Cards tame Tigers 81-49 -- Friday Cardinal Couple

32-3 run boosts Cards past Clemson

Louisville used a 32-3 run beginning in the first half and continuing halfway through the second half to bury Clemson 81-49 in Littlejohn Arena Thursday night in ACC action.

Shawnta' Dyer had 20 points, 8 rebounds and no turnovers to lead the Cards to their 21st. win of the season. Four Cardinals ended up in double figures in the 32-point win. Louisville actually led by 39 in the contest...buoyed by that 32-3 run...at 63-24 halfway through the final half.


The Cards started strong with a surprising starting lineup of Myshia Hines-Allen, Sara Hammond, Mariya Moore, Sherrone Vails and Jude Schimmel. Bria Smith did not see action until eight minutes left in the game...a move by Jeff Walz because of "on the court, off the court issues" by the senior guard. 

Nevertheless, the Cards roared out to a 9-0 start in the first three minutes on a Sara Hammond jumper and led 21-5 after Shawnta' Dyer connected inside at the 12:28 mark. 

Clemson would cut the Cardinal lead to 31-21 with 2:47 left in the first half...but Louisville would score the final eight points of the first twenty minutes...an Arianna Freeman putback with six seconds remaining gave UofL a 39-21 lead.

The Cards began the second half with the same intensity they ended the first half and held Clemson to just three points in the first ten minutes...roaring out to a 63-24 lead.

It was a 32-3 run and keyed by Dyer, two Hammond threes and Jude getting the first five UofL points to start the second half. 

Smith would finally step on the court for Louisville with eight minutes remaining in the game but did not score in the contest.

Clemson would get no closer than 28 the rest of the way and Louisville led 81-46 with 1:32 left after two Emmonnie Henderson free throws. A late Clemson three set the final at 81-49...Louisville outscoring the Tigers 42-28 in the final half. 

Besides Dyer's twenty...Moore had 15 points, Sara 12 and Hines-Allen 10. Jude Schimmel added seven points and seven assists and both "E" and Arianna Freeman saw extensive action in both halves. 


An expected blowout against a ACC cellar dweller. Louisville had 27 baskets on 21 assists and that speaks volumes. The Cards also out-rebounded the Paws 47-19. Louisville also hit 5-9 from the trifecta arc and was over 70% from the charity line. 

Megan Deines sat again with the ankle injury. She's questionable for UNC. Arica Carter saw action but did not score...as the Cards played all nine they brought.  

Clemson had neither the height or the physicality to challenge the Cards. Louisville used the game plan that has been successful so many times this season. Get the ball to the bigs, outrun and wear down the opponent and put stifling defense against the stars in the different jerseys.  

It gets tougher Sunday for UofL. North Carolina will enter the KFC YUM! Center for a 1 p.m. "Pink" Cancer Awareness game fresh off a six point win over Florida State. 

On "sorority night" in Littlejohn Arena...the Cards passed the pledge tests with flying colors and remain in the hunt for the top of the ACC standings. Whatever the issue is with Bria...Louisville prospered without meaningful playing time from her. If the lesson was that the Cards could play well without her 'buying in' and off the court...it was delivered (and hopefully learned) last night. 

Smith's absence from the Louisville front court wasn't a factor against the talent-challenged Tigers. Against UNC, the abilities that Smith has exhibited at times just might be needed...but Arianna Freeman did deliver in a back-up role. 

Stranger things have happened in the history of UofL WBB...

paulie

  

Tuesday Cardinal Couple - Duke Devils the Cards

Duke Devils the Cards

Duke's starters got the job done when the Cards came to visit in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  All five Duke starters ended in doubt digits, and no bench points were registered by the Devils as they defeated the Cards 66-58.

Another Slow Start

It was yet another slow start for the Cards squad.  Finishing the first half with only 19 points, the only saving grace here is that Duke's offense was also stymied by a stiff defense so they ended the half with only a six point lead.  There were a few weaknesses in the Cards defense, however.  Duke was able to use their size to drive baseline and get a few easy shots from inside the paint, but otherwise, both teams had a difficult time getting any real offense going.

