Candyce (Bingham) Wheeler -- KFD Teleconference -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

One Moment, Please...

I am back after a brief stint with technical troubles.

The storm here in the Louisville area Monday night fried my router, causing me to lose everything tied to UVerse, but I am now back up and running. The power oitage hit Paulie as well, but his electricity was restored in time for him to cover me on Tuesday and thanks to him for that!

My bathroom renovations and mold situation are a little more complicated and will take a bit more time, but those will not affect my contributions here at Cardinal Couple.



Candyce Wheeler to USC Upstate


Former Cardinal and current USC Upstate women's basketball head coach Becky Burke added
another Cardinal to her staff, USC Upstate announced yesterday.  Candyce (Bingham) Wheeler joins the team as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

Wheeler spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with Bellarmine women's basketball.  She was also a teammate with Burke during the 2009 Final Four and NCAA Runner-Up season.

"Candyce was my teammate, and through that, our bond has remained pretty tight," said Burke.  You're very close with your teammates throughout your life.  Through that, being peers in the coaching world at different universities for the last few years and seeing each other out recruiting, we've kept our relationship.

It is nice to see former teammates back together again.  With a hopeful season this year we should have a great look at what this dynamic duo will be able to do with rebuilding the USC Upstate program.

Karen Ferguson-Dayes Teleconference

Louisville head women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes held a teleconference yesterday, giving us a chance to catch up with her and hear about what's going on with the team.

Paulie started off asking Coach KFD about Gaby Vincent with the Utah Royals FC.

Coach then went onto answer some questions about the process of bringing the student-athletes back to campus and gave us better insight into some of their phases.

We heard some of the reasoning behind cancelling summer camps- COVID-19 related, of course.


Coach went into some detail about workouts and protocol with the workouts and training.

The good news is that as of right now all regular-season scheduled matches are still good to go if a season happens.  Butler University, who was listed as a scrimmage, did cancel.

There are a few other questions that were asked.  You can see the whole 13:39 teleconference below.

On a bright note, congratulations to softball great Kelsi Jones on her engagement!  She shared the good news on her social media last night.


We know you spent money, but...

Please be courteous and hold off on the fireworks until at least Friday night, if not Saturday.  And to those taking advantage of that fun activity please be safe and take proper precautions.  We don't need any Nine-Fingered Neds and Nellies.

On that note, we will be having our regularly scheduled Cardinal Couple Podcast on Saturday! No fireworks there, usually, of course.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!


Jared

Becky Burke to South Carolina Upstate -- Sowry's Playing Days -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Becky Burke Named Head Coach at South Carolina Upstate

The University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) named Becky Burke as the head coach for their women's basketball program yesterday.

Burke played guard for UofL from 2008-2012.  Her accomplishments include 1000+ career points, team leader in points her sophomore and senior years, and a trip to the NCAA Championship game  her freshman year.  Burke was a sharpshooter from three-point range during her time as a Cardinal.

Burke bounced around different schools for a few years after graduating from Louisville.  She was the director of operations at Cal State-Fullerton from 2013-2014.  Burke then joined Saint Joseph's College (Ind.) in 2014-2015 as an assistant coach.

Burke's first big break was helping establish the women's basketball program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and was head coach for two years, including a stellar 21-6 record in her second season.

Burke climbed the ladder further when she was named head coach at the University of Charleston (W.V.), where she spent the last two seasons.  Her success with the Eagles and guiding them to high finishes in the Mountain East Conference earned her high honors as she was named one of the 30 Under 30 coaches list for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The Eagles had two 25-7 seasons under Burke's reign.

Burke comes into a USC Upstate team who has not seen a winning season since 2015-2016.  The
Spartans, a DI school, were 10-20 last season before COVID-19 shut down NCAA Athletics.

"I'm looking forward to building relationships with the players and bringing fresh energy and life into the program.  That's what you need when you're building, and I'm excited about watching them grow and see what they're going to do," said Burke.

We're excited to see what the former fan favorite will do in her tenure as head coach of the Spartans!


Sowry's Playing Days

For those of you who follow UofL Field Hockey on social media you may have noticed a throwback video posted yesterday.  The throwback isn't from a former UofL team, but actually of Justine Sowry during her goalkeeper days.

The footage is from the 1995 NHL Telstra Stix Series.  After doing some digging it appears the team was called the Diet Coke Adelaide Suns (now called the SA Suns).  The team hails from South Australia and competes in the Australian Hockey League (AHS).  The video comes from the national championship, where Sowry helped her team win in penalty strokes.

You can see some wicked skills by Sowry as she surrenders zero goals in four attempts in the shootout from the first half of the video as well as some other major highlights in the back half.

For myself, this was the first time I had seen footage of Sowry during her playing days.  This particular footage came when I was less than a year old.


You can check out the video by clicking here.




On a completely unrelated note I found this photo, which is one of many I took, from the NCAA Baseball Super Regionals 2019.

This was one of the celebratory shots from one year ago yesterday when the Cards advanced to Omaha.  It's a shame how COVID-19 cut so many sports seasons short.

Also a video conference is scheduled today at 2 p.m. with University of Louisville women's basketball captains Dana Evans and Kianna Smith. Paulie will participate and we'll have it for you here in the Wednesday Cardinal Couple column.


Continue to stay healthy and stay safe. Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Becky Burke named head WBB coach at University of Charleston -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FORMER CARDINAL STAR GETS NEW GIG


University of Charleston has hired Becky Burke as its next head women's basketball coach to lead the Golden Eagles into the 2018-19 season.

