Louisville women's basketball -- Jared Anderson's report -- WEDNESDAY CARDINALCOUPLE

IS THIS UOFL WBB SQUAD SIMILAR TO THE FINAL FOUR TEAMS? 

I attended the Chili’s Jeff Walz radio show last night.  Unfortunately, Coach Walz seems to have caught the flu from the rest of his family and could not make it.  Instead, Sam Williams  and Adrienne Johnson joined Nick Curran on the mics. Per their discussion I got a few things from attending the event and listening to the discussion among the dozens of fans in attendance.

This team is similar to the Final Four teams of the past. The 2009 squad had Angel McCoughty and Candyce Bingham as the big playmakers. 2013 had Shoni Schimmel and Sara Hammond. This year has Asia Durr and Myisha Hines-Allen. The duo matches up with similar style play of the other pairs.

Like other successful seasons this year’s team has a quite impressive defense. They found ways to shut down opponents, either throughout entire games or in second half adjustments to win games.  Even the loss to Florida State showed solid defensive pressure. They held the Seminoles to just 50 points and kept the game close despite the poor offensive outing.

Coach Williams and AJ discussed recently about how we often view success of players. Many fans look at points scored as a scale of success. They don’t look at other factors in a game such as rebounding, assists, and defense. Dana Evans and Arica Carter have learned to control the ball well and dish out assists all game. MHA and Bionca Dunham haul in boards on both sides of the court. Jaz Jones and Sam Fuehring bring intense energy. "Nite-Nite" lights up the scoring almost every game. Myisha Hines-Allen may be the rest rebounder in women's college basketball and brings offense almost every outing. As a team, everyone plays great defense. Each player brings something to the table. This is a highly successful squad. In many realms. 

Coach Walz is fortunate to have a solid rotation of players. There’s about eight or nine different players he can feel comfortable logging major minutes and still find ways to maintain a lead or expand on it. That goes back to each player being able to contribute something to the game, as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Louisville has one of the best fan bases in the country. 10,000+ fans in three straight games is not something you’ll find at most major women’s basketball programs. The large attendance numbers play a key role in recruiting. Having a sold out lower bowl of fans on their feet creating an intimidating atmosphere for opponents and is encouraging as a player to have a fan base behind them. When recruits witness this in person it can help sell Louisville as their choice for college. The question arises -- would you rather play in front of 1,000 or 10,000? Opposing teams come to Louisville and their coaches almost always mention the incredible attendance during their post-game interviews. 

Another topic that came up recently is the lack of interest in women’s basketball as a whole. 

Louisville is one of the better bases for women’s basketball but there’s still a big gap between 21,000+ average for men’s basketball and anywhere from 6,000-12,000 at women’s basketball. Possibly the biggest factor contributing to the lack of interest is the lack of competition.

UConn has dominated the realm of collegiate women’s basketball since Geno first took over as head coach. It’s always been “Everyone vs UConn” with the Huskies almost being guaranteed another undefeated season or national championship and everyone else battling for second place. However, that gap is closing. South Carolina, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, and Louisville have all found their way up there. The Bulldogs upset UConn in the Final Four last year. The Irish took the Huskies to the mid-fourth quarter before struggling down the stretch.

Other teams are getting better. Having more than one team having a good chance at claiming the title will attract interest and having half a dozen teams all battling it out to the death (not literally) will spark interest.

It’s safe to say I got a lot out of the discussion among the fans at Chili's. I doubt I’ll get that much each time I’m in attendance but seeing the turnout and support gives me confidence the Louisville women’s basketball fan base will continue to grow. It also appears that the program is going to continue to improve as the years progress.

On a closing note it has been offered that if Louisville lost one more regular season game but won the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament that the championship would be Coach Walz’s 300^th program victory. I did some research and math to test this theory and here’s the results:

* 263 wins through 2016-17 season

* 22 wins in 2017-18 season up to date

* 8 regular season games remaining

* 3 potential games in ACC Tournament as top four seed

* 6 potential games in NCAA Tournament, seeding doesn’t matter

302 potential wins for Jeff Walz if Louisville wins out. So, the theory was incredibly close.

One  regular season loss would give Jeff Walz his 300^th in the Final Four. Two regular season losses would make it 300 in the championship if everything else played out. However, there’s the ifs of winning in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments and what-not with a few different scenarios.

 I’ll hit on that more on Friday. The good thing is that we could easily see Jeff Walz’s 300^th career win before the year is over. If not, it will happen at the beginning of next season.

Enjoy your Wednesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Friday Cardinal Couple -- Spy vs. spy

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- "What you lookin' at?"

Staff columnist Jeff McAdams (renamed Jeff McDaniels by the Central Cardinal Club), Sonja and I attended the annual fundraiser for the Central Cardinal Club Wednesday night at the PNC Plaza in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. It was good to see some folks we knew and catch up on their summers and share a few laughs.

It was a fun event...speakers including Anne Kordes (UofL head Volleyball coach) Christine Krellwitz (UofL senior women's administrator, asst. AD) and Manuela Velasquez (former UofL women's tennis player). A good showing of UofL women's sports participants.

Adrienne Johnson (special assistant to Jeff Walz and color commentator for UofL WBB radio broadcasts) was scheduled to appear...but her mom is back in the hospital and she made a brief appearance and left to be with her. Family first, we understand. If you get a chance to drop A.J. an e-mail and let her know you're thinking of them and keeping them in your thoughts and prayers, please do so at:

aj@gocards.com

The speakers were good. We were able to catch snippets of their talks and will play them on our CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR this Saturday at 11 a.m.

www.crescenthillradio.com

The PNC Plaza sits on the east side of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and affords a great view of the football field. Walk down a few steps and you can get a great overview of the field. I did, and observed the Cardinal Football team hard at work preparing for their first game.

That soon changed. I arrived with K.C. Skull, stadium manager of Papa John's and shortly after we got there...an announcement was made that the viewing of practice was off-limits and chairs were placed in front of the stairways leading to the overview of the stadium. K.C. and a few Cardinal Athletics staffers personally placed the barricades. 