Despite some sloppy ball handling, the Cards actually came out of the first half with fewer turnovers than Duke (11-13), but Duke's size gave them a distinct advantage in the paint (18-10).  I always like to look at the ratio of assists to turnovers, and this fraction was not a pretty one for the Cards with only three assists compared to 11 turnovers.  Again, the bright side is that Duke fared little better with five assists versus 13 turnovers.  Where the Duke size also helped them tremendously, was in rebounding in the first half, claiming a 21-13 advantage on the boards.

Shooting percentages for the Cards in the first half were just atrocious.  Under 30% field goal shooting, under 15% shooting from beyond the arc, and 50% from the charity stripe is not going to win you many awards, or many games, for that matter.

Second Half Improvement

As is typical for this Cards team, the second half was an improvement...though it wasn't all that much of an improvement this time around.  The shooting percentages were marginally better, with around 40% for field goals, both outside and inside the arc, and technically the Cards can claim 100% Free Throw shooting, but that was only a single opportunity, so its not terribly relevant.

The assists to turnover numbers looked much better in the second half with 12 assists (on 16 made baskets) to only 4 turnovers.  Unfortunately, it took 41 shots to get those 16 baskets, again not a ratio that's going to get you to the win column very frequently.  Overall, it was 15 assists on 23 baskets versus 15 turnovers.  The difference, I think, in this game versus most of other games is that we weren't getting clean looks.  Duke was able to contest just about every shot we made...credit to their height and size which let them stay a step back and still alter shots.

Worldwide's Individual Player Analysis

How about game high assist leader Emmonnie Henderson with four?  She also pilfered a couple of balls, and only turned it over once, so let's chalk this one up as a good game for "E".

Sarah Hammond generally played well in the game, with a team high 17 points, a pair of assists and a blocked shot.

Otherwise, there's not a great deal to cheer for, here.  Mariya Moore drained some clutch 3's, the only player to shoot decently from beyond the arc with Jude only hitting two of eight.

Ariana Freeman got five minutes of playing time...because not much else was working, why not give the freshman a shot?  Only a single stat for the Virginian, a steal, but also no turnovers and she played cleanly with some solid defensive pressure, so let's call it a good showing for a player that hasn't seen all that much court time this year.

Shawnta' Dyer just didn't have a good outing at all, going 1-4 from the free throw line for her only point and not much else to her credit in this game.  Honestly, though, I'll take Dyer's performance over Jude Schimmel's first half effort.  While it doesn't show on the stat sheet, it was clear that her head just wasn't in the game in the first half, though she did have a better presence in the second half.

Up  Next

The Cards get a good opportunity to put this one behind them on Sunday at 2pm when Pitt comes calling in the KFC Yum! Center. Louisville will look to gain their 20th. win of the season against a Pitt Squad that gave the Cards all the wanted in the Jan. 6th matchup in "The Pete" before the Cards escaped with a 63-57 win.  

-jmca-

Five...oops...make that four freshmen ready to impact UofL WBB - Thursday Cardinal Couple

SYD BRACKEMYER'S KNEE COULD HOLD HER OUT OF THE 2014-15 SEASON

(We continue with our look at the 2014-15 UofL women's basketball team preview. Today, we look at the freshmen)

University of Louisville freshman basketball player Sydney Brackemyre is likely to require season-ending knee surgery, women's coach Jeff Walz said on his radio show Wednesday night.

Brackemyre, a skilled, 6-foot-1 forward from Wilmington, Ohio, also had a knee injury as a high school junior. She was rated the No. 37 player in the 2014 class by ESPN.com.

There's a good chance Brackemyre would not have been a major member of Louisville's rotation this season if she were healthy, although Walz has said he thought she could have had a contributing role if the knee were stable.  

Walz also said junior forward Cortnee Walton is out 2-3 weeks with a broken toe.

The news, especially for Syd, is disheartening. It reminds us of Shawnta Dyer's freshman year...going out with a hip before ever playing in a regular season game. 

