CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDINAL COUPLE
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Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Louisville Women's basketball -- Media Day...Comments and Clips -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE



WALZ TALKS TO MEDIA...MEDIA TALKS TO PLAYERS


Paulie chat up Kylee Shook with assistant
interviewer Jaz Jones assisting (Photo by Daryl Foust)
I'm into my second decade of covering Louisville women's basketball media days and this is the first time I can remember them feeding us. That's how the day started...sub sandwiches, chips and water. Sonya and I arrived at the Yum! Practice Center (the first time the event has been held there) in time for that and got to share a table with Daryl Foust, who's been on the radio with us and writes for The Crunch Zone,  Mike Gilpatrick, another alumni from The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour and Nick Curran, radio voice of the Louisville women's basketball squad. The conversation was generalized...football's woes, a scrimmage the WBB squad had against Bellarmine on Sunday (which Nick got to attend) and the ACC Network Extra pulling the rug out from under Daryl for softball play-by-play this year. 

That, in itself, could be a whole different article and shame on UofL (seems we've been saying that a lot lately) for sidelining one of the best and brightest upcoming female, hell...any gender...announcers in our area. The decision was to go with Maryssa Becker instead and we'll wait until spring to diagnose that....other than questioning why BOTH of them couldn't be in the booth together? 

From Nick, both teams shot well in the scrimmage and the coaches got to spread the time pretty equally. It was there we found out that Lindsey Duvall did not play and is having knee-clean up surgery that will sideline her for the season. She'll take the red-shirt and the team was planning to go visit her after Monday's practice. 



Arica waits for Kylee's response at UofL WBB Media Day
(Photo by Daryl Foust) 
After the chow, we headed downstairs the media interview room in "the little YUM". It's a smaller room that the one in the SAC, where we've gone in the past for these, and the attendance was larger than I've seen in the past. So, seating was at a premium...but ol' Paulie got one of the last ones. I got to sit next to Paul Rogers, the affable play-by-play caller for football and men's hoops. He probably doesn't remember the time he signed the back of a promotion shirt for me...nor the story...where, several months later, I was wearing that shirt in a restaurant with Sonya and thylis middle-aged women cam e up from behind me and started gushing about how well I did play-by-play and explained game. After my initial bemusement, I finally told her that I wasn't Paul Rogers, he has just signed this particular shirt...but I knew him and would pass on the compliments. 

I don't think I've ever worn a shirt I've autographed and I'd guess that Paul Rogers hasn't either. In fact, I'm not sure if I have ever autographed a shirt. 


How many of these Cardinal greats can you name? 
Walz came in and the interview process began. Jeff doesn't like to do opening statements...so after greeting us, he opened up room up for questions. I went first. This gave Coach Walz the chance to get his first zinger of the year in on me. 

"Coach, what's the main thing you're looking to see out of this group early on in the season?" I queried? 

"Well, I guess our number one goal is to score more points that the the people we play. We hope to make more baskets than our opponents." Walz psuedo-seriously replied. 

He did on go to remark that he was looking to see a few players improve this year. Mentioning Sam Fuehring and Jazmine Jones specifically, Walz commented that has been impressed with their practice performances and is waiting to see if that will transfer over to game day.

In the almost half-hour long session with the media...Walz covered a lot of things. Durr. Hines-Allen. Fuehring and Jones. The Freshmen. The opponents. Some highlights below: 


-- Freshman Dana Evans is looking spectacular on the court and plays defense much better than the average freshman.  Loretta Kakala is very productive in the minutes she plays...while still working on conditioning. 

-- Myisha Hines-Allen progression from her freshman to senior is quite amazing. She's in the best shape ever since she's been her. He's looking for a consistent season from her. 

-- Kylee Shook has become more of a force with her back-to-the-basket this year. 

-- Walz will not re-appear as "The Man in the Yellow Hat" tonight for Halloween, he would not disclose this year's outfit but did mention that homes with full-size candy bars would likely get a second visit...even if it necessitated the kids changing costumes. 

To hear Walz and see Walz without audible media questions...go to:  http://gocards.com/watch/?Archive=7643&type=Archive

You can hear the entire Walz media session (including questions) here: JEFF WALZ ADDRESSES THE MEDIA ON MEDIA DAY

This is a nice sequence from Louisville Athletics: https://twitter.com/GoCards/status/925105054779981825/video/1 Watch Arica teach the Attack Yorkie a dance move! 

(The players' clips below are available through SoundCloud. SoundCloud is FREE and we use it for our audio files. You can download it for free at soundcloud.com) 



After an extensive Q&A...it was time to go talk to the players. Without question, this is always my favorite part of Media Day and I get in as many player chats as we can before they toss me of the practice court. Assisting me for the third year in a row on some of these was Arica Carter...it was a little harder to get her freed up this year since she's become such a celebrity...but we were able to get some good clips in...