"Double B's" spent the last two seasons as head coach of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where she led the new Eagles program to a remarkable record of success in just two seasons of competition. In the second season of play, Burke led ERAU to a 21-6 overall record and a second-place finish in the regular season in the California - Pacific Conference (Cal-Pac) where the Eagles posted an 11-3 mark and qualified for their first Cal-Pac Tournament appearance. Embry-Riddle also recorded another program first in 2017-18, appearing in the top-25 national rankings as high as No. 24 during the season.

Burke's impact was immediate. In
her first season with ERAU she led the team to a winning record, with the Eagles finishing 14-12 in their inaugural season. She basically built the program from scratch.

Prior to taking on the job of building the Embry-Riddle program, Burke was a member of the staff at Saint Joseph's College (Ind.) where she was the first assistant coach for the 2014-15 campaign. She was primarily responsible for individual development at the guard position, along with implementing defensive schemes, as well as serving as the Puma's recruiting coordinator and strength and conditioning coach.

During the 2013-14 season, Burke was the director of basketball operations at California State – Fullerton where she helped the Titans record an 8-8 record in Big West Conference play.

We all remember, hopefully, her time as a Cardinal.  A 2012 graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in sports management, She was the three-point threat on Walz teams and a part of three NCAA Tournament teams, including helping the Cardinals to the NCAA championship game in 2009 and to the Sweet 16 in 2011. Burke led the team in scoring as a sophomore and was second as a senior, averaging 13.8 and 11.9 points per game respectively. As a senior she tied the school record for three-pointers in a game, draining eight against Syracuse.

Burke's Louisville career ended as a member of the school's 1,000-point club and became just the second Cardinal ever to participate in the State Farm College Three-Point Championship her senior year, placing second.

Burke's playing experience at NCAA Division I and immediate success as an up-and-coming coach will be huge in rebuilding the Golden Eagle women's basketball tradition of success. "It's exciting to hear Coach Burke's enthusiasm for coaching the Golden Eagles" said University of Charleston President, Dr. Ed Welch. "She has played on championship teams and knows every detail about how to run a championship program. She is clearly committed to winning championships for Charleston."

University of Charleston decided on Burke following a national search for a new WBB head coach to replace Adam Collins, who was below .500 the past two seasons.

The Golden Eagles had (18) players create stats in the 2017-18 season and just two were seniors, so Burke will have plenty of student-athletes to evaluate. Three double-digit performers return and nine of the athletes on last year's roster were from Ohio....zero from Kentucky.

"Becky emerged as a talented leader that is most prepared to coach the Golden Eagles in this era of highly competitive college basketball" said Director of Athletics, Dr. Bren Stevens. "Coach Burke will be able to develop our student-athletes and prepare them for productive lives both on and off the court which aligns perfectly with our mission."

Don't get the program and University confused with the College of Charleston, which is located in South Carolina. It's not quite that huge and dramatic step up...but a significant one at the very least. They participate in the MEC (Mountain East Conference) with these West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio schools:

Glenville State, Notre Dame College (no, not the South Bend Irish), WVU State, West Liberty,  Fairmont State, Wheeling Jesuit, Urbana, Shepherd, Concord, WVU Wesleyan and UVA-Wise.

It's an NCAA Division II Conference., too...a step up from the NAIA. The Golden Eagles went 13-17 in 2017-18 season...8-14 in-conference.

If you are on I-77  headed to the West Virginia Turnpike and going south to ACC Country...you can see their football stadium right next to the Interstate.

 We're not sure whether B.B. could ever get Coach Walz to put University of Charleston on the schedule or not. They traveled out-of-state a mere (4) times last season.

We wish the best of luck to "the Burkes-ster" as she continues the pursuit and passions of a life-long dream of continuing in basketball after graduation. We'll be watching and...hey, Becky...if you find you're looking for a great three-point shooting guard...we know of one that recently left Louisville...

Another branch from the Walz coaching tree that is in bloom and one that basically started as a small twig and continued to grow and sprout. A long way from the Pennsylvania 4A Player of the Year days in high school. A long way from the heart-to-heart, let's sit down and talk and figure it out days with Stephanie Norman and Jeff Walz.

Becky Burke, CARDINAL COUPLE salutes you and....go "Coach 'em up!" From Eagles to Golden Eagles and originally a Cardinal...Burke continues to soar high and keeps climbing.


(Parts of today's article from the University of Charleston sports information department) 


paulie
xxxxx

Softball adds two...The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

COUSINEAU, HALE JOIN SOFTBALL SQUAD

We haven't had a lot a Softball talk here in the CARDINAL COUPLE articles since the season ended back on May 11th. in the ACC quarterfinals with a 5-2 loss to NC State. One thing we have lamented about is the lack of getting runners on base to home plate. 

Sandy Pearsall is working on that. 

Madison Cousineau and Darrianne Hale are the two newest "Hit and Pitch" Cards to join Pearsall's roster...both coming in via the transfer route. They'll be on campus for the fall 2017 session and both have impressive numbers. 

Cousineau comes to Louisville from Mississippi State. She spent two seasons as a Bulldog and plays catcher. Her knowledge of the game and communication with the pitching staff are strong points for the Otto, N.C. native and she also possess a strong bat.  

Returning from last year behind the plate is senior catcher Jenna Jordan...who started 40 of Louisville's 44 games and batted .286. After that...with Alison Szydlowski now looking to be more of an infielder now than plate guarder and Shelby Graybill...listed as a catcher but used primarily as a pinch hitter...Cousineau's addition adds valuable backup at the position. 

Hale hits the Belknap Campus after a season at Butler Community College. She was a member of the 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association championship team. Playing first base and pitching...she complied a .407 batting average and hit 22 home runs for the Grizzlies. She also went 6-0 on the mound with a .187 ERA in 45 innings of work. She comes in as a junior...spending her freshmen year at Incarnate Word...where her numbers were equally impressive. 