It means the Cards will have two great looking and inspirational cheerleaders on the bench for awhile...one in Asia's old jersey and the other rocking CB's old number. 

It does not diminish the overall "wow" factor of the 2014 Class, though. Walz has some ballers...

McDonald's All American Myisha Hines-Allen has

impressed in the preseason with her vertical jump, going to the boards and finishing around the basket skills. If she doesn't crack the starting lineup...the 6'2" forward will be one of the first off the bench.

Coach sees her like this:

"Her physicality and ability to withstand contact and just embrace it is what's going to give her the advantage and ability to play early." 

McDonald's All-American Mariya Moore and Walz got to know each other a lot better when they were on the USA Fiba U 17 team this summer. In Moore, he gets a good shooter (and maker), excellent ball distributor and defensive stopper. Like Hines-Allen, she's also able to motor up and down the court at high velocity, breakneck speed...a plus for Walz's beloved fastbreak, transition style of play. 

Arica Carter is a very strong possibility to be the Cards back up point guard...still working at developing a body ready for the rigors of college play...but a player that can dish, drive and dribble penetrate. At 5'8"...she also qualifies for our "attack Yorkie" squad..and will give opposing guards fits with her defensive quickness and steal capabilities. 

Arianna Freeman will compliment the wing position for the Cards and at 5'9" goes to the boards with the skills of someone much taller. Her defensive intensity will gain her court minutes and she's another one that can run the up-and-down the court transition game at warp speed.

Walz sees the 2014 class this way:

"We recruited these young ladies with the idea that they were going to have to come in here as freshmen and contribute and compete. We're not trying to replace Shoni, we're going to have kids that do different things. I feel really good about our nucleus and the caliber of freshmen...and all our players we have right now."

paulie

Much to be thankful for -- Jeff Walz keynote speaker at UofL WBB Luncheon -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

The UofL women's basketball luncheon Tuesday afternoon at the Galt House drew a sold out crowd of over 700 Cards fans. Included in them was one very thankful man. 

Jeff Walz.

Walz spent the majority of his time on the dais thanking those who have helped make Cardinal womens basketball what it is today. Beginning with guys at the top...President James Ramsey and Athletic Director Tom Jurich...Walz went through the support staff and those associated with the Louisville squad and expressed his thankfulness with their efforts and sacrifices in keeping the program going. 

Paulie interviews Coach in the pre-banquet presser

He also spent time thanking his players for the success the program has had. As he likes to say:

"I've never scored a basket or grabbed a rebound in seven years here...but I'm very thankful and proud of those who have."

Lola Walz speaks for Coach at the presser

Walz is also very thankful for the fans who support WBB. University of Louisville women's basketball ranks seventh in attendance of both the men's and women's basketball programs in the ACC. There will be places the Lady Cards play this year that won't have as many in the stands as there were fans at the tables attending for yesterday's tipoff luncheon. 

Jeff Walz is also real. What you see is what you get. 

He tells it like it is and he makes sure his players know that

up front before they ever make that first visit to campus. If you follow the coaches instructions and give it your best...you and he will get along quite well. Two classic Walz axioms:

"I have players that tell me they are shooters. I tell them that's fine...but I need makers." 

"I have players come up to me during games and tell me that they are wide open. I tell them...there's a reason for that." 

This year's team, according to Jeff, could have a different look. Gone are the three-point bombers Shoni, Nita and Tia. Returning and arriving on campus is a strong arsenal of post and paint players that will likely provide the team's best chances of scoring. 

Walz also took time to catch the crowd up on the four graduated seniors. Shoni is touring the nation...passing up six figures to play EuroBall, to speak to Native American groups and conventions. Nita Slaughter is a graduate assistant at Drury. Tia Gibbs is the leading scorer in her EuroLeague. Asia Taylor has been the Player of the Week for two straight weeks in her EuroLeague. 

I was able to get some great interviews with assistant coach Sam Purcell, Megan Deines, Syd Brackemyer, Arianna Freeman (our next possible intern at CC?) and we'll play those sound-bytes plus the pre-banquet interview with Walz and much more on the Saturday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO on Crescent Hill Radio at 11 a.m.