I guess Charlie Strong doesn't want anyone watching the offense and defense he is installing for Ohio University (not THE Ohio State University) on Sept 1st.

I sort of understand. Who knows whether their were Ohio Bobcat (or Kentucky WIldcats) spies, dressed in red, circulating among the 150 or so Central Cardinal Club members and guests...taking copious notes and detailed dossiers on blocking patterns, Teddy Bridgewater's passing skills and whether the Cards were in a four lineman defensive set?

It got me thinking about other preventions that other coaches might take to protect the secrecy and sanctity of their pre-season preparations.

Jeff McAdams (aka Jeff McDaniels) came to the PNC event after watching volleyball practice. He arrived with coach Anne Kordes. Is Anne really sure that Jeff isn't a Penn State
double agent...compiling strategy notes on how high Maya McClendon can jump and how well Caitlin Welch is libero-ing this year?

Jeff Walz has invited me to watch WBB practices before.

Can he really be sure that, masked under the clever disguise of a UofL women's sports web-site operator, I'm not actually a UConn die-hard....sending every bit of information I can to Geno Auriemma about Shoni, Sara and Shawnta?

What if Jeff McDaniels and I went to the radio and revealed all? What if there was a real Jeff McDaniels?

Yep, it's NCIS and PCI stuff. Later today, after this article is up and fit for print (results may vary) I will hop on a SouthWest Airlines non-stop to Baltimore and meet with UConn assistant coach Chris Dailey ( how I wish!) at a clandestine location (in my dreams) and provide top-secret documents about Asia Taylor's cross-over, Emmonnie Henderson's lane-driving skills and Sara Hammond's new ASUS Notebook.

Maybe we'll go for pizza and beers afterwards...

We have a good show lined up for Saturday on the Internet Radio. Jeff and I won't be there (we got fired last week by Don Paulie)...but we'll be hovering in the wings, nervously watching Jenny debut:

"The Jenny O' Bryan, sponsored by Don Paulie, Show About UofL Women's Sports Stuff." This should fly well...

I did get Christine Krellwitz's business card at the CCC Fundraiser. She seemed fairly interested in what we do here at CARDINAL COUPLE and CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO. If she figures how what it is that we DO actually do..I hope she let's us know. Most days, it's flying by the seat of our pants and blind ambition. Maybe she's hiring, now that Jeff and I have been stripped of any responsibilities at Cardinal Couple.

On second thought, that doesn't sound too bad, actually...this whole "lack of responsibilities" thing. After all, I survived the 70's that way...and had some really nice polyester leisure suits and floral shirts.

Until then, Agent Paulie...signing off. Trust no one and do everything in code. Control, alt, delete.

-Paulie

.....

Friday Cardinal Couple

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Win some, lose some, some yet to be decided

- Cardinal Couple Radio Saturday

- Central Cardinal Club pland huge celebration

- Madeline Abramson recovering from cancer


You know how it is each year when the high school sought-afters start to verbal their college choices. We've been tracking quite a few in the 2014 class and are starting to get some answers.

LOSE SOME

-NATALIE ROMEO, a 5'7" point guard that was on Louisville's radar has verballed to Nebraska. She made the visit to Lincoln, it felt right to her and she made the verbal. If it is any consolation, the Cards have a lot of point guards and will still have most of them when the 2014 chippers show up on campus. But, there goes my chance to hear Jeff Walz yell "Romeo, where art thou?" when an opposing guard skates by the UofL defensive for a layup. I'll recover.

WIN SOME

MARIYA MOORE, SYDNEY BRACKEMYER and ARIANNA FREEMAN have all given verbals to the school on Floyd Street. And, we look forward to seeing all three arrive next season and their careers at Louisville. Three great ones that will make sure the Cards have excellent shooting and playmaking until late 2018. Already a great class there...we'll see how it ranks out when it's done. Because...

STILL PENDING

Is Myisha Hines-Allen...the 6'2" wing who can do it all... going to end up in the Red & Black? She did recently narrow her list to six schools. The final contestants are (in no particular order or preference) Georgia Tech, LSU, Rutgers, OSU, WVU and Louisville. She has game, oh yeah...and that game would look mighty fine in front of 12,000+ screaming Lady Cards women's basketball fans each night in the KFC YUM! Center.

Jenny O'Bryan and I are "all-in" on MHA. She'd be a great "get"

So, that's what we know. And, as always...we'll be on top of the news and report when we know.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jeff and Paul discuss the night before...

Saturday's CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO Show promises to be a blockbuster. Tons of recruiting news, three excellent interviews with Anne Kordes, Kellie Young and Karen Ferguson Dayes. Our usual banter and goofiness and Jeff McAdams will drive his jeep into the studio...packed full of chimps, pretzels and half the UofL Volleyball team.

OK, he probably won't do that...but it's going to be a good one. Link below:

OH MY GAWD...THEY'RE ON THE AIR AGAIN, MAMA!

11 a.m. - noon and archived broadcasts eternally available on the Heavenly Crescent Hill Radio Soundcloud.

Join us, won't you?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chuck showing Carol pictures of "The Deckheads"

Good ol' Chuck Horrell...he of CENTRAL CARDINAL CLUB...has sent me the information on their annual gala affair at the PNC Club @ Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. This year, they've got a great dinner and excellent speakers lined up for attendees and you don't even have to be a member of CCC to attend! $20 a person gets you dinner, door prizes, posters, grab bags, a cash bar, photo opportunities with the Championship Trophies, a silent auction with GREAT items and some fabulous speakers.

The event will be WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14th.

Lined up to emcee is Howie Lindsey (who is worth the $20 admission alone) and a stellar list of speakers:

-Adrienne Johnson (Special assistant to Jeff Walz and color commentator for UofL women's basketball radio broadcasts)

-Christine Krellwitz ( Asst. Athletic director)

-Anne Kordes ( the shy and unenthusiastic head coach of Louisville Volleyball -- Anne is worth at least $40 a head...)

-Shawn Watson (Charlie Strong's offensive coordinator and a VERY inspiring speaker).

Happy Hour starts at 4:30 p.m. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the speakers begin at 7:30 p.m.

