Looking to the future...Cards WBB offers an incoming freshman (in high school) -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

KAMOREA ARNOLD GETS UOFL WBB OFFER

As we have come to know, recruiting is a coach and a program's plasma. Without quality recruits who turn into quality college student-athletes, a program plunders. A coach who can't get those recruits on campus (and keep them) eventually finds themselves job searching. 

Say "Hello" to Kamorea Arnold. Going by "KK", she's getting ready to enter her freshman year in high school. Listed at 5'6"...but looking to be maybe an inch or two taller than that...this class of 2023 recruit has already received two college offers. One from Marquette and one from Louisville.  A recent tweet from her: 

Kamorea (KK) Arnold

@Kamorea_2023

·

16h

Blessed to say I received an offer from

@uoflwbb

! Thank you

@coachjeffwalz

,

@coachsampurcell

and staff

. #NiyaStrong

Out of Germantown, WI...Arnold has obviously done enough in her early basketball career to catch the eye of major programs. Offering freshman is nothing new to the UofL staff, Nyah Green, who will be a freshman on this year's Cardinal squad received an offer as a high school freshman from Walz and company.

Four years is a long time.

I went back and checked what we were covering four years ago at Cardinal Couple. Jeff McAdams and I were doing the bulk of the articles at Cardinal Couple. Jared was sending us photos, but not writing yet. We were wondering what kind of careers Asia Durr, Sam Fuehring, Arica Carter, Taja Cole, Brianna Jones, Syd Brackemyre and Erin De Grate would have as Cardinals. Shoni and Angel were on the Dream.

Three out of seven ain't bad. If you're taking threes or standing at home plate.

Arnold will most likely receive a bunch more offers before she dons that cap and gown and walks up the steps to receive her high school diploma. She'll go through the ups-and-downs that every high school student experiences. Will her stock rise or drop?

Her race has just begun, plenty of track yet to negotiate and, as we've seen in years past -- just because a student-athlete receives an offer, it has relatively little weight in deciding where they will decide to go. Walz floats out offers in bulk, and wisely so, because of the highly competitive nature of recruiting and the odds related to getting an offered player on campus.

Fans have their "wish lists" each year on who they want to see as incoming freshmen. UofL fell short on Mercedes Russell, Rebecca Greenwell and many others. And, it's not always the most-highly sought-after recruit that does the best in college. Louisville stayed with and took a chance on Angel McCoughtry, remember?

What will UofL women's basketball have put in the ledger when we get to 2023? Will there be a National Championship trophy on the WBB side of the Planet Fitness Kueber Center? How many Cardinal WBB players will be in the WNBA? How many more Walz-coached players will be assistant or head coaches in college basketball?

Time will tell.

Louisville WBB has one of the most passionate, knowledgeable, supportive and attending fan bases in college Women's basketball. Don't ever under-estimate that when it comes to prospective players considering playing here.

STATUS PLEASE

A recent inquiry on the status of transfers from Georgia Tech Liz Dixon and Elizabeth Balogun from a reader.

Sorry, but no news yet. Many figured that a decision might come down in July. With two days left in July, it is possible that a decision still might occur...but I'm not wagering on that proposition.

Both are participating in daily shoot-around informal gatherings in the "Kueber" and it appears that they are meshing well with the rest of the squad.

As we have learned over the years, the NCAA goes at their own speed limit and is oblivious to the rest of the road.

Like most all Cardinal WBB fans, I'd love to see both on the court in the 2019-20 season. I'm also preparing myself for the other side of the situation, where they have to sit a season.

Know this. You're going to get three wonderful years of basketball out of both whatever the decision happens to be. Maybe the late Tom Petty nailed it on the head when we wrote and performed the song " The Waiting Is The Hardest Part".

We're "keeping our eye" on the situation, as I'm sure many of you are...based on the e-mails, messages, comments and conversations I've had from and with you.

Once again, time will tell.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

paulie

xxxxx