Louisville women's basketball -- Henderson to concentrate on track next year per Walz -- Wednesday CARDINAL COUPLE

HENDERSON TO STICK TO THE SHOT AND DISCUS

I started getting the messages and e-mails around 7:30 p.m. last night...

"Walz saying Henderson won't be back?" 

"E won't be playing hoops next year"

"Emmonnie staying with field events according to Walz." 

And, so...what a lot of people have been speculating has come to pass. Apparently. A check of a few other sites and sources confirms that:

1) Jeff Walz was on the radio last night for the Coach Walz show. 
2) He was asked a question on that show  about Emmonnie Henderson.
3) He spoke of her sticking with track and field and foregoing basketball next year.

It makes sense.

She has a chance to be in the Olympics this summer...most likely in the discus...but the shot put isn't entirely out of the question. She could very well have a successful 5-10 years after graduation throwing professionally and around the world. She definitely wasn't a WNBA candidate in hoops. You play to your strengths. 

I've never trained for throwing events in track and field but I have a friend who threw shot and discus in high school and he indicated to me that the training for basketball and training for field throwing events is different. It's also a different body physique and structure. He tried to do both one year. He told me the running killed him in hoops. He lost weight and it affected his ability to throw for awhile the following spring. 

Louisville probably could have used "E" and her strength inside and ability to score inside a few times this year. I'd rather see her "go for what she knows" though...maybe we'll see her on the podium in Rio in 2016. Hopefully, we'll see her winning a bunch of ACC and NCAA events as the sport transitions from the indoor to the outdoor season. She's already won several shot put throws during the indoor season.

Louisville women's track and field has had a long history of excellence in throwing events. One of Louisville's best, Jere Summers, a two-time All-American...is on campus as director of operations and on campus recruiting for track and field. We would also surmise that she's spending a few hours with the Cardinal throwers. Cardinal track and field head coach Dale Cowper also serves as the throws coach.

So...what exactly are "throws"? 

The classification involves five different events...the weight, hammer, shot put, discus and javelin throws. Louisville lists 11 student-athletes on the roster as throwers. You can expect to see the names Dolly Nyemah, Rachel Serafin, Caitlin Gilmore and Megan Brooks garnering high place finishes in events this year. 

Nyemah finished second in the weight throw at the Akron Invitational over the weekend. Henderson finished 4th in the shot...in the open division and facing several throwers who were either unattached or throwing for the prestigious New York Athletic Club. Summers even got into the act and finished second in the discus.

As Worldwide and I discussed on the radio last week, the discus isn't an indoor event due to space limitations. We'll continue to monitor her indoor season and we look forward to the outdoor season and watch how things go for her. 

If you're driving down Floyd Street this spring, keep an eye out when you get near the YUM! Practice Facility. The throws field is nestled behind it. Airbourne objects may be closer than they appear...and the Cards definitely have an aerial attack on campus. 

paulie
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