Get your reservations by contacting Carolyn Enos @ (502)777-7389 or e-mail her at parnini1@gmail.com Get it done by Friday, August 5th. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted. Wampum, beads, beaver pelts and shiny objects frowned upon.

See ya there! (They've asked me to sweep up after the event and go from table to table refilling water. Loose coin possibilities! I'm so there, dude!)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

One of the many things we have learned in the four plus years of covering UofL women's sports here at Cardinal Couple is that Madeline Abramson is a huge fan of UofL women's basketball. It turns out she is a battler just like the Lady Cards.

The wife of former Louisville mayor and current Kentucky Lt. Gov Jerry Abramson revealed Thursday that she is recovering from breast cancer and plans to resume her normal public schedule now that treatment is complete.

It was diagnosed during a routine mammogram this spring and she underwent surgery and radiation.

Jerry and Madeline can be seen at most UofL WBB home games sitting next to press row and both are avid fans of the Lady Cards. There is no better referee baiter than Jerry. It's always a treat to sit next to them at games. Bob Domine usually grabs that seat pretty quickly, though.  

We here at CARDINAL COUPLE wish "Maddie" the best and hope to see her this winter back at her regular seat cheering the Cards on to victory. She is an excellent example of grace and determination. She has already returned to her regular schedule, which includes work with the Kentucky Commission for Women, the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts and other civic and charitable organizations.

She'll also make an excellent First Lady of Kentucky when "Mayor Jer" becomes "Govnah Jer".

Early detection, folks. It probably saved her life. And, we can't afford to lose any readers, listeners and UofL women's sports fans. Please champion preventive health care and regular cancer screenings and participate in them.

The life you save may be your own.



-Paulie

Sunday Cardinal Couple -- Walz Skills Camp review

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Talent prevalent at Saturday skills camp.



With almost 100 girls' high school players in attendance at Jeff Walz's Elite Camp on Saturday, June 15th....the action was fast and furious as you might imagine.

Asst. WBB coach Sam Purcell with Shoni
and Syd

The UofL Staff, including most recent hire Sam Purcell and the UofL womens' basketball team put the girls...divided into six different teams...through a variety of skills' workouts and scrimmages. All six hoops at Cardinal Arena...and the court on the ground level of the SAC were busy for most of the afternoon as the attendees worked on their games under the supervision and encouragement of the Cardinal crew. We saw Asia, Shoni, Jude, Bria, newcomer Janelle Cannon, Cortnee and the other members of the Louisville WBB in a different light...not performing...but coaching, instructing and even acting as referees.

Jenny O'Bryan and I watched the players go through their motions and I wrote down a list of 12 players who impressed me with their game. This, by no means...is a list of the best
12 in attendance...just 12 who caught my eye.

Caliya Robinson  6'2" Class of 2015. Marietta, GA. Loved her outside shot for a "big" and displayed some excellent inside moves.

Zhanesha Dickerson  5'10" Class of 2014. St. Louis, MO. Great drop-step move to the basket and fights for every loose ball on the court.

Te'a Cooper  5'7" Class of 2015. Powder Springs, GA. She gave her commitment to UNC as a 8th. grader...and has wonderful passing skills, inside drives and a sweet jumper.

Alecia Sutton  5'7" Class of 2016. St. Louis, MO. One of the quickest up and down the court that I saw and the lines will be long for her on the recruiting trail when she's a junior.

Nora Kiesler  6'5" Class of 2015. Louisville, KY. What a difference a year makes! Strong, goes to the hoop with authority and isn't afraid to mix it up on the boards.

Meredith Schulte  6'1" Class of 2015. Braselton, GA. Consistant outside shot. Could turn into the pro-typical "3" college coaches dream of.

Dasia Evans  6'1" Class of 2016. Richton Park, IL. Goes to the hoop with authority and skill for her age and isn't afraid to shoot. Another to watch...just a sophomore.

Haley Bodnar  6'3" Class of 2014. St. George, UT.  First thought was "is this Sara Hammond's little sister?" Strong work ethic and her and Kiesler's battles were fun to watch.

Morgan Griffith  5'10"  Class of 2017. West Frankfort, IL.
Such a sweet baseline shot for one that will be a freshman this season. Shows quickness and involves her teammates.

Jailyn Mason  5'7"?  Class of 2016. Cincinnati, OH
Nice range on her jumper and flows very well in open court situations. Aggressive with the ball.

Maci Morris  6'0"  Class of 2015. Pineville, KY. She's all that is advertised. Does so many things so well. The Pineville Phenom has serious game.

Anna Hammaker  5'10"  Class of 2015. Knoxville, TN. A very flashy guard that distributes the ball quite well and nice jumper from mid-range.

Once again, just my observations...based on three hours of a skills camp.
I don't do evaluations of high school players for a living. What I reported on were particular or a series of  player's skills they demonstrated Saturday afternoon. All the girls at the camp are "elite" and will most likely be involved in college recruiting somewhere down the road.

It should be noted 2014 Louisville commit Syd Brackemyre was there but didn't participate in a lot of the drills...protecting the knee we assume...but the Cardinal players and coaches were chatting her up the entire time.

Both Jenny and I were constantly checking the camp roster to identify the players who impressed us with their talents. We'll keep a close eye on the attendees and wish all of them the best of luck in the years ahead.

All in all, a great afternoon watching the future stars of women's basketball. A special thanks to Mary Beth Whittaker and Adrienne Johnson for their assistance and help.

-Paulie

--

Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Walz camps offer much for all

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Three Jeff Walz Camps and Clinics in June

-Cardinal Couple Radio today!

The month of June won't be a slow one for UofL head women's basketball coach Jeff Walz. In addition to having limited access to the 16 UofL women's basketball players scheduled for the 2013-14 squad, he'll also host three camps for basketballers beginning June 15th. Add a little recruiting and AAU camp visits...and the coach and his assistants will be going just as strong and steady as if it was in mid-season.

Coach wouldn't have it any other way. You see, this college basketball thing is 12 months a year, regardless whether the squad is putting up "W's" or not.

