6'4" SOPHOMORE GOES HOME
The rumors started popping up a couple of days ago that the Louisville women's basketball squad might be losing a player. Speculation began on who it might be. A leading contender emerged and those rumors were backed up by a Tweet from sophomore forward Erin DeGrate: I would like to take the opportunity to thank the staff of University of Louisville & the incredible fans that supported me throughout my freshman year. With deep consideration I have decided to transfer to another university. I want to personally thank all of my teammates for taking me in as family and for being by my side when I needed them the most and for that I will always love you guys. I plan to find the university that best fits me to further my education and to become the best player that I can possibly be, again thank you to the University of Louisville and the fans! & I would like to give a special thank you to Coach Walz and staff.
And so it goes. As is always the case, there is speculation on why. We have heard nothing official out of the Cards WBB sports information crew or Coach Walz about this yet...and her name is still listed on the current 2016-17 roster...but, from the sources we have...#1 from Waco, TX. has left the building.
Jeff Walz has a philosophy. It is a good one. As far as what a player needs to know...If you don't want to work hard all the time and do things the way the coaching staff wants you to...you have to question if you need to be here.
Maybe she was homesick. Maybe she grew tired of the daily backups on I-65 during rush hours. Speculation being what it is...the reality of the matter is that she's put out her closing statement.
Her career was a short one at Louisville. There were flashes of brilliance...but, in the end and in crunch time, it was Fuehring getting those minutes when Hines-Allen and Walton needed a breather or were in foul trouble.
28 games and one start. Roughly seven minutes per contest with 3.0 points per game and 3.1 rebounds. 211 minutes on the court. We hope those numbers improve for her wherever she ends up. Sam Houston State and Texas A&M have been floated up as possible destinations. Good luck, Erin!
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ALI WAS THE GREATEST
He changed his name from Cassius Clay to coincide with his Muslim beliefs. He changed the world by becoming one of the first original "trash talkers"...and he did it in a time where there no Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or SnapChat. He did it in outrageous style.
We're not going to take a side on refusal to serve one's country. Sonya served, her dad and my dad served. I am proud of their choice to do so. We are a nation where multiple religious beliefs and freedom of expression are tolerated. We are the home of the free and land of the brave. I met Ali many years ago in the Louisville (Standiford) airport. Unmistakable in presence and not yet totally ravaged by the curse that is Parkinson's Disease. I approached him just to shake his hand...not seeking any autograph or photo.
As I stuck my hand out, he got that stern look on his face...that classic Ali scowl...and went into his boxing crouch...fists raised.
Then he smiled. Shook my hand. I spoke one phrase.
"Thrilla in Manilla"
He smiled a bit more broadly and whispered...
"Down goes Frazier."
Rest well, champ.
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THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR
THIS MORNING AT 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 FM and streaming live on the Internet at www.crescenthillradio.com
We'll have the Sandy Pearsall interview in it's entirety, we'll talk UofL WBB and Ali...plus much more. We'll see if Worldwide has left the country recently and maybe even toss a quiz at him!
For now we're using the website www.paulsykes.com
paulie
xxxxx
Paulie, you know that I love your site. One of the big reasons is that, as much as possible on a site that caters to rabid, sometimes irrational college sports fans, you deal in facts and make a point of avoiding some of the stuff that I see on other Louisville fan sites and sites for other schools.
ReplyDeleteSo I've got to let you know that I'm pretty disappointed in the "rumor is that her poundage may have been going in the wrong direction this spring" comment. Did that really add anything to the discussion? Even if that "rumor" is true, wouldn't that situation be covered under your earlier "If you don't want to work hard all the time and do things the way the coaching staff wants you to...you have to question if you need to be here" comment?
On another website I have seen comments like "obvious incurable weight problem" and "life time baby fat." Give me a break...."life time"????...this is a 19 or 20 year old kid we're talking about.
Best of luck to Erin wherever she ends up.
Erin knew the challenges that were in front of her. Coach Walz realizes that if he is to ever raise the program to UConn levels, it has to be hard work...all the time...from the players. I'll give you the example of Morgan Tuck. Geno was not happy with her as a freshman. She made the adjustments and became an essential for the Huskies.
DeletePlayers have to choose. Do the work and do it all the time or find a spot that fits your needs. I hope DeGrate has a splendid career wherever she goes. I'm glad that Paulie altered his comment in the article. I am sad to see her go but it is like one of one of Walz's statements. If you study than you just might end up with good grades. If you work hard you just might become better.
I don't see the need for calling Paulie out, Mike. Based on previous conversations with him, I have a very good idea of the time, effort and hard work he puts into this site. Unlike other sites, he isn't doing it for profit. He has one person that assists him on his site and radio show. One. I'm glad he stays with it. In a time when coaches are making a million dollars a year, here's a guy who is here just for love of his university. He doesn't need people taking pot shots at him. Thank you, Paulie. The Deb Factor
I appreciate the kind words, Deb. Sometimes in the preparation of Cardinal Couple, I choose wordings that makes sense at the time but I find out later that they are offensive to some. Sure no mal-intent was in my thought process at the time. I'm also always glad to go back and change things if they are inappropriate. We always appreciate our readers expressing their true feelings with us and welcome the occasional criticisms. It helps us get better and remind us of our mission statement and direction
DeletePaulie
Good point Mike
ReplyDeleteI loved Erin and her potential. Disappointed her leaving
Go erin find the college that works for you.Once a cardinal always a cardinal.GO CARDS!