The Cards have needs at all three areas of Hale's expertise. WIth Tiarra Sanabria graduated and Michala Riggle transferred to Liberty...first base is open. Pitching wise, the Cards show only Megan Hensley and Sydney Warriner...who spent most of the season injured... on roster. A back up in the circle...especially one who can hit...is a welcome aspect for this squad. 

We haven't seen a list yet of the freshmen that will be on the 2018 squad yet. We imagine there will be a sizable number...a look at the current roster, adding in Hale and Cousineau, shows 16 players. Of those, six regularly saw starting roles for the Cards in the 2017 campaign...so opportunities exist for immediate playing time for the reserves and newcomers to the program. Another key element will be how starting shortstop Sidney Melton comes back from an early season-ending injury last year. 

We'll miss the speedy McNary...but will cover her
future political aspirations as they develop. 

Graduation hit Louisville fairly hard. Gone are Maryssa Becker, Jordan McNary, Morgan Meyer and Tiarra Sanabria...all key starters from 2017. Transferring out of the program were Lillie Goetz (Murray State)...in addition to Riggle. 

Cardinal fans and the players are anxious to see this squad return to post-season play. Hopefully, the returnees and newcomers can accomplish the task. The Cards will play a fall exhibition schedule and we'll watch it with interest as a pre-cursor to what lies ahead for the squad in the ACC for 2018


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BURKE ON THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

We have had a lot of fun and you, the listeners, have really seemed to enjoy the "Catching Up With" segment we've been featuring on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour the last couple of weeks. Believe me, it's been a blast creating the piece and my sincere thanks to Sara Hammond and Asia Taylor for eagerly agreeing to be our subjects of examination and providing us great interviews in the first two episodes. 

We go to a Burke this Saturday. 

No, not musical performer Justin Burke. It's not ESPN announcer Doris Burke (although both would make for pretty interesting interviews). 

#11. "Double B's"...the Gunslinger. Becky Burke joins us to catch us up on life in west central Arizona as she prepares for her second season as head women's basketball coach at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. 

Some teases to listen for..

- What "aged Becky 20 years"? 

- How does she view this current crop of Cardinals? 

- What were her favorite memories as a Cardinal? 

- What is a common misconception about Embry Riddle Aeronautical University? 

- Can she still drill the "3"? 

Becky's segment will run around 11:30 Saturday. The show starts at 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 FM locally and on the Internet at www.crescenthillradio.com

You can go to the Cardinal Couple archives at the radio station website to re-listen to the Hammond and Taylor interviews if you missed them. I think the previous show list goes back about four months currently. 

Go to the site, hover over Programming, click on Cardinal Couple and scroll down to see the previous broadcasts. It's so simple even Paulie can do it! 

Who said we've nothing to cover in the off-season? Join Worldwide, Case, Jared and I Saturday for sports talk radio that "beats anything on the air in Bradenton" according to David Watson.


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ACC MEDIA FOOTBALL DAYS

Normally, this wouldn't be a big area for us to cover here at Cardinal Couple. Since it seems about half the Louisville sports media has descended on Charlotte, however, and it involves Lamar Jackson....I did sample some of the stuff that happened down there yesterday. 

Three things I liked: 

"New look" Lamar

1) I wonder if Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher is an auctioneer in the off-season? Have you ever heard this guy ramble? I think only horse racing callers and ice hockey announcers have a faster delivery style...

Sample a bit of his audio if you don't believe me from yesterday. I surely would not want to have to transcribe him live for visual content. He's the Hannah Koloski of talking! 

2) Head Syracuse football coach Dino Babers has a sense of humor. During the media days yesterday, he walked up to Lamar Jackson and touched him on the shoulder. He then turned to the cameras and said: 

"Did you get that? I just wanted to prove to our defense that you can get to him...he is touchable." 

Reportedly...Lamar got a big kick out of the encounter.  (Last year, L.J. put 610 total yards and five touchdowns on the Orange.)

3) Speaking of Lamar...how about the "new look" for the Louisville quarterback? Sporting a new haircut and a under-toned but stylish suit...it looks like he's undergone a bit of GQ transformation. We approve. We think he'll have a lot of photos snapped of him this upcoming season and you might as well be photogenic, right?  


paulie
xxxxx

Coming soon and catching up -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

JULY LEADING TO BETTER THINGS

Ah yes...the doldrums of summer. July does have some bright spots in terms of Cardinal ATHLETICS...most of the 2017-18 athletics are on campus now and busily preparing with individual workouts and the occasional coaches contact sessions...but as far as scores and games...we got nothing. It is that time of year. Football is going through their ACC Media Days currently. I'll pass...a bunch of guessing about what might happen and reviewing what we already know. I wonder if Lamar took the Heisman Trophy with him? 

We'll follow the USA U 23 women's basketball team tryouts with interest. Two current Cardinals (Asia Durr and Myisha Hines-Allen) and one former Cardinal (Mariya Moore) are scheduled to be part of the 40 trying out for 12 spots. Jeff Walz is the head coach of the squad and former Cardinal assistant Michelle Clark-Heard is one of his assistants. That training camp starts on the final day of July and the dozen roster members will be announced on Friday Aug 4th. 

Out of the 40, here are some tidbits: 

-- Walz, Hines-Allen and Durr have played or coached against 15 of the invitees. Kristine Anigwe, Erin Boley, Lexie Brown, Kalani Brown, Natalie Chow, Rebeccas Greenwell, Linnae Harper, Marina Mabrey, Jamie Nared, Arike Ogunbowale, Mercedes Russell, Jessica Shepard, Desiny Slocum, Asura Stevens and Jackie Young 

-- The ACC is represented by eight players from three schools (Duke, Notre Dame and Louisville). 