The fun at camps and clinics begins June 15th., when UofL and Coach Walz host a ELITE SKILLS SESSION. It's for grades 8-12 and will feature some of the movers and shakers in girls' high school hoops coming in to test their skills against the best and brightest out there. There will be a second session as well on June 26th. The UofL womens' basketball coaches, staff and current players will be accessing the talent, adding helpful instruction and providing valuable instruction on shooting, passing, ball-handling rebounding and defense. All things that UofL did quite well in their second place finish in the recent NCAA WBB Tournament.

Next is a four day DAY CAMP that begins on June 17th and is for Grades 3-9. It's an excellent opportunity for the future stars of the game to hone their skills and learn from the older girls and staff that have created basketball excellence at UofL.

Right after that, a TEAM CAMP for JV and Varsity starts on June 21st. This 3-day event gives the best from across the nation to compete and perform in a challenging environment that will test their skills and abilities against the nation's best.

Players of all skill levels are welcome (beginner, intermediate and advanced) and will be instructed by UofL staff and current UofL players within the appropriate age groups.

Shots will be falling and some of the best high schoolers in the nation will be learning from the knowledgeable and talented Cardinal Basketball gurus.

For more information, go to:

WALZ CAMPS

( Special thanks to Adrienne Johnson, the lovely "A.J"...for the info on the camps. Whatever they're paying her at UofL, it ain't nearly enough. And, I think I could beat her in free throws. Here's hoping she doesn't see this....)


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


Even though the majority of Louisville women's sports are finished until fall, we're still talking Cardinal women's athletics on CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon on CRESCENT HILL RADIO.

And, we got a lot to talk about!

Please join us for the live broadcast or on the archive, SoundCloud reply at www.crescenthillradio.com

We have a lot of fun between me, Jeff and Jenny and if you're not careful...you may just learn something about the joy and excitement that is Louisville womens' athletics.

Plus, I'll see if I can stump my co-hosts in another exciting episode of "Believe It or Don't".

I'm doing an Ali and Babe Ruth here. Calling the shot and predicting I take them down for a second week in a row.

We don't claim to be excellence in radio/internet broadcasting....but we WILL promise you that there aren't any boring moments and you just never know who may call in or who we'll lampoon or praise.

You've spent worse hours in your life...we think you should give us a listen.

We can also do some great (OK...pretty good...) live advertisements for your business or organization and it's very inexpensive. Call Paulie at (502) 291-3651 for more info. Or to see who he likes at Churchill. He'll talk to anyone....

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR ON CRESCENT HILL RADIO


-Paulie

--

Softball announces fall schedule...Fastbreak Club update...Lady Cards off the court

.
THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Softball to face 4 opponents in fall

-Fastbreak Club update

-Great video of Cards Canada trip

Cards will look for a replacement for Chelsea's bat and glove

The University of Louisville softball team will face four opponents this fall at Ulmer Stadium. Sandy Pearsall and the team look to replace Chelsea Bemis and Colby Wherry on the left side of the diamond with six new recruits. The schedule:

SEPT 17th. Bellarmine (doubleheader)
SEPT 24th. Murray State (doubleheader)
SEPT 25th. Morehead (doubleheader)
SEPT 30th. Alumnae Game

The softball Cards return pitchers Tori Collins, Caralisa Connell and Chelsa Leonard and starters Jennifer Esteban, Alicia Wolny, Maggie Ruckenbrod, Taner Fowler, Kristin Austin, Hannah Kiyohara and get Jordan Trimble back from injury as they look to better last year's 38-20 record.

We like the fact that softball is also playing an alumnae game. Several readers have asked us why the women's basketball team doesn't have an alumnae game. We've posed the question to UofL's women's basketball assistant sports information director. Who wouldn't like to see Shoni or Asia try and shut down Angel McCoughtry? See if Angel Bradley, Sara Nord and Patrika Barlow could slow down Tia, Bria and Jude? Watch Connie Neal and Becky Burke exchange threes? Watch Mo move against Candyce? Make it so, UofL...

******************************************************************

AJ...WE GIVE HER A 'THUMBS UP'
here at CARDINAL COUPLE.

Got a nice e-mail from Adrienne Johnson about the women's basketball Fastbreak Club. It's still alive and well and going through some minor adjustments and revisions. AJ promises to forward us the updates and information and we'll pass them onto you. The club is a great way to get the inside scoop on Lady Cards hoops and meet the players and coaches. We hope they'll also plan a few away game bus trips. Kentucky, EKU, and Cincy all within a two hour drive.

With the increasing popularity and success of Lady Cards hoops, we'd also like the see something like a Junior Lady Cards club for the young girls out there. You'd probably have to set a limit on enrollment. While we're speculating...how about a weekly television show with Coach Walz and Matt Andrews and/or Paul Sanderford? Both ideas could only continue to increase the popularity and recognition of the program.

Remember, you can't spell Paul without UL...are ya listening marketing?

******************************************************************

WE found this video of the Lady Cards off the court during the Canada/Oregon trip. WE think you'll enjoy it. Click the link below. Thanks to Kenny for the scoop!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2332731960399

The guys describing the action...

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE PRESENTS:


-Kelch and Sanderford call it as they see it for Lady Cards.


-Sara Hammond rolling along for Rockcastle County

-From the Mailbag
.
The University of Louisville Lady Cards women's basketball team goes into BIG EAST action tonight at 7 p.m. against #18 St. John's in the KFC YUM Center. Seven BIG EAST teams are ranked in the AP top 25 and (believe it or don't) Baylor has actually replaced UConn as #1 in a couple of polls we've seen.
.

At courtside for this game, like they are for all Lady Cards games, will be Jim Kelch and Paul Sanderford. They handle the play-by-play and commentary for UofL Womens Basketball and can be heard on 790 AM / 101.7 FM WKRD "Cards Radio". They are Sonja's eyes and ears when she listens at work or if the Cards are on the road. I'd put the two up against anyone calling women's basketball in any venue for their knowledge, game call and interaction.
.