All in all, a great 90 minutes with the Cardinals and plenty of Cardinal fans on Tuesday. Thanks to Ira Green for the great pre-banquet debriefing for me and Worldwide and also thanks to Matt Andrews (admittedly not quite out of baseball mode yet) for handling the emcee duties with aplomb. And...it was good to see many of our CARDINAL COUPLE readers and listeners and chat about UofL sports.

Jeff Walz is a thankful man. As Cardinal fans, we should be thankful also. Thankful that he is our head coach.

31 days until the first game. 31 was Asia Taylor's number at Louisville and also freshman Syd Brackemyer's number. 

paulie

Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Basketball, Lacrosse and Volleyball

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( Jenny O'Bryan fills us in on the latest UofL WBB commit...plus news from Lacrosse and Volleyball. )


CALIFORNIA'S CARTER COMMITS TO CARDS

Coach Jeff Walz added yet another piece to the 2014 puzzle with the announcement by Arica Carter that she will become a Louisville Cardinal.  Carter was on campus this past weekend with 3 of the young women who had previously verbally pledged to Louisville, Sydney Brackemyer, Ariana Freeman and Mariya Moore.  (The fourth verbal pledge, Myisha Hines-Allen, had already taken her official visit and was not on campus). 

Carter is a 5-8 combo guard out of Long Beach, CA and played AAU ball on the same club as Moore.    ESPN Hoopgurlz had this to say about her style of play:

Smooth, athletic combo-guard manufactures, elevates in mid-range game to the arc; soft touch on jumper with confident demeanor; uptempo contributor; defends in pressure. (Olson)

Carter is also known for her defensive presence on the floor.  Her defensive assignment in high school play is usually the best player on the court.  Check out this read to learn more about our future Cardinal.

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/20130417/2013-all-area-girls-basketball-team-poly-highs-arica-carter-tops-press-telegram-picks

While Carter is a name that is relatively new to those of us that follow recruiting, it really should not come as too big of a surprise.  As an AAU clubmate of Moore as well as another potential recruit in Kristen Simon, my guess is the staff got to see plenty of Carter during this past summer circuit.  She apparently had a great last summer of ball, and it appears the Cardinal coaches were watching. 

Is this the final piece of the puzzle for 2014?  It is really hard to say.  There are two more names that have been floating around in relation to Louisville basketball and that is Kristen Simon (also from California) and A’Ja Wilson, one of the top (if not the top) player in the country. 

Simon is a 6-1 forward out of Los Angeles and was supposedly on campus this past weekend as well.  Her reported finalists are Louisville, CAL, Ohio State, Texas and Southern California.  Should she choose Louisville she will have plenty of west coast familiarity in Moore and Carter. 

Wilson is an intriguing prospect as a 6-5 forward out of South Carolina.  She is a program changer and can play most positions on the floor.  She has long stated that she will not sign in the early signing period, rather will wait til the regular signing period in April.   Where exactly Louisville stands with this top prospect is unknown, she has kept her recruitment pretty close to her chest.   This is definitely a name to remember, folks. 

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BOLTJA IS BEST FOR SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON

The 2013 Lacrosse team held it’s annual banquet this past weekend.   Awards handed out to several players.

Nikki Boltja was named the most valuable player for the second year in a row.   Coach Young stated  “our 2013 honoree is one of the most passionate, committed players I have every coached.  She will do whatever is asked and then some, to help her team win.”

Janaye Dzikewich earned the coaches award for the second year in a row.   Young stated Dzikewich is “ a stalwart in the face of adversity.  She exceeded all expectations and inspired those around her. “

Kaylinn Morissette earned rookie of the year honors.  She arguably had the best freshman season in school history.  Said Coach Young "she is one of the most dominant midfielders in the country. She impacted all aspects of our game in the 2013 season - attack, midfield, defense, and the draw.

"A developing leader, she is sure to have a remarkable impact on our program over the next three years."

Carissa Corbett earned most improved player award. 

Congratulations to all the honorees and to the team for a great season.  We look forward to seeing them again in the spring!