-- Two players from the state of Kentucky are on the list of 40....Greenwell and Boley. 

-- Walz coached six of the invitees as an assistant coach on the 2015 U 19 team. Wilson, Slocum, Moore, Stevens, Collier and Angiwe. 

-- 22 schools are represented in the 40 players. Notre Dame and UConn each have four invitees. Texas has three. Ten schools have two players. 

We'll keep an eye on the proceedings and keep you updated. 


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COMING ATTRACTIONS

In case you were wondering, Louisville women's soccer will be the first women's fall sport to host a match on campus...when they bring in DePaul on Saturday, August 12th. Field Hockey has Miami (OH) on campus Friday, August 18th. and the annual Alumnae Game on Saturday, August 19th. WSOC also hits the pitch on Aug. 18th. when they face Boston "Univerity" (we're pretty sure that's supposed to be UNIVERSITY...unless BeanTown has sprung up a new school). Oh...that accurate SID crew. Do they need a proof reader? 

At least they've differentiated on the start times for the 18th. Field Hockey hits the Trager at 1:30 p.m. and WSOC squares off in Lynn at 7:30 p.m. Thank you, scheduling staffers! Maybe a promo of sorts to get people to both? Like bring a poster or some giveaway from the Field Hockey game (which is free admission) to get free admission to WSOC? Or have a tailgate for a few hours somewhere on campus in between games? 

That Paulie, always thinking...


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ON A PERSONAL NOTE 

(Sadly...the surgery failed to make me
any cuter... )

Hard to believe...but it's been 35 days (5 weeks) since I got my bionic right hip. I'm walking without a cane now, started driving again Tuesday, and working on strengthening the right leg muscle, tendons and stuff they had to cut to get at the bone. A bit of a limp still...and still taking steps one at a time...but progressing each day. 

It's been a experience...that's for sure. I want to take a minute and thank all who have provided me with words of encouragement, offers to aid, tips from previous hip replacement folks, those who have inquired, called, e-mailed and texted, stopped by and commented. Your positive reinforcement was needed.

Most of all, thanks to "Coach Sonja". She's been my sidekick, motivational instructor, drill sergeant, compassionate ear, taxi and chef for over a month and there is no way I could have got through this without her. 

A bit of a worry yesterday when out walking in the over 90 degree heat... I got real dizzy, real fast. Thought I was going to end up horizontal on the sidewalk. After a prolonged rest and hydration, though...I got back to the car. And got a "probably needed" chewing out from Coach when I got home for not taking the walk in a air conditioned facility and waiting for her to get home and go with me. I saw the high schoolers out practicing football and went with the "if they can do it, I can do it" philosophy. Coach Walz would probably question my "heat index" IQ...and I've discovered I ain't 18 anymore. 

We go on. We get better each day. We stay positive and headed in one direction. 


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"CATCHING UP WITH" SNARES ANOTHER

We have been having big fun on THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR with the "Catching Up With" segment...where we interview a former Cardinal WBB great and see what's up with them these days. So far, we've chatted with Sara Hammond and Asia Taylor.

This upcoming Saturday, we'll hear from Becky Burke. "Double B's" is excited about the chance to fill in the listeners on what she's doing these days and the life of being a head coach at ERAU. 

Ol' #11 thrilled many a fan with her three-ball efforts during her time as a Cardinal. What got her into coaching? How did she end up in Prescott, AZ? Just a couple of questions we'll ask. IF THERE IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO ASK B.B....e-mail me or leave it in the comments section. 

Tune in at 11 a.m. for the show Saturday. We do the "Catching Up" sequence at 11:30. It usually takes me 30 minutes to get the cast of knuckleheads in studio with me in some semblance of order, clarity and control in the studio. Usually unsuccessfully. (I wouldn't have it any other way.)  

It's big fun.  Go to www.crescenthillradio.com to see what's happening now! 


paulie
xxxxx

USA U 19 WBB ready to roll in Spain -- Saturday Cardinal Couple

WALZ, MOORE WILL BE IN ACTION SUNDAY IN THE SPAIN U-19 INTERNATIONAL INVITATIONAL

The USA U 19 women's basketball team is in Murcia, Spain and will go through a second day of practice before playing in the Spanish event that will be contested over three days.

USA faces Australia at noon ET on Sunday, Canada at noon on Monday and finally Spain on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. We are checking for any possible TV for these events. 

The team is having their second day of practices today and reports are that the coaches and players are eagerly awaiting the chance to play against some excellent international competition. 

We have word from several highly credible sources (but no official statement) that Katie Lou Samuelson did not make the trip to Spain...having to go home on a family issue. No word on whether she'll catch up with the team in Chekhof, Russia. 

Or whether Kirk, Sulu or any Klingons will meet them there...phasers on stun and have the transporter device ready. 

So, the #1 and #2 players in the Class of 2015 (Asia Durr and Samuelson) aren't there. I'll let you decide which is #1 and #2...I have my pick and it's Asia #1 and Katie Lou #2. 

Not to worry. USA U 19 has plenty of talent. Beside Mariya Moore...you've got A'ja Wilson (South Carolina), Shakayla Thomas (FSU), Chatrice White (Illinois), Azura' Stevens (Duke) and Gabbi Ortiz (Oklahoma). All of them had impressive freshman seasons at their schools. Add the high school seniors Kristine Anigwe, Napheesa Collier, Lauren Cox, Crystal Dangerfield and Ali Patberg and you've got a team that beat the USA Pan Am team by six and lost to them by three a few days back.