Kelch began calling Lady Cards games when he was the radio voice for the Louisville Baseball AAA baseball team. Now in his 16th. year of UofL Lady Cardinal games, he is also now part of the Cincinnati Reds baseball broadcast team. Kelch calls a precise and detailed game, giving listeners a great "mind's eye" visual of where the players are on the court and ball movement.
He's not above making commentary on questionable calls or "no calls" at times during the action...but certainly isn't a "homer" nor does he show the biased and opinionated traits of a certain women's play by play announcer due east of Louisville. Professional, accurate and witty...Louisville is still lucky to have Kelch after his being "called up to the big leagues."
.
Joining Kelch is Paul Sanderford as color commentator. In his first year of Cards Radio, Sanderford is certainly no stranger to women's college basketball. The former women's basketball head coach at Louisburg College, Western Kentucky and Nebraska complied a 453-189 record in his career and is widely considered one of the top 25 women's college basketball coaches of all time. Sanderford offers commentary from a coaches' point of view, providing excellent breakdowns of patterns, plays, trends and tendencies. He also interacts well with Kelch on air and like Kelch, isn't afraid to point out controversial on court happenings. Baseball may have been his first love...and he was an All-American catcher at Methodist University...but basketball and Louisville are very lucky he chose the "orange" ball sport.
.
Adrienne Johnson resumes commentary duties when Sanderford can't make the games. The popular "A.J." handled the duties for several years with Kelch before assuming increased responsibility with UofL in the Marketing department and relinquishing her radio gig. A.J. will always be a favorite of ours at CARDINAL COUPLE...her skills on the high school. college and WNBA levels make her the perfect commentator from the player's aspect and you'll never meet a more friendly, caring and engaging person to be around....unless it's her mom.
.
Cards on internet can be a dicey proposition. Even though the WKRD website has a "Listen Live" option...whenever we've tried it during away games...we've ended up getting the FOX SPORTS Radio show that is on the air. That was particularly distressing when Paul was in St.Pete and the Lady Cards were in Vegas...but thanks to some website scrambling...the action out there was available from the other school's networks and Gametracker. You'd think the nation's leader in women's basketball home attendance would be able to put up an easily accesible inernet feed for the fans out of WKRD's limited range. Shell out the $$$$, Tom.
.
Occasionally, the Lady Cards get on TV. Tonight's game will be on CBS College Sports. WAZOO Network has done some TV broadcasts and Bob Valvano and Drew Deener normally handle those. Both are capable and they're like Oscar and Felix on the air...from what we've heard.
You determine which is who. Neither one can dunk. Deb Antonelli and some pretty boy in a suit usually do the Cards' apperances on CBS College Sports...
.
********************************************************************************************
.
University of Louisville women's basketball signee Sara Hammond recently led her Rockcastle County Rockets in the Greenville (TN) Ladies Classic tournament. They won first day action against South Greene (TN) 58-40...Hammond with 19 points. Next was North Greene (TN) and Hammond led the Rockets to a 66-37 win with 15 points. Mt. Juliet (TN) defeated Rockcastle County on the final day of play 60-47...holding Hammond to four points.
.
*********************************************************************************************
.
Bill the Goat sends these submissions up from the communications center deep in the bowels of CARDINAL COUPLE Central:

CARDINAL COUPLE:
.
Who do you think the most popular current Lady Card is? I like Monique Reid the best!
-Jessica (age 9) Louisville.
.
Thanks for e-mailing Jessica! We have our favorites, too. We decided to run a poll over on the left side of the site to see what the readers think. Vote for as many as you like if you can't narrow it to just one.
-CC
.
Paul and Sonja,
.
What are you hearing about Becca Greenwell out of Owensboro Catholic? Cardinal?
-Donna
.
The Catholic Church does not have women Cardinals. OK, all kidding aside...she's a top prospect in the 2013 class and Louisville, Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina have offered schollys. Tennessee, Purdue and Vandy are also showing marked interest. She hasn't named a favorite list yet. I'll see if high school recruiting guru Jody Demling has any more details next time I run into him.
-Paul
.
Oh wise and honored bearers of the UofL women's sports chalice:

.
Have you ever considered changing your site to a 'straight dot.com' instead of going thru Blogger? And, how about a little more men's basketball?
.
-Jack
.
Hiya, Jack!
.
We HAVE considered the switch to a 'dot.com' venue and will probably buy the domain name for Cardinal Couple in the near future. It's a step we won't go into without a lot of thought and deliberation, though. We're non-profit right now and any expenses are easily covered by our sole advertiser...PANERA BREAD. Going to 'dot.com' costs...and we'd have to go with a different site engine probably and other things we're not really sure that we're ready to add to the soup yet. We experienced tremendous growth in 2010...almost 350,000 "hits" in a 12 month period and the baby has become a adolescent. BLOGGER has been good to us, we're comfortable with the posting, design and setting formats here, and we've never been knocked out of commission for several days because of 'hackers' that have invaded other 'dot.com' sites we know... In short, how big do we want to be? It's never been a prime directive here. We're tickled when people tell us they access our site or greet us in person. We never imagined this growth when we first started...
.
As far as men's hoops, we do occasional pieces over here. Shannon of CD is always good about adding stuff and Paul does articles on the guys over at CARDINAL DOMINANCE and UOFL CARD GAME from time to time. Until we can get a media pass from Kenny Klein, though...we'll be content to watch the games from the corner of the YUM and cheer, have that occasional beer and skip the media buffet for nachos...
-Paul
.

Cards fall short in NCAA Field Hockey bid

Wednesday CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Field Hockey fails to make NCAA Tournament

-Volleyball's Juhl selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

-Women's Basketball prepares for Tennessee

-Who's the guy with Jim Kelch?

The selections for the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament were released Tuesday evening and one prominent name was left off the field of sixteen.

The University of Louisville Field Hockey team won't be participating in the event. Finishing with a record of 16-7, TEAM CARDINAL was passed over in the selection process and their season is now over. We at CARDINAL COUPLE felt that the Cards had a good shot at being one of the "at large" picks to make the field but the BIG EAST got only two teams into the field while the BIG TEN is sending four schools to participate. Also faring well is the ACC, with four headed to the Big Dance.