-- I started wiht Sydney Zambrotta. You can hear that one here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1233mp3

-- Bionca Dunham talks Philly and food:  https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1235mp3

-- We also caught up with Retta Kakala: https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1234mp3

-- Next up, our buddy J.J. Jazmine Jones and Halloween: https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1236mp3

-- We finally drug our assistant interview away from the hoarding masses and got her to accompany us to complete the interviews. First up was Kylee Shook. Hear Kylee here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1237mp3

-- We got a two-for-one in our final interview...as Arica and I started with Jess Laemmle and ended with Dana Evans. Listen! https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1238mp3

-- I did at least get a quick chat with Myisha before the girls went to review the scrimmage film against Bellarmine. Myisha speaks: https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1239mp3

I probably didn't get to some of your favorites, but...they keep things on a tight schedule for practice and they let Walz run pretty long...however, it's always a pleasure to "do" the Media Day thing and we hope you enjoy the clips! 

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE AND LEAVE US WHAT YOUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CANDY IS OR A SCARY HALLOWEEN STORY IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION !! 

If this guy shows up at your door on
Halloween...run and hide!



paulie
xxxxx




13 comments:

  1. Great article today Paulie! I can't wait for this season to begin. My favorite Halloween Candy is the 3 Musketeers bar and in that photo I recognize Tise Wright, Becky Burke, Keisha Hines, Angel McCoughtry, Candyce Bingham, Laura Terry, Yule Tokova and Dez Byrd

    Nick O.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not Becky Burke. I think you're thinking of Brandie Radde to the right of Tise? #3 is Patrika Barlow, I believe (before she joined the Softball team)

      Delete
    2. Correct, Brandie, not Becky, and on Barlow. Cheated, the other two are Kiara Evans and Courtney Simmons. 2007-2008 team.

      Delete
    3. That WAS Brandie Radde and that squad (Walz's first) made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to UNC 78-74 in New Orleans. I was there...drove all night to get there...bought a scalper ticket (no media passes for Paulie back in those days...) and watched, sleep deprived, as the Cards lost a 18 point lead they had built in the first half.

      It seemed like Angel had half of the Cards points that night (she ended with 35).

      Got on the road back to Louisville after about an hour's nap in the car and came back home. Drove it straight through both ways...

      Good times.

      Paulie

      Delete
  2. The Bird Lady10/31/2017 8:59 AM

    Great write up Paulie. What's the scoop on Beth Burns? Saw her at their practice Friday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Checking to see if I can comment or not.

      Paulie

      Delete
    2. From the C-J:

      The University of Louisville women's basketball program is expected to announce the hiring of Beth Burns to its staff early this week, Courier Journal has learned.

      Burns has been with Louisville since last week, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who was unauthorized to speak publicly on the matter. It is unclear what her role will be on head coach Jeff Walz's staff.

      The university is expected to make the announcement after she is cleared by compliance staff, a source said. The announcement could come as early as Monday afternoon.

      Burns, 60, was most recently an associate head coach at Southern California. Previously, she was the head coach at Ohio State and San Diego State. She also served as a strength coach at Stanford.

      Paulie

      Delete
    3. Burns certainly has the WBB chops to be a D1 assistant. The situation at SDSU was not a good one and started off with her throwing a clipboard at a male assistant during a game, a subsequent claim & financial settlement against Burns and SDSU by that assistant for her actions and her subsequent termination by SDSU. It's hardly surprising that SDSU settled with her given the Title Nine climate. It's also not surprising that no one will touch her for a D1 head coaching job now. The video of her tantrum against her assistant is on Youtube. It was not cool at all.

      All of that said she should be OK as an assistant it cast in the right role.

      Delete
    4. Here You Go

      https://youtu.be/KuESd7KsuSc

      Delete
  3. Was that the 2009 team in the photo? It is good to hear that Walz has some shooting and that the Cards have a strong post game. I go with Reese Cups. When I can find out where my wife hid them. Thanks for the article, Paulie

    -- The Real Joe Hill --

    ReplyDelete
  4. We have 18 mini-Milky Way bars left over from last night. Thinking omelettes this morning. Chocolate and eggs! Pending spousal approval, of course.

    Halloween story from a few years back. When I owned my bar, we would have a "dress up in costume night" on Halloween. I usually wore a Superman costume. It could get rowdy. We had a fight break out a few years back...a "lumberjack" and "Darth Vader" got into it. I went to break it up, with my bouncer, and caught a punch that put me on the floor. Then, two guys in police uniforms stepped in and broke it up and hustled the guys outside. I had never seen them before, I knew the local police force and asked after I got back to my senses about them.

    A girl told me that it was her two brothers...wearing NYPD costumes and even had handcuffs. They held the disrupters out on the sidewalk until "the locals" showed up. They drank free the rest of the evening.

    -- The Real Joe Hill --

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow...great story Joe! Nice interpretative role-playing there. What did they do for a living?

      Paulie

      Delete

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