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VOLLEYBALL "SHOCKED" BY WICHITA STATE

A mid-week, non-conference trip to Wichita by Anne Kordes' Volleyball squad proved disappointing...as the Wichita State Shockers pulled off the upset by downing Louisville in five games 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 15-10.

Brooke Mattingly had 15 kills for the Cards, joined by Janelle Jenkins (11) and Emily Juhl (12) as double-figure kill artists...but Louisville once again stumbles in the fifth and deciding set.

Early success for UofL, taking a 11-3 lead in the first and up 21-13 late before winning by five. Jenkins and Mattingly with four kills each to put the Cards up 1-0.

The WSU Shockers (17-4) rallied back in game two, grabbing their first lead at 21-20 and going on a game-ending 4-2 run to even the match. A quiet game for Cards freshman Maya McClendon, with just two kills in the first two sets.

Louisville led early in the third game 11-10 and built the advantage to 17-13...but a WSU rally tied it at 18-18 and the host team out-pointed the Cards 7-3 down the stretch. McClendon responded with four kills...but the Cards were down two games to one.

With their back against the wall, Louisville trailed WSU 14-11 in the fourth after a 5-0 Shocker run. The Cards would rally back to tie at 15-15 and the game remained close...the teams deadlocked at 22-22 before Mattingly, Randi Ewing and Juhl propelled Louisville to a game ending 3-0 run.

The fifth set was all WSU. Jumping out to a 4-0 lead, the Shockers increased that to 7-2, withstood a Louisville challenge that cut the lead to 13-10 and tallied the final two points of the match to take game and match.

The Cards travel to face the Cincinnati Bearcats next. Game is on Friday with a 7 p.m. start.

 

Friday Cardinal Couple -- Wrapping up 2014

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( Jenny O'Bryan takes a look at basketball recruiting in today's edition of CARDINAL COUPLE!)

The basketball coaching staff is fanning out across the country in what is the last recruiting period for the class of 2014 before the early signing period.   The staff is visiting and making in-home visits with 2014 verbal commits as well as the remaining student athletes that the staff is targeting, trying to wrap up the 2014 class. 

It looks like there are likely 4 remaining targets for the Cardinals.  Most of these names are familiar, although one is a relative newcomer to being on my radar (though that does not at all mean that she is new to the staff).  

The recruiting period opened on Monday, September 9 and Coach Walz was in Oregon.  Seems Oregon is a familiar place for this staff, and is the former home of Coach Stephanie Norman.  However, in this busy last cycle of recruiting, there was no time for reminiscing.  Coach Walz was in Oregon to visit Jaime Nared a 6-1 versatile wing/forward.

Just for context, Nared is likely familiar to Cardinal fans as she is the former teammate of 2 past Louisville recruits Jordan Reynolds and Mercedes Russell (both TN freshman).  Nared has her own star power though.  From a basketball family, Nared has been playing the game since she was a youngster.  Early on she played on  an all boys AAU  team, for two years, before she was banned from the league for being “too good”.   It was at this point, at the age of 12 that she started to learn the women’s game, and she is still growing evolving as an elite athlete. 

What would Nared bring to Louisville squad already loaded with wings?    This said her coach:

"Jaime is the best reader and anticipator on defense that I've ever coached, at any level," said Abraham, who has coached in high school, college and the WNBA. "Lisa Leslie, Chamique Holdsclaw, all the great ones that I've been lucky enough to be around, nobody does it better than she does."    (Jerry Ulmer, The Oregonian)

Nared has worked a lot on her pull up jumper and is said to have transformed her game even from where she was just this past year.  While a home visit did occur this past Monday, to date I have not heard of an official visit scheduled.  She has recently visited Ohio State and UCLA.  Tennessee is expecting a visit in the coming weeks.  Let’s hope Louisville gets the chance to woo her on campus and at the KFC YUM Center. 

While on the west coast Walz likely did a home visit with Mariya Moore who has already verbally committed to play with Louisville.  Rounding out the west coast trip was likely a visit with (new to my radar) Kristen Simon. 