The case for Wake Forest getting in is interesting. They finished 10-9 on the season. The Cards played six of the schools selected for the tournament, splitting two games against Connecticut, defeating American University but falling to Maryland, Ohio State, Syracuse and Princeton.

Louisville's two losses to end the season, a 6-0 defeat to Maryland and a 2-1 loss to Connecticut in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament probably figured heavily in the selection committee's decision.

Still, it was a good season for "The Flock" and Pam Bustin has a solid nucleus of returning players to pick up the sticks and go to the goal for next season. Team leader Nicole Youman and her scoring abilities will be missed, as well as other seniors Tuli Lim, Rachel Hollenbach, Simone Attles, Karah Nall, Nikki Auker and Jenna Ahern. The Cards do have goalie Erin Conrad returning, as well as key players Hayley Turner, Amber Thomas and Haley and Lacey Jurich.

We watched the selection show on line at the NCAA site and wondered what the criteria was for selecting the "host" for the program. It became evident early on that the young lady handling the broadcast duties had very little knowledge of Field Hockey...Kinda like me trying to explain macro-economics. To 3rd graders.

*******************************************************************************************

Emily Juhl has grabbed her second BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors this season for her outstanding play against Pitt and West Virginia. Juhl had 23 kills in the two matches...along with seven serving aces against the Mountaineers. The Cards are assured a berth in the BIG EAST volleyball tournament in Pittsburgh Nov. 19-21 along with Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Marquette, and Villanova. Eight teams are still in the hunt for the final three spots. The regular season ends this week and the Cards are on the road for games at Marquette and Syracuse.

*****************************************************************************************

Jeff Walz has the Cardinals working hard for the Friday night women's basketball game against Tennessee. 22,000 tickets have been distributed for the contest. There is word on campus that several hundred of these tickets were distributed to UofL students at no charge, plus a $5 food voucher. CARDINAL COUPLE has received several inquiries about the availability of tickets for the game. As far as we know, none are left to sell at the ticket office. The contest will be shown on a delayed basis on CBS College Sports at 9:30 p.m. Friday night.

Walz will have to contend with the defensive minded Vols Friday night. Head Vols coach Pat Summitt was none too happy about the Vols giving up 60+ points in their 50+ point win recently. She has stressed that the defense needs to pick it up and the Cards will need to have their offensive game on early against the full court pressure they'll most likely run into.

Who will start for Louisville? No early starting lineup has been released yet but if WE were to make a guess...look for Shoni Schimmel, Tia Gibbs, Asia Taylor, Sherrone Vails and Keisha Hines to get the nod. It all depends on who works the hardest and does the best in practice...so our prediction here could be way off. Regardless of who is on the court for the opening tip, expect the Cards to throw numerous combinations and players at the #4th. ranked Volunteers.

*********************************************************************************************
Jim Kelch has returned to handle the play-by-play radio duties for Lady Cards basketball again this season. Kelch's call is one of the best out there and he spent the last eight months in the announcer's booth calling Cincinnati Reds' games. With Adrienne Johnson concentrating on marketing duties...who was the guy sitting next to Kelch doing the color commentary for the contest? We saw Adrienne before the Indiana Wesleyan game...but forgot to ask.

It is no other than legendary college coach Paul Sanderford. WE originally reported on this site that it was Charlie Just (information provided to us by someone in the UofL S.I.D. office). It is not Just. It's Walz's ex-coach and one ofthe sharpest minds in women's college basketball.

We'll miss the insightful comments and breakdown of the action that "A.J." provided. Her WNBA experience made her an expert at analyzing the action on the court. Paul has some big shoes to fill and we missed his "on air" debut against Indiana Wesleyan but his knowledge of the game is pretty huge and we're sure he'll do a fine job along with Jim.

University of Louisville women's basketball broadcasts can be heard on WKRD 790 AM/ 101.7 FM.

Crunching the Lady Cards numbers

MONDAY MORNING @ C.C.



-Dissecting the Lady Cards win

-The mailbox

-Sonja and the Bear

Top of the morning to you as we start another week of covering the joy and excitement of Cardinal women's sports. Shelby Harper, pictured right, saw seven minutes of action in the Saturday 67-42 Louisville win over Indiana Wesleyan in the KFC YUM Center. Harper dished out three assists, grabbed a rebound and missed a three pointer during her time on the court. She also had a steal and got whistled for a foul. All in all, the game was a chance for Walz and his staff to look at quite a few player combinations.

The freshmen logged 97 of the 200 total minutes on the court...Sherrone Vails with 22 minutes, Shawnta Dyer with 21 and Antonita Slaughter and Shoni Schimmel getting 20. Charmaine Tay played 9 minutes and Polly Harrington contributing 5. They accounted for 35 of the Cards 67 points, Vails leading the way with 12. They grabbed 17 of Louisville's 34 rebounds and dished out 7 of the 20 assists.

Last year's starters (Monique Reid, Becky Burke, Shelby Harper, Keisha Hines and Asia Taylor) were on the court for 76 minutes. Hines and Reid saw 18 minutes each, Taylor 17, Burke 16 and Harper 7. They tossed in 27 of the Cardinal points, Reid with a game high 15. They snagged 12 boards and were credited for 7 assists.

The other three who saw action (La Toya Johnson, Tia Gibbs and Rachel Story) played 27 minutes. Johnson on the court for 11, Gibbs 10 and Story 6. They accounted for 5 points, all by Gibbs. They had one rebound each and 4 assists...three of those to Gibbs.

Statistical leaders were:
-Points- Monique Reid with 15
-Rebounds- Asia Taylor with 6
-Shots- Reid, going 6 for 9
-Fouls- Vails with 4
-Turnovers- Taylor with 5
-Assists- Schimmel with 5
-Steals- Slaughter had 3
-Blocks- Dyer swatted 2
-Free Throws- Tay went 2-4, Reid a perfect 3-3.

Louisville scored 23 points in the first half and 44 in the final half. They shot 36% in the first half (9-25) and 60% in the second half (18-30). The Cards sunk 8 of 15 free throw attempts and went 5-12 from three point range. 10 Cardinals scored in the contest. Harper, Johnson, Harrington and Story went a combined 0-4 from the field and attempted no free throws.

