch up with the team in Chekhof, Russia. 

Or whether Kirk, Sulu or any Klingons will meet them there...phasers on stun and have the transporter device ready. 

So, the #1 and #2 players in the Class of 2015 (Asia Durr and Samuelson) aren't there. I'll let you decide which is #1 and #2...I have my pick and it's Asia #1 and Katie Lou #2. 

Not to worry. USA U 19 has plenty of talent. Beside Mariya Moore...you've got A'ja Wilson (South Carolina), Shakayla Thomas (FSU), Chatrice White (Illinois), Azura' Stevens (Duke) and Gabbi Ortiz (Oklahoma). All of them had impressive freshman seasons at their schools. Add the high school seniors Kristine Anigwe, Napheesa Collier, Lauren Cox, Crystal Dangerfield and Ali Patberg and you've got a team that beat the USA Pan Am team by six and lost to them by three a few days back.

On the Canadian roster there are eight players either headed to or who have played freshmen seasons at USA colleges represented..
Iowa State, Syracuse, Memphis, Minnesota, Toledo, Illinois, Utah and Oregon. On the Spanish roster is Angela Salvadores...who is headed to Duke. 

Salvadores has performed well against USA team in previous international competiton. She put up 40 against USA in the finals of the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Womens U 17. We've added a clip below:

SALVADORES GOES OFF ON USA 


Hers is a name Cardinal WBB fans will hear quite often over the next four years...hopefully as performing brilliantly in a loss to Louisville...

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

BECKY BURKE...HEAD COACH


Becky Burke was officially named the head coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ.  

There is a Embry-Riddle in Florida also and they have had great athletic successes in the NAIA. We assume the Arizona campus will be NAIA also. 

Burke gets to build this program from scratch. They'll take the court for the 2016-17 season. What an exciting time for the UofL point guard that played in the 2009 NCAA Championship game! 

Another branch of the Walz coaching tree that has blossomed and bearing leaves. We wish BB the best of success and imagine this team will probably become quite adapt at shooting the three like their coach was. 

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

RADIO TODAY! 

Our weekly broadcast on the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR airs today at 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 and on the Internet at www.crescenthillradio.com. Link below:

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR


We have an exciting show planned for you. We'll play and discuss the seven-minute interview we had with Jeff Walz earlier in the week and also look at the USA U 19 women's basketball team that Walz is an assistant coach on. We'll get a report from WorldWide on Poorcastle Friday night and we'll have a quiz for him as well. 

Plenty of things going on in the basketball world and we'll round table a few. You never know who is going to pop in...so be sure to tune in!

paulie
xxxxx