On the Canadian roster there are eight players either headed to or who have played freshmen seasons at USA colleges represented..
Iowa State, Syracuse, Memphis, Minnesota, Toledo, Illinois, Utah and Oregon. On the Spanish roster is Angela Salvadores...who is headed to Duke. 

Salvadores has performed well against USA team in previous international competiton. She put up 40 against USA in the finals of the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Womens U 17. We've added a clip below:

SALVADORES GOES OFF ON USA 


Hers is a name Cardinal WBB fans will hear quite often over the next four years...hopefully as performing brilliantly in a loss to Louisville...

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BECKY BURKE...HEAD COACH


Becky Burke was officially named the head coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ.  

There is a Embry-Riddle in Florida also and they have had great athletic successes in the NAIA. We assume the Arizona campus will be NAIA also. 

Burke gets to build this program from scratch. They'll take the court for the 2016-17 season. What an exciting time for the UofL point guard that played in the 2009 NCAA Championship game! 

Another branch of the Walz coaching tree that has blossomed and bearing leaves. We wish BB the best of success and imagine this team will probably become quite adapt at shooting the three like their coach was. 

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RADIO TODAY! 

Our weekly broadcast on the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR airs today at 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 and on the Internet at www.crescenthillradio.com. Link below:

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR


We have an exciting show planned for you. We'll play and discuss the seven-minute interview we had with Jeff Walz earlier in the week and also look at the USA U 19 women's basketball team that Walz is an assistant coach on. We'll get a report from WorldWide on Poorcastle Friday night and we'll have a quiz for him as well. 

Plenty of things going on in the basketball world and we'll round table a few. You never know who is going to pop in...so be sure to tune in!

paulie
xxxxx

Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Sara, Becky, Katie and LAX

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

JEFF MCADAMS IS FEATURED TODAY WITH HIS REGULAR TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE COLUMN. HE EXPLORES LACROSSE, BECKY BURKE, SARA HAMMOND AND SOFTBALL TODAY. HE CAN ALSO BE HEARD ON OUR SATURDAY RADIO SHOW AT CRESCENT HILL RADIO. HE'S THE INTELLIGENT ONE.

 

Lacrosse

So, the UofL Lacrosse season has come to an end.  In a three point loss to one of the regular lacrosse powerhouses - Northwestern....there is no reason for sadness.  Of course, as fans, we would've loved to have seen the upset over Northwestern, and of course coaches, players and families would wish for the team to be playing next weekend.  This team exceeded all expectations for success this year, and there appear to be great things ahead in the years ahead.

We did notice the absence of Monica Negron on the field Sunday, and a quick query to head coach Kellie Young revealed that Monica had suffered a season/career ending injury between the game Friday and Sunday.  We don't have details on what the nature of the injury is, but wish the best for Monica.

 

WBB Coaching Moves - Becky Burke

Becky Burke, after spending two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at Cal State
Fullerton...and thus being the impetus for the phrase, "Tusks Up", being said on Cardinal Couple Radio...is moving onward and upward.

It was announced late yesterday that the Double B is taking an Assistant Coaches position at Saint Joseph's College in Indiana.  Saint Joseph's is in Rensselaer, IN, which you'll be forgiven if you don't know where it is.  About halfway between Purduetown (Lafayette, IN) and ChicagoLand along I-65, Rensselaer is not exactly a bustling metropolis, but it is considerably closer to home for Becky - a native of Clarks Summit, PA.

Saint Joseph's is a Catholic College with enrollment of approximately 1,200.

Softball

Sandy Pearsall's squad is back out on Ulmer field today and tomorrow practicing for their appearance in the Tuscon Regional.  They will be leaving tomorrow afternoon to travel to Arizona to prepare for their first game Friday evening at 8:30pm (EDT).  Because Tuscon, like most of Arizona, does not observe Daylight Saving Time, the start time is 5:30 local.  Louisville has the early game of the evening, and the game will be carried on ESPN3.

Louisville comes into the tournament with a 36-20 record, while LSU sports a 35-22, but plays in the always-tough-in-softball SEC conference.  LSU was eliminated from the SEC conference tournament in an extra innings game against Kentucky.

The nightcap game on Friday is Arizona vs Boston University.  Arizona is 41-13 on the season, and BU heads out west with a record of 35-19.

3x3 Basketball

The article yesterday mentioned that Takeover, the team with Sara Hammond, won the USA
Basketball 3x3 Championship at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, but we now have information about further competition that will follow.

Sara will be joining her Takeover teammates, Cierra Burdick of Tennessee, Jewell Lloyd of Notre Dame and Tiffany Mitchell of South Carolina in going to Moscow, Russia to represent the US in the FIBA 3x3 World Championship from June 5th through 8th.  The 3x3 World Championship is a biennial tournament, and will be played for the second time this summer.

-jmca



EDITOR'S NOTE

Sara is an integral part of the 2014-15 team that Jeff Walz will guide in the Cards first season playing as Atlantic Coast Conference members. Three conferences in three years has made the Sara and the Cards appreciate their fans that back them in home appearances. They've seen the vacant arenas and gyms on road trips and realize just how fortunate they are to be wearing the Cardinal uniform.

With another strong season in the headlights...one wonders if the Mt. Vernon, KY native will be the next UofL WBB player to walk up on the podium and hold a WNBA jersey in front of her. If hard work and determination are any factors at all...we expect that "The Hammer" will be nailing post players in the "Big Show" this time next year. Wouldn't it be great to see her defending Asia on a drive? Or maybe grabbing a rebound, getting the outlet pass to Shoni...who no-look passes to Angel for a score!   -paulie

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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Double B's becomes a DBO


(From the Cal State Fullerton Athletics Department)

Former Louisville Cardinal standout guard Becky Burke has been brought in as the new Director of Basketball Operations for the Cal State Fullerton women's basketball program, Head Coach Daron Park announced Wednesday afternoon.