The 6-1 Simon is a post player who plays AAU ball at the same club as Moore (can’t hurt, right?).   Her final 5 of schools is Louisville, Ohio State, CAL, Southern Cal and Texas.    Simon is an exciting prospect as she is a big who likes to bang around in the paint.  She is described as big and mobile, an efficient low-block insider, finisher in the paint, rebounder deluxe with a physical interior game.  Sounds like just what the doctor ordered, right?  I have yet to see Emmonnie Henderson (current freshman) on the court, but the thought of two very strong, physical players in the paint is an exciting prospect.  Currently I do not have an official visit date listed for Simon. 

It seems we have been talking about Victoria Vivians at Cardinal Couple for some time now.    Vivians is another wing player out of Forest, MS.  Her narrowed list of four includes Louisville, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Florida. 

Vivians  is described as long and athletic with a 3 phase offensive attack.  She can step out and shoot the 3, pull up in the mid range and finish at the rim.   Vivians has a great motor and is very fast in the open court and can change direction at full speed.  Vivians is a scorer and will bring an incredible offensive threat to the YUM Center should she decide on Louisville. 

Lastly, at least for the targets in the early signing period, is Dekeiya Cohen.  Cohen is a 6-2 combo forward out of Charleston, South Carolina.  Her top list of schools includes Louisville, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Notre Dame and South Carolina.   Cohen will be on campus this weekend for an official visit. 

Cohen is described as an “energy package in the paint”.  She is a very strong rebounder and equally as strong as a shot blocker.  She is a “scary good” athlete who is said to have a very high athletic ceiling.    Cohen is able to break down defenders, finish consistently with contact and is said to be physical and active on the glass.  She is quick to exploit mismatches and competes on both ends of the floor. 

For those interested, rankings are available on all of these athletes.  However, I have chosen to not dwell on that.  One thing this past season has taught me is that rankings do not matter.  Walz has proven that he is masterful at getting the most out of his players, regardless of rank.  I would venture to say that he gets more out of “less ranked” kids than some coaches get out of their All-Americans. 

Just how many of these remaining targets Walz will accept, if given the opportunity, is anybody’s guess.   It is a wealth of diverse strengths, offensively and defensively, in the paint and on the wing.  Any number of these young women would strengthen and diversify an already excellent class of Moore, Brackemyer, Hines-Allen and Freeman. 

I am all-in when it comes to the mad scientist and I am all-in and ready for this season to get started!

-Jenny O'Bryan

...

More on recruiting

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Staff columnist Jenny O'Bryan continues her recruiting report this week with the emphasis on the prospective  student-athletes' perspective today. You can catch Jenny also on CARDINAL COUPLE RAIDO HOUR every Saturday on CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO!)

Last week I talked a little bit about the recruiting process and terms that relate to the coaches perspective in recruiting.  Today is more about recruiting but from the prospective athletes perspective. 

The NCAA has rules and guidelines about the recruitment of prospective student athletes.  There are rules about coaches communicating, visiting, watching them play, and the lists go on and on.  There is also a process put in place to help the student athlete navigate the recruitment process. 

Prospective student athletes can make any number of visits to colleges of their choices.  These are called unofficial visits.   On an unofficial visit the athletes must pay their own way.  They can make unlimited visits to as many schools as they want.   These visits can be taken at the convenience of the recruit.  Unofficial visits.   

Somewhere along the way an athlete will start to make a list of schools that
 they are potentially interested in.  They will do their homework; decide what they want out of a school as well as an athletic program.  They may even attend a basketball camp being hosted by colleges they are interested in.    At some point their list of suitors has grown.  Also, at some point, they will start to whittle their list of schools they are interested in.  Eventually, they will get to a manageable list. 

In the fall of the student’s senior year in high school they can take an official visit.  Each athlete is allowed 5 official visits.  The school being visited pays for an official visit.    This cannot happen until fall of their senior year.  Official visits. 

Anywhere along the way a student may verbally commit to a program.  A verbal commitment is just that, a verbal commitment.   Nothing is a done deal, for either the student athlete or the college program that is receiving a verbal commitment, until a Letter of Intent is signed. 