As you can see, very balanced and equal distribution of playing time and point production in this win. Just for comic effect, Steve Martin was one of the three referees. That wild and crazy guy!

********************************************************************************************

The mailbag was pretty full when we returned from Gatlinburg Friday night. Thanks to John, Charles, Beth and Eddie for safe and fun trip wishes. WE were safe...and had a great time. Harry, we disagree with you in your comments about Louisville Softball not getting a fair shake here at CARDINAL COUPLE. It's the off-season currently for them and we'll have tons of softball coverage when Sandy Pearsall's season rolls around. Lori Korte, assistant S.I.D. for softball does a great job in getting us information on the sports she is responsible for (as does Kim Pemberton) and I'm sure she'll clear a spot for us in the press box for any home game we attend. Hang in there, Harry.

Michael...We were wondering about Adrienne Johnson not doing color commentary as well for the Lady Cards basketball games this year also. Fortunately, she stopped by to talk with us on press row during the Indiana Wesleyan game and told us that she was concentrating on trying to make the Uofl Marketing Department the best it could be and saw her responsibilities there as a definite career advancement opportunity. A.J. still looks like she could go out and drop 20 on an opponent. She is a joy to be around, with that big smile and witty banter. Show her the money, T.J. You got one fine representative for the University in Ms. Johnson.

Didn't get a chance to hear Jim Kelch's call of the game and not really sure who was with him on the broadcast (forgot to ask) but there will be plenty of time for that during Cardinal road games this year. Louisville women's basketball can be heard on 790 AM/ 101.7 FM WKRD. CARDS radio.

********************************************************************************************

While in the Great Smokies and Gatlinburg, we got to do a lot of fun things. We enjoyed dinners at the Greenbriar Restaurant (great steak and trout), The Best Italian Restaurant (out of this world pizza and lasagna) and also created a few fun and tasty meals with the gang at our cabin. We loved our couple of trips to the Mountain Lodge for breakfast...heaping helpings, low prices and excellent coffee. It's where the locals go. Dolly Parton's DIXIE STAMPEDE took up one evening for us. Overall, I rate it a 5 out of 10. Way too much commercialism and glitz. The food was plentiful and pretty basic. The show is OK...they really hype the North vs. South thing.
We sat on the North side and our side lost in the numerous, staged competitions. I really didn't care one way or another.

We also did several hikes. The walk to Clingman's Dome is always a challenge, the view from Laurel Falls very impressive, Ramsey Cascades a strenuous, demanding hike and Hen Wallow Falls a rough and rocky climb and descent. It was during the Hen Wallow Falls trip that Sonja and Anne encountered the bear. We were on the way back from the falls, about a 1/2 mile from where we had parked...Sonja and Anne about 40 yards ahead of the rest of us on the trail.

All of a sudden (as Sonja describes it):

"We rounded a bend on the trail and out in a small clearing to the left of us...maybe 30 yards ahead...a pretty big black bear rushed out in front of us on the trail, gave us a quick glance and bounded off into the brushes and trees to our right. We stopped in our tracks and waited for the rest of the group to catch up with us. After waiting a few minutes, we continued as a group...slowly...but didn't see the bear again."

This isn't Sonja's first encounter with Yogi. Several years ago, she and I encountered a massive black bear on the hike to Andrews Bald in the Smokies. The bear was about 50 yards ahead of us on the trail when we rounded a bend in the switchback and he (or she) showed no signs of fear or willingness to move on. We stood our ground and so did the bear. The bear sauntered down the trail a few yards toward us, maybe out of curiosity...and after a couple of minutes... slowly strolled off into the trees and down the hill to the right of us. This bear was considerably larger than the bear Sonja saw last week. Kinda like Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher compared to Cardinal guard LaToya Johnson. Not saying LaToya looks like a bear. She's a cutie.

Urlacher...yeah, maybe.

Bears...can't live with them or, seemingly...without them when in the Great Smokies.

Women's Basketball releases game times

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-WBB releases game times for 2010-11 schedule

-Angel arrives in Hungary

-Some thoughts on 2011 recruiting

-And then there is this from UofL...




With the cool air this morning, thoughts turn to basketball. The Lady Cards have released game times for their 2010-11 schedule. Let's look at some of the highlights. Junior Becky Burke (pictured here) and the rest of Jeff Walz's squad will take to the KFC YUM! Center floor for their first opponent, Indiana Wesleyan, at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 30th. The exhibition game shouldn't interfere with UofL football on the road against Pittsburgh later that night. Might be a good time to check out the surrounding restaurants and bars surrounding the arena following the contest and make it a downtown Louisville afternoon and evening. The regular season kicks off on November 12th. against Tennessee. The Friday night contest begins at 7:00 p.m. and will be shown nationally on CBS College Sports. Louisville will also appear on CBS College Sports in a match up versus St. John's on January 4th.

ESPN has the Lady Cards hooked up for two contests. They'll show the January 9th. game against Pittsburgh on ESPNU at noon. The West Virginia game gets ESPN2 at 5:00 p.m. on Feburary 13th.

The BIG EAST network has the Cards appearing once. They'll face Rutgers at 6:00 p.m. on January 29th. It'll be shown locally on WHAS-11. WAZOO Sports Network will televise Shoni Schimmel and the gang four times. They've booked Southeast Missouri State on November 19th. at 7:00 p.m., Kentucky on December 5th. at 2:00 p.m., Cincinnati on January 22nd. at 7:00 p.m. and DePaul on Feburary 23rd. at 7:00 p.m.

WKRD Radio (790 AM/101.7 FM) and their network affiliates will handle all of the Cards on the radio. We're assuming Jim Kelch will return for the play-by-play and Adrienne Johnson continues handling her unique stylings of color commentary. Love these two!



******************************************************************************************



The Angel has landed. She's arrived for Euro hoops in Hungary and will suit up for MKB-Euroleasing Sopron. McCoughtry will team up with former Middle Tennessee and WNBA standout Amber Holt. They play their first game October 28th. Hopefully, Angel will still be able to return to the 'Ville for the hanging of her jersey in the KFC YUM! Center during the November 12th. game against the Tennessee Lady Vols. If you are good at translating Hungarian, you can read more about it at http://www.wb-sopron.com/ There are a lot of pretty pictures on the site.