"Anytime you have a chance to add someone with Final Four experience to your program it's a good thing," said Park. "When you combine that experience with amazing work ethic, personal skills, and outstanding energy it's just a no brainer. Becky compliments this staff perfectly. She was an outstanding player at Louisville and will no doubt have a positive impact here at Cal State Fullerton."

Burke joins the Titans' support staff after spending four seasons with Cardinals as a player. While at Louisville she was a part of three NCAA Tournament teams, including helping to lead the Cardinals to the NCAA championship game during the 2009 season, and again to the Sweet 16 during the 2010 campaign.

Burke led the Cardinals in scoring in both her sophomore and senior seasons, putting up 13.8 and 11.9 points per game respectively. During her senior year, (2011-12) Burke led the team in three-point field goals made (81) and three-point field goal percentage (38 percent). She also scored a career-high 28 points vs. Syracuse, while tying the school record for three-pointers made in a game with eight in that contest.

Burke ended her Louisville career as a member of the school's 1,000 point club and became just the second Cardinal ever to participate in the State Farm College Three-Point Championship her senior year, as she placed second.

Before coming to Cal State Fullerton Burke spent a year working for Homefit Personal Training in Louisville, Ky. Although undrafted after graduation in the WNBA, Burke did briefly make an appearance in Poland as a player before deciding to return to the United States and Louisville.

The Clarks Summit, Pa. native earned her undergraduate degree in sports administration from the University of Louisville and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton.


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Louisville women's soccer gets their season underway this evening with an exhibition game against Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. vs. Vanderbilt. The Cards did not play the Commodores in the 2012 season but do own an exhibition win over them from 2011.

Louisville will look to control the pace and action of the match with their powerful offense...which features WUGS leading scorer Charlyn Corral and 2011 standout Christine Exeter.

We'll recap it in the Monday edition of Cardinal Couple


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Dee Kanter is one of the most highly recognizable referees in women's college basketball  She also calls WNBA games. Click the link below for Dee's take on a few topics:



http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2013/08/09/dee-kantner-talks-from-beh ind-the.html?page=all
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-Sonja

Wednesay Cardinal Couple -- Louisville women in the news

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Jenny O'Bryan fastbreaks us through basketball, golf and soccer news today. She also gives us some updates on former stars at UofL. )


You’d never know it is the middle of summer, with all of the Louisville Women’s Athletic activity going on.   There is a lot to share today, so forget about Paulie being off in the woods chasing bears, let’s get down to it. 

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The Women’s University team took a quick lead against the Czech Republic and never looked back.   The team is now 2-0 and was led by UConn’s Kaleena Mosqueda- Lewis with 19 points.  For specifics on the game, check this link:

http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/worlduniversity/

Next up for the team is Brazil on Wednesday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.

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Three Louisville golfers are in the top 20 after the first round of action in the Lexmark Kentucky Women’s Open.   Laura Restrepo shot a 72  and is tied with four other players for third place.  Meghan Theiss shot a 75 and is tied with three others for 15^th place.  Tara Lyons shot a 76 and is tied with four others for 18^th place. 
 

The final round of play begins today. 

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Charlyn Corral of women’s soccer is also in Russia representing Mexico in the World University Games.  She leads Mexico with 5 goals in 3 matches and has helped team to the quarterfinals to play Korea on Thursday, July 11.   Congratulations Corral, keep up the good work!

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In the area of recent graduates, we here at Cardinal Couple have been negligent in passing on the good news about Chelsea Leonard, former pitcher for our Softball Cards.   Leonard was recently announced as the new Pitching Coach for Pitt!  

Leonard had a great career at Louisville, hampered by recurring injuries.  She spent last year as a volunteer assistant coach at Bellarmine University focusing on pitchers and catchers while also the student assistant coach for our Cards. 

We here at the Couple expect Leonard to have an outstanding career in coaching and are very excited she gets to continue her love for the game in the capacity of Coach.  You can see the full press release here:

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/070513aaa.html

Congratulations, Chelsea!

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In the area of not exactly having all the information I need, there is also some exciting news for Becky “Big Shot” Burke.  Following her on twitter had me following her across the country to California!  It turns out Burke has been hired at Cal State Fullerton.  This is where I lack complete information.  Burke has confirmed the hiring, but in what capacity I am unsure of at this point.  Apparently a press release is forthcoming.  We will share that with you here when it happens.   

Burke joins first year head coach Daron Parke at Cal State Fullerton.  This program has been in the news in the recent past with the tragic slaying of then assistant coach Monica Quan and her fiancée.  At the end of this past season the head coach Marcia Foster’s contract was not extended. 

It sounds like a lot of changes going on at Cal State Fullerton.  We wish Burke great success in the next chapter of her basketball career.  We will also post the press release when it happens.  Congratulations Becky, we’ll keep our eye on you here at the Couple and keep your Louisville fans abreast of what you are doing!

Some will remember Courtney Simmons who spent two years at UofL. She's another that has found a coaching gig...joining the staff as an assistant at Troy University. She was previously at Louisiana Tech. Simmons made two trips to the NCAA while a Cardinal. Best of luck to Coach C!

-Jenny O'Bryan

( Editor's Note: Two days in the wilds and haven't gotten mauled by a bear yet.  Getting assaulted by a beer...a different matter.  - Paulie)

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Saturday Cardinal Couple -- The Walz Interview and pre-game Georgetown

 
SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- The Coach Walz interview

- Georgetown preview from "Q" and "P"

( It's a long read today at CARDINAL COUPLE. But a good one. You have been warned.)

