Louisville Softball drops two to Noles...More on the transfers -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS SWEPT BY FSU

#2/3 Florida State took two against the Louisville Softball team on Sunday. The Noles were dominant in the opener, run-ruling the Cards 11-0 in the first and then coming back to win the second 4-3 in ten innings. 

The less said about the first contest the better. FSU jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead that Louisville contributed to with four errors. Three Seminole singles and a walk also contributed to the early hole that the Cards dug for themselves. 

Maryssa Becker and the Cards did settle down in the circle and on the field for a couple of innings after that but couldn't find any batting success against FSU hurler Jessica Burroughs. FSU added three runs in the top of the fourth and three more in the top of the fifth to hold the 11-0 lead as UofL approached the plate in the bottom of the fifth. Burroughs was three outs away from a no-hitter and got two of those before Morgan Meyer connected on a double to bust up the attempt. 

Coach Pearsall on the run-rule: 

"We started off on a bad note, with an error, and...unfortunately, that set the tone for us. That first inning hurt us. After that, we settled down but you can't make those kinds of mistakes against a team like Florida State. We knew they were going to hit the ball...so we can't give them runs." 

The second contest was a pitcher duel that was a battle of the Megan's. The Cards' Megan Hensley FSU's Megan King kept the zeroes piling up until Louisville broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Singles by Meyer and Jordan McNary and an error that allowed Caitlin Ferguson to reach first loaded the bases for Becker. She responded with a 2 RBI single to give Louisville the lead. 

FSU would not be denied and countered with two in the top of the seventh. Louisville went down in order to bring on bonus softball. After a scoreless eighth, the Noles Carsyn Gordon blasted a shot to left center to make it 3-2. The Cards used a double play to get out of danger and tied it back up in the bottom of the ninth when Nicole Pufahl singled and eventually scored on an Alison "Mike, Mike, Mike" Szydlowski single.

Louisville was in a great position to win the contest as the inning went on when Meyer reached on a two-out error to seemingly load the bases...but Szydlowski was caught in a rundown between third and home and the final out was recorded when she tried to slide into home. 

The Noles put together two hits to regain the lead at 4-3 in the top of the tenth. Louisville would counter with runners at first and third with two outs but could not push across the tying run. 

Sandy Pearsall was proud of Hensley's effort: 

" This was Megan's best effort since she returned from her injury. I was pleased that she was able to throw that many innings today and thought she did a good job. The outcome was not what we wanted...but we fought and dug and kept coming back." 

The two squads will complete the series tonight at Ulmer with a first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. ESPNU will provide coverage. 


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CARDINAL TRANSFERS 

We've received a lot of e-mails, messages and phone calls about the three transfers from the Louisville women's basketball squad over the weekend. People wanting to know "What's the real story behind Mariya Moore leaving?"... "Why would she want to go with one year left?"..."Why is Ciera Johnson going when it looked like she was going to be the starting center for next year?..."Will there be more transfers?" 

And so on and so forth...

Most everyone seemed to think that it was a good move for Brianna Jones "Jonesey" to go to a place where she could get more playing time. Cardinal fans will miss that bright smile and she seemed to be a great teammate to all. Here's hoping she can find the time she desires at Georgetown and she lights up the Big East. She goes to a roster that currently listed eight players for 2017-18 and five of them are seniors. So, after sitting a year, she'll have a shot to compete for a starting role on a squad that just might need some quality, experienced players. 

The Ciera Johnson situation stemmed from her desire to play closer to her family after trying a season away from them. She's has a great family and will be missed...but players make decisions and hers was to try her fortunes hopefully somewhere in the Lone Star State. The Duncanville, TX center had some bright moments for the Cards...in my personal opinion, though...and mirroring what some of you have mentioned to me...she could stand to lose a few pounds and develop better hands. We're not exactly sure which schools Ciera will be contacted by or will contact. If she's is Big 12 bound...she'll need to use that season of sitting to get ready for some very tough post-players in the conference. 

Mariya Moore was the first to announce and was the one who, by far, caught the vast majority by surprise. Mariya expressed a desire to play her final season closer to her home in Hercules, California (a suburb of San Francisco) where her parents could make more games.  The decision to leave after three successful seasons as a Cardinal had to be a hard one...but college is a time where a student-athlete has a limited window to acquire a degree and perform. Moore's decision also coincides with her younger sister (Minyan) and her decision to leave USC. Is there a plan for them to play together somewhere? Is it because of the coaching change at USC? California or maybe even the University of San Francisco would appear to be logical possibilities if this was the motive and driving factor. As far as any other reasons for Mariya leaving...we won't play conspiracy theorists here. 

As we have stated before, the success of a unit depends on its core and unity. The Cards will have plenty of strengths on their (as of now) 12 player roster. Some of you have even started discussing starting line-ups for 2017-18. We won't go there just yet. Coach Walz and staff still have Hines-Allen, Durr, Shook, Jazz Jones, Fuehring, Carter, Zambrotta, Dunham and Laemmle on the roster and add Duvall, Evans and Kakala. That's a very strong roster of 12.

Will there be more attrition? Any add-ons? Not that we know of as of this morning. Anything, of course, is possible in the world of college basketball. Everyone was ready to hand UConn the 2017 NCAA women's basketball crown. Transfers much large than the trio of Cards leaving have already occurred this spring. 

We will follow women's college basketball with a dutiful interest the rest of the spring, through the summer and the rest of the year. But, we will also explore the end of softball, lacrosse and the other spring sports currently taking place on campus. 

There's a lot of joy and excitement still to report. We're on it!!

paulie
xxxxx

Transfer News and Lacrosse

As we always say, all about the joy and excitement of UofL Women's sports, so we tend to like to put positive news at the top of our articles to celebrate the successes of the programs, but sometimes, the magnitude of the news and the relative popularity of the sports wins out.  So it is today.

Basketball Transfers

Brianna Jones

We've gotten word of two more transfers from the Women's Basketball program.  We have received word that Brianna Jones is leaving the program, again with the idea of being closer to home to be able to more easily have family in attendance.  She will be transferring to Georgetown.

I've always admired Brianna's hardwork and seemingly positive attitude towards playing on the UofL squad.  She frequently faded into the background, but continued to work hard, and apparently maintained a good attitude.  That hard work started to show dividends this past season as she started seeing more meaningful playing time and contributed valuable minutes, ball handling, and passing skills in several games.

If Jones continues to develop as she has, I expect her to make a real impact and become a strong foundational play at Georgetown.

Ciera Johnson

We have also heard word that Ciera Johnson will be departing the program, though I have not as of
yet received word of her destination.  Any program will benefit from having her size and presence in the paint, of course, but she does have some parts of her game that need further development, as any freshman will.  If she can gain better control of the ball in the scrum of rebounding, she'll become a very valuable player.  As it is, her size is a presence, but I feel like she struggles to get the handle on the ball frequently.

Johnson wanted to play closer to home. We would expect there would be several DI programs in Texas that would be interested in having a conversation with her. 

I don't envy these players their decisions.  These are hard decisions to be making, doubly so for 18-22 year olds to be making them.  It is important that they find a place where they can be happy with the whole package.  Sometimes that can mean a degree of proximity to home.  As always, we here at Cardinal Couple wish the best for these young women, and as with many other transfers, we'll keep an eye on their future successes and cheer for them, even if it is from a bit of a greater distance.

Lacrosse Makes Syracuse See Red

As with every team in the ACC, Syracuse Lacrosse is a