In November of one’s senior year they are eligible to sign their LOI in the early signing period.  The signing period is over the course of a certain amount of days.  Once that signing period closes, they cannot sign again until April of their senior year.  The April date is considered the regular signing period.    Once a LOI is signed, the student athlete can get out of their agreement only under certain conditions (coaching change for instance) and often with penalty for doing so (for instance, not signing with another school within the same conference). 

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At this point, since the summer evaluation/viewing periods are over and summer ball is over for rising seniors, fans of recruiting can expect to hear a lot about recruits they are following.  Lists of recruits top schools and scheduling of unofficial and official visits are the primary news that is happening daily. 

However, several top recruits have not been shy about making their decision and verbally committing to the college of their choice.  Louisville got such information from Mariya Moore just last week. 

Two other top 20 kids from the class of 2014 have verbally committed in back–to-back days.  Sierra Calhoun and Lynee Belton both committed to Duke this week.  Belton had Louisville (this was new information for me) in her top 3, UConn being the third, before she committed to Duke on Tuesday.  (As an aside, Belton is an AAU teammate of Ariana Freeman who publicly wished her well at Duke, but was “saddened she did not decide to join the Cardfam”.)

All of this is to say that we can expect a lot of information to be forthcoming in the next few weeks and months.   I look forward to following the information and giving you the most up to date info we have.

-Jenny O'Bryan  

...

Cardinal Couple Thursday

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( Staff columnist Jeff McAdams fills us in on the WBB squad's latest verbal...Mariya Moore and discusses our Saturday radio show on Crescent Hill Radio. WE have three great interviews lined up for the upcoming broadcast...Part III of the Anne Kordes tapes, women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson Dayes returns with another edition of Kickin' It With Karen and Coach Kellie Young and Paulie discuss lacrosse student-athlete Ashley Herbst.)


Just as I was despairing of what to write about for today comes news from the recruiting front.  This is supposedly Jenny's wheelhouse, not mine so much, but news doesn't tend to conform itself to the Cardinal Couple writing schedule.

Mariya Moore verbally commits

2014 prospect Mariya Moore has supposedly verbally committed the play for the University of  Louisville.  Variously listed at either 5' 11" or 6', Mariya is generally considered to be a guard with some potential to play at the forward position.

Mariya looks to be a good shooter and passer.  A strong player, she has the option of slashing to the basket as well, which really makes her an all-around threat.  The only question is whether she'll be a guard or a forward.  She would probably be a little undersized for a forward, but some question whether she has the quickness to play the guard spot.  Add that to Louisville's general guard glut and maybe we'll see her slide over to a small forward position.  On the other hand, once Walz gets her into his defensive boot camp, we may find that she does have the quickness to play guard once she gets into top Walz playing form.  Here's a great highlight video of her.

Moore's commit adds her to the 2014 class for Jeff Walz along with Sydney Brackemyre and Ariana Freeman.  It adds a great deal of momentum, and even more unconventional name spelling, to what was already shaping up to be an impressive recruiting class.


Mariya attends Salesian High School in Richmond, CA and lives in Hercules, CA.  Richmond is on the peninsula that forms the northern end of San Francisco Bay and the southern end of San Pablo Bay and is to the north of Oakland and Berkeley.  Hercules is just up the coast to the north-east along San Pablo Bay.  This is quite a long way to go to college, but she'll still be in good company with Jude Schimmel and Cortnee Walton also making the trek from the western part of the country.

Number 4 seems to be Mariya's preferred jersey number which should work out well...barring any red-shirt-inducing injuries..as Nita Slaughter will be giving that number up when she graduates in the spring.

( Editor's note: My sister-in-law Anita and her family live in Richmond. WE will endeavor to coax her into checking out Moore in a game or two this year.)

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Tune in Saturday at 11am at CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO for more on Mariya Moore.  Also, we'll hear the third section of my interview with Volleyball Head Coach Anne Kordes where we talk about the new faces on the team this year.  Volleyball has been tweeting pictures from their pre-season photo and video shoots, so you know the season is just around the corner. The station also plays a wide selection and variety of music and has other talk shows. Give them a listen a by clicking the link highlighted above.