Coach Jeff Walz is a busy man. Our Friday interview with him is below. We were slightly delayed in the start of the actual interview time because of important things he had to take care of, he multi-tasked during the interview and had former Card great Becky Burke waiting to see him after we were done. It is, however, we think a great interview that takes a look at the man, the legend and the philosophies of the most successful women's basketball coach in Cardinal history. We appreciate the time he gave us...


CARDINAL COUPLE: You've had a couple of days to reflect on and watch some film from the huge win at USF. Your thoughts?

COACH WALZ: For the most part, I was really pleased with our effort. Not just our physical effort, but out mental effort. We did a really nice job of following a game plan. Those are the things we're trying to get accomplished as a staff. To get the players to do what we ask them to do. I thought they did a really nice job. USF's #10 came in the game and I told them...make her shoot the basketball. And she scores 11 in the first half, makes a big three right at halftime to cut it to a one-point game. In the locker room I told our players...hey, you did exactly what I told you to do, I'll take the blame. It's my fault. I tell them all the time, if you'll play hard and do what I ask...we can adjust to the next thing. And, I told them...USF has a problem over there now. Andrea Smith played 12 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. The freshman comes in and scores 11...which one are you playing now? I knew they weren't going to play both at the same time. So, they go with Andrea Smith, which I would have too, and the freshman ends up playing only two minutes in the second half.

Our game plan was to come out and do some different things defensively . All in all, I was really pleased with the mental side of us against South Florida.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Coaches talk about their players' "basketball IQ". Your evaluation of your players' IQ?

COACH WALZ:  Well, if they've watched our games...sometimes it's not very good. It's really an amazing thing at times. At the end of the South Florida game, we wanted Sherrone Vails to try and foul #32 McDonald. And, what you all couldn't see on the radio is that she put two arms around her and gave her a hug, grabbed her. It should have been an intentional foul on Vails. Two free throws and the ball possession. And I asked her...what are you doing?

"Well, you said to foul her."

I don't know...they don't watch a lot of basketball. They play the game, love to do that...but to sit and watch hours of basketball on TV? I'm not sure they do that. It's constantly a teaching process. Working on turnovers. We have to put them in situations and teach them the game. I joked with them after the St. John's game. We had three of the worst basketball plays in a row that I've seen in a long time at the end of that game. I mean...THREE CONSECUTIVE plays. Normally, you don't see three plays that bad over the life of a game. For us to foul somebody 28 feet away from the basket and up five...and then to drive the length of the court and shoot it with 23 seconds left on the shot clock and us up by three? Then, we get a stop, get the ball back and with seven seconds left and three time outs left and we try to throw it over the top of somebody and turn it over and give them a chance to tie the game.

Those are things I keep harping on to them. You've got to understand the situation. You can't just go out and play. You have to be thinking about what's going on. So, that's our challenge. But, we have made improvements. It's not like they're not giving good effort. I don't question their physical effort but weve challenged to take the next step defensively to get better.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Every year it seems like this team has to cope with injuries. Talk a little about this year's injuries and how it's affected your coaching style.

COACH WALZ: It's not that it affects the way I coach, it's just that I have to sit back and evaluate the rotation. Figuring out who's going to play, whose not going to play. I've got Asia Taylor back to play and she's practicing more and more but I don't know if she's ready to go full strength and actually play. If she could, this last month of the season...I'd do it. It's her senior year, she's going to graduate and we play our first two NCAA Tournament games at home. I'm just a big believer in not passing up an opportunity that's right there in front of you. If she'd be able to play a solid eight-nine games, I'd play her because I think she could really help us but I'm not sure she's there yet.

On Monique Reid, Mo was kind of off and on early in the year, I was trying to watch the amount of minutes she played. She hurts her knee again doing a box-out drill in practice but we're hoping to have her back in three weeks. If that works out it's a big lift for us.

Tia Gibbs has actually been doing some running and basketball agility drills on the floor. She feels good. So, she's one I'm (originally) not thinking is going to come back and play...but there's a possibility she might. If she can, that'd be great. I love to see a kid be able to go out on her own terms and if she can go on Senior Night, I'll put her out there. I'm just not sure her body is able to handle a full season. So, would I love to red-shirt her again in which we would get a sixth year for her and have her play a whole year? Sure I would. But I just don't believe her body is going to allow her to do that. If we could get her to play the last five or six games for us, I think it would be a big lift for us.

Shawnta Dyer's surgery went very well for her ACL and MCL. She's doing a great job with her rehab and hopefully she'll be back in six months.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Give us an example of a player you've coached that you wish you could clone. In all aspects, not just points scored.

COACH WALZ: I'd probably go back to my days at Maryland. Crystal Langhorne. She's probably the best player, person and student I've coached. I've often told her that if my daughter grows up to be like her, I'd be happy. We've had some great players, some great kids here, too. In Crystal, you've talking about a kid that was a Kodak All-American a couple of years, lead the country in field goal percentage all four years she played, was a 3.9 student. Had all of it. If I could have two or three of her, it's be great. Candyce Bingham, Angel...we've had a lot of great ones here but Crystal would be at the top of my list.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Speaking of Candyce, is she going to participate in the alumni game Saturday?

COACH WALZ: She says she is and she's excited about that. We have a good turnout showing up. We have about 70 that are coming back and about 30 that have said they're playing, so it should be fun!

CARDINAL COUPLE: Have you chosen coaches for these teams?

COACH WALZ:  I'm not sure if we're going to do that. We'll have somebody out there. I've got Adrienne Johnson and Coach Sam (Samantha Williams). They're going to work on dividing up the groups. It's going to be fun! We're really trying and working on getting the alumni back on campus and getting them involved in things.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Any chance of Angel coming back over for the game?

COACH WALZ: No, no...we can't pay her enough (Laughs).