Frankly, though...it gave me a headache. And Angel & Amber will most likely give opponents the same.

The team is excited about the addition of the two and re-taken the team photo to include them. McCoughtry and Holt engaged in one of the most exciting battles between two scorers that I can remember in Freedom Hall a couple of years ago. Pairing them together should make Sopron unstoppable.

*********************************************************************************************



Who is Jeff Walz recruiting for the 2011 class? A reader recently asked this question. Here's what we know. Quaneisha McCurty and Sara Hammond have verballed to the Cards. Walz has also recruited players from Seattle, DesMoines, France and Germany but no word on them yet or what year they'd be arriving. We wonder what the interest level is on Jude Schimmel...Shoni's younger 5'5" sister who will be the point guard at Portland (OR) Franklin this year. She's still uncommitted and may be waiting to see how big sis does here at the 'Ville before deciding. The synopsis on her is that she's a talented point guard who can direct the offense and fill up the hoop but her size might be a hindrance with some of the more elite D-1 programs. I don't buy it. Remember Sara Nord? Patrika Barlow? Angel Bradley? Jessica Huggins? They weren't giants but they were quite capable at Louisville.



What I do wonder about is how she'd fit into the current logjam on the Louisville roster at the guard position. The Cards lose only Toya Johnson to graduation after this year at the guard spot. That means Shelby Harper, Becky Burke, Nikki Burton, Rachel Story, Charmaine Tay, Tia Gibbs, Shoni Schimmel, Antonita Slaughter and maybe even Dez Byrd return to the front court.

Then, there is the transfer factor. The Lady Cards have had 2-3 players transfer out of the program each of the three years that Walz has been here. Girls looking for playing time. And getting it at programs other than Louisville. With Keisha Hines being the only other senior on the roster...one has to wonder just how many spots will be available in 2011-12? And, the Cards only have two juniors on the roster as well...Becky Burke and Monique Reid.

It's way too early to guess and speculate but I'll offer that McCurty and Hammond, plus one more (to be named later) restock the Walz roster to 16 jerseys. Don't forget Cierra Robertson Warren gains eligibility for the 2011-12 season and it's possible Byrd could return.

After last year, this multiplicity is a good thing to have. As long as it doesn't get into problems and attitudes about playing time and roles. As Denny Crum is fond of saying, it's better to go too long in recruiting than too short. With Walz's depth in this area, he's nailed one 350 yards down the middle of the fairway.

*******************************************************************************************

Interesting things going on with the recent announcement that Rick Pitino is taking a year off from his televised weekly coach's show on WHAS TV and that Terry Meiners will no longer be doing the show or asking Pitino questions at halftime on WHAS TV broadcasts of UofL men's basketball games. Hey, I guess even Jay Leno and David Letterman take breaks from their shows occasionally. Of course, Pitino isn't quite as funny as those two. Rick knows what is best for Rick.

I'm still waiting for the phone call to step in and take the show over. Deener? Flash in the pan...

As far as it goes with Meiners, I used to contribute occasional entries to his web site under the alias of "Your friend -P" Even got the chance to talk with him once or twice, albeit briefly and very generally. Then, there was that whole messy incident with him and Bill the Goat last year at the St. Stephen Martyr summer picnic. Terry is a wonderful guy, dedicated to this community and our signature charity...The WHAS Crusade for Children. My late father loved that charity, loved the telethons each year. He even liked Meiners...'that guy on the radio who smokes a crooked pipe so he can blow smoke up his own a$$' according to Pops.

I doubt Meiners will have to apply for unemployment insurance because he lost this gig.

Meiners is a comedian. A funny guy. He has also been critical over the selection process for seats in the new KFC YUM! Dawntown Arena. What did he expect...for Jurich to grin broadly and welcome him to UofL related broadcasts with open arms? You catch more flies with honey that you do with...well, you know the saying. And, I'm getting tired of putting an exclamation point behind YUM! also...Eric Crawford and et al...

Sonja got in hot water once, at another site...because she made a remark in an article about a former coach's spouse. She was subsequently banned from doing the 'YMCA' dance during timeouts at UofL women's basketball games for 2 weeks. Fortunately, the Cards were out of town on a road trip during the suspension. And, she didn't win the John Deere riding lawnmower either last year when her name was drawn as a final participant at one of the games. She still carries a grudge. And I still have room in the garage for that elusive white whale. Oops, green whale. Are ya listening Hartland Equipment? Can you hear me now?

Coincidence? I think not. You see, there is this massive conspiracy plot down at UofL to silence all media and communications about the program unless Tom Jurich authorizes it with the secret handshake, word, repetition of the loyality oath and ceremonial "Cards First Down" signal. Been that way since he got here. Yes, I'm sure that's right. Doesn't matter if it is positive or negative. They've been spying on CARDINAL COUPLE for quite some time now...I see them out there in the taxus bushes. They tap my phones, follow me to work and tell fast food cashiers to give me incorrect change at the drive thru windows. They make it difficult for me to cross the street from the Parrish House before UofL football games. That guy who stopped by yesterday to give me an estimate on tree removal. He was a UofL secret service agent. I'm sure of it. We've been on double, secret probation with the university since John L. Smith took the head football coaching job. Oh, yeah...it's going on. Meiners is in on it, too. And so is Lachlan McLean. Maybe even Becky Burke. I may dig out my UK hat and t-shirt and wear them to Churchill opening day.

Please...people. Quit making this an issue. Things change. What once were vices are now habits. Terry Meiners will still continue to be the funniest guy and clown prince of Louisville media. Tom Jurich is still the best athletic director in the nation. And if Rick Pitino needs a break from TV, so be it. Quit wasting time on this. Randall Cobb is getting ready to tweet again....

I'm still waiting for that phone call to host the show. And why not offer the UofL women's gig to Meiners? I'd be proud to be his co-host. Even if I still have more hair than him. And Sean Moth.