-Jeff McAdams

( CARDINAL COUPLE is a non-profit LLC that operates this website and our weekly radio show. WE are also the fan voice for UofL women's sports on the inernet and radio and welcome your opinions, suggestions and comments on how we can better serve you. You can leave a comment in this or any of our article's comment section or e-mail us at cardinalcouple@twc.com  We are sponsored by our readers and listeners....commercial free and independently owned.)

-Paulie

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It's July, that means basketball!

CARDINAL COUPLE WEDNESDAY

- Hoops heating up in July

( Jenny O'Bryan fills us in on her latest observations on women's basketball recruiting news. It looks like UofL has a lot of top-flight talent mentioning the Lady Cards and it also looks like Jenny is going to be busy keeping track of all this talent!)


July marks the summer NCAA Certified Evaluation Period where AAU basketball teams head all over the country to play in front of coaches.  You can expect the U of L Women’s Basketball staff will be out in full force over the course of the next month trying to reel in some top talent to join the team in 2014. 

We all know by now two recruits have already verballed to Louisville, Sydney Brackmyre and Ariana Freeman.  I expect they will take their official visit to Louisville in the fall and are likely to sign during the early signing period this Fall.
 

We all also know that Syd has been recovering from an ACL tear and is getting stronger every day.  Paul and I had the opportunity to see her at the first Elite Skills Camp. 

A great article surfaced last week about Freeman.  Wow, what a workhorse, and what incredible dedication this young woman is showing to the game preparing herself for being a future Cardinal.  If you are not excited about seeing this young woman as a Cardinal, you will be after you read this article. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/wp/2013/06/26/summer-workouts-heat-up-for-paul-vis-ariana-freeman/

Just who will be joining this already talented duo in 2014?   The two evaluation periods in July are July 6-12 and July 23-29.  Below is a little of information about a few kids I have seen linked to Louisville.

Two west coast kids who play AAU ball on the same team are Mariya Moore and Natalie Romeo, a wing and guard, respectively.  Their names have been linked to Louisville basketball for months now.  

A 3^rd incredible talent from California is Gabby Green.   Green will miss the summer circuit of AAU ball as she made the USA U19 World Championship team.  If Walz and Company want to see Green play in July, they will have to go to Lithuania.  She is a fierce talent.  Check out this clip:
 

GABBY GREEN

Vivans is a scoring machine!

We have already mentioned Jatarie White ( 6-4 center ) out of S. Carolina was on campus recently as well as Victoria Vivians  ( 6 foot wing) out of Mississippi who has Louisville in her short list of 4. 

Another recruit who was on campus just this past weekend who will also be in the sights of the staff this month is Mackenzie Engram.   Engram is a 6-1 forward out of Georgia.  Her list of schools is SEC heavy with Georgia Tech, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi and Auburn.  I wonder what the Coach Purcell effect will be here?  Makes one wonder, does it not?

The final recruit on my radar, not necessarily Louisville’s radar, is Kortney Dunbar out of Edwardsville, Il.  Does that sound familiar?  It should, Dunbar was a teammate of incoming freshman Emmonie Henderson.  This 6-2 guard is a solid shooter, and certainly does not hurt to have that kind of size on the perimeter. 

It certainly looks like the staff is zeroing in on some top talent.  

I’ll be following their progress over the evaluation period and hope to recap how they have done at the end of the month. 

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Unless you have been away for a week and unplugged from technology, you have likely heard that U of L Women’s Basketball has been nominated for an ESPY Award for the biggest upset in sports.  If you have not voted, please do so.  Coach Pitino is also up for Coach of the Year and Angel McCoughtry is up for WNBA Player of the Year. 

Go visit the page and vote.  Let’s keep this Year of the Cardinal thing going!
 

Voting ends July 17 at 9:00 p.m. 

LINK BELOW
 

http://espn.go.com/espys/2013/

-Jenny O'Bryan

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