CARDINAL COUPLE: A Georgetown question...how do you plan on "unsweetening Sugar Rodgers?

COACH WALZ: We're going to have to do a good job of making all her shots tough. She's going to score. No question about that. What we have to do is try to make her earn everything she gets. It's been our focus the past couple of days. Knowing where she is on the floor. Making sure we're there on the catch. We have to communicate if they come out and screen for her. It'll be tough. We'll have our hands full.

We need to try and control the pace of the game. We have to do a really good job of dictating what they do offensively.

CARDINAL COUPLE: The team seems to have trouble at times on inbounds plays. How can you improve these?  

COACH WALZ: We need to do a better job at setting screens and coming off screens. It comes down to half-court execution. You have to take pride in going hard, coming hard off a screen. Those are things that we'd been working on and I believe we're getting that taken care of, we're getting better at it.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Tell us a little about what a coach has to do off the court with the players.

COACH WALZ: There's a whole lot that we have to do that nobody sees. It's part of it. Our job is to try and see that they're prepared to succeed in life. I tell them all the time...that if you can handle me and the way I coach you and treat you in practice...then when you get a job, your boss is going to be a piece of cake. I like to say I'm tough on them, but if they do what we ask them to do, then I'm not very tough at all. If you play hard, if you show up on time, if you give me a good effort...then I'm not hard to deal with at all. If you're not taking care of business, though, I'm a bear. I do demand that from them. Our job here is, obviously, to win basketball games but it's also to make sure they're prepared for life after this.

(We appreciate the time and the insights that Coach Walz gave us about the Cardinal women's basketball program and players and we can easily see why he is one of the best at what he does.)

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DOIN THE HUSTLE WITH THE HOYAS

After all, what is a Hoya? A lengthy attempt to define what it is -- is at the internet site "Hoya Saxa". Some say the name is rooted in Greek or Latin. It's also been suggested that the name is derived from the one-time student newspaper that was called the "Hilltopper". Curiously, the term "Hoya" can be found in the fight songs of two other Jesuit colleges in the U.S.

Holy Cross -- and the "Hoiah, Holy Cross" and Marquette's "Ring Out AHOYA!"

I know who I'd pick in a basketball game between the two...

A depiction of a Hoya with its' pointy ears conjures up an image of a character that looks a bit devilish. Father Merrin and Father Karras, once Jesuit clerics on the staff of Georgetown, were last heard from doing their best to exorcise from a lovely little girl named Regan an entity that was a little bit devilish in the 1974 movie The Exorcist.

I'm not suggesting anything paranormal might be rising at the YUM!, of course. Sugar Rodgers can play holy hell on an opponent's defense, though.

And, Rodgers is the show for first-year coach Keith Brown -- who toiled underneath Terri Williams Floruney as an assistant before she packed her bags and headed to "Sweet Home Alabama" and Auburn University.

Rodgers averages 23.7 points per game. Thus endeth the Georgetown scout. Stop Rodgers, win yourself a game.

If the Cards can play the fast, hard-nosed style of defense and score like they did against the USF Bulls, they'll "destroya the Hoyas" .

-Quentin Voigt.

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Although I agree in the "cut off the head of the snake and the rest of the body will die" philosophy to beat Georgetown...the Hoyas, Bulldogs...whatever you want to call them...are averaging 64.5 points a game. Those extra 40 that "Sugar, Sugar" isn't scoring aren't coming from Linda Blair (who played "Regan" in the Exorcist) or from Ronald Reagan either.

Andrea White is very capable of putting up double-doubles and shot 55% last week against Seton Hall, Rutgers and Pitt. And the team was 14-5 as of Jan 27th. , with wins over Delaware, George Washington, LSU and Temple...so they're an opponent to be feared.

Louisville leads the series 5-2 against the Hoyas and Coach Walz is 3-2. The Cards beat them 64-61 last year in Washington. Shoni, Burke, Bria and Nita had 53 of those Cardinal points and even though we won't be able to toss "Big Shot Becky" at them this year...the elder Schimmel appears to have found her groove and we hope it stays found. Maybe the Hoyas can stay around and watch Becky in the alumnae game following the BIG EAST tilt if they miss her at all. 

Two things come to mind when I think of the Louisville vs. Georgetown WBB series. The infamous fight up there back in 2010 during the pre-game warm ups and the way GU blew the doors off the Cards in the second half of the 2011 meeting in the KFC YUM! Center...winning 76-52. It may have been the team's biggest "hiccup" of the season that year.

Sugar was there for both of those days of Cardinal infamy, and she'll be there today (unless Timmy the Intern can convince her she's won the lottery and take her on a mansion-shopping spree). She's harder to handle that wet fish with greased rubber gloves on and this one could very well be a "pacemaker clutcher" -- in true "Cardiac Card" fashion.

Since I gave the team good luck by picking against them in Tampa (yeah, that's the ticket!) I'm doing it again and saying Georgetown by two. This, of course, means Louisville will win by four...if you follow the Paulie Boolean Mathematical Formula for Cardinal success based on the principal of diminishing returns for qualified gains.

What the heck did I just say? Maybe I can get CARDINAL COUPLE columnist Jeff O'Bryan to explain it to me later at the Volleyball banquet. Or Co-Co. Thanks to reader Dougie, who sent me a link for Boolean algorhythms. Made no sense at all to me...

Whatever...should be a barn-burner and we'll see ya at the arena later. Coach Walz is requesting your attendance and he's the kind of guy who would come out and shovel your driveway for you if called him and said you wanted to attend.

( You can bet your bippy we'll be back later tonight with a game recap and also a report on how the Volleyball banquet went. )

Ahoya!

-Paulie
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