ReplyDeleteLindsey Corsaro chooses UCLA. Former KY recruit
ReplyDeleteOnly two that have shot at staying all 4 years from the original 5 that made up #1 class are Durr and Sam. That's pretty much what we'll get from the overhyped class. The school hyped the class with billboards and promoting it was the #1 class . I never thought the class was that goid.
ReplyDeleteI predicted the day DePaul eliminated us we would have a minimum 4 transfers. So far 3.
ReplyDeleteWade, I think most of us did wonder if there would be attrition. I did, but it turned out to be a few that I didn't see coming. Players want to play The days of a player coming in a gladly accepting a come-off-the-bench role for four years are probably gone for the most part...IMHO.
DeletePaulie
I question your "Ali left the country" as I think he stayed. By the time his court challenge was heard, he paid a fine and was stripped of his titles but did not have to go to jail. Those who went to Canada (or elsewhere) were not able to come back without prosecution until amnesty was granted by President Carter.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure he did a series of college speaking tours in Canada...you may be right that he did not actually move there. I just remember the speaking tours.
DeletePaulie
Ali will get some hometown love from you Louisville natives.
ReplyDeleteFrom my and many others' perspective he deserves to be 58,221 on the list of people that deserve respect. That would be after the 58,220 Vietnam war dead who weren't afraid to answer the call and didn't leverage fashionable political expediency and hide behind lawyers and political correctness in the safety of the country those folks went out there and died for.
Other vets should feel free to post up.
All viewpoints are always welcome and respected here. Being a women's sports site, we sometimes wonder about whether we should post things other than that realm. Ali was an athlete and a darn fine one, just as I'm sure many of the men who gave their lives in Vietnam were good men in their own lives. Each person has the final responsibility on whom they respect. All comments are welcome and all views tolerated as long as they aren't obscene or un-requested advertising spam.
DeletePaulie
Paulie
Thank you Paulie. Well said.
DeleteCan totally respect Burn Brothers view and especially your sacrifice you made for all of us
DeleteAnd I respect Mr. Ali for taking a stand against a war he felt was unjust and abiding by the principles of his religion. He lost his title. He lost money. He lost fame and admiration as we see even in these comments. There are a lot of so-called draft dodgers, whose family's wealth and influence earned them deferment after deferment while the sons from poor families were sent to fight on the front lines. Yet today those men are lauded, are in high political positions, or even running for the highest office in our land. Rest in Power Mr. Ali. There are many of us who respect that you had the courage of your convictions even when it costs you so much.
DeleteI'm not going to get into a lengthy back and forth about Ali here only because I have too much respect for Paulie. That said Ali didn't give up more than the 58 thousand kids that got killed. They gave up everything. So don't get started about all of Ali's "sacrifices". It would be laughable if it wasn't so wrongheaded.
DeleteI sent private email to Paulie with an attachment. He can do with it what he wants.
Well don't get into a back and forth. You stated what your view was and I did. That's that. You don't respect him. I do. Let's agree to disagree. Did you think you were going to be able to speak your peace and no one else was going to be able to have a different view?
DeleteThank you for the e-mail, Burn. As you might imagine, here in Louisville there are a lot of events going on here in Louisville these next four days in terms of Ali. A lot of people in the community mourning his passing. There are, also, unfortunately...some media vultures looking to swoop and sensationalize this death for ratings.
DeletePaulie
I'd love to continue the exchange but I told Paulie I wouldn't. I suggest you invest in a good thesaurus. I think you were looking for "piece" Sparky.
ReplyDeleteI don't really care what you'd love to continue or what you suggest I invest in. I didn't get mad at your statement. I spoke my opinion like you did yours and you're arrogant enough to think your word is the last word on his legacy. I even made it a point to mention that you don't respect him, so what? That's your right. He's a hero in this city, this nation, and worldwide. If you really wanted to respect Paulie you would have held your thoughts altogether when you saw that he decided to use his site tonpay respects to Mr. Ali. Being respectful to Paulie would have been to allow him to post his message without your commentary. I'm pretty sure there are numerous forums where people share your sentiments that you could have vented. Instead what you decided to do was go negative on a post intended to be positive and when someone came behind to try and balance out your negative post it seemed to become a problem.
DeleteI actually don't really mind that you said what you did because that's your perspective and we don't have to share that point of view. But I can have my point of view.
Paulie is a big boy and can defend himself if need be. He doesn't need to you to protect him.
DeleteI didn't vent and I didn't go negative, I just put up some truth that doesn't fit your narrative. Frequently the truth doesn't mesh well with the story that has been told. It's never been more true than in this case.
Defending myself is no problem...the Irish mafia looks out for me...but I have a hard time defending taller post players...especially those that go to their right and hit the cross-over jumper in the lane. I they take me out of the paint and put up the 10-12 foot jumper, I'm slow to react. If the opponent runs the pick-and-roll, sometimes I don't switch quickly.
DeleteAs we've stated in these comments and many times before all comments and discussion are welcome, as long as they are not obscene nor spam advertising attempts. Off the record, any comments here about beets, schmaltzy '60's pop ballads or guardrails will usually send me to the delete button as well...unless they're well-thought out and eloquent.
Paulie
Well Played
DeleteTo share with all, Burn's video from his e-mail to me is at the link following. It is touching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp8z2yJWcEA&feature=em-share_video_user
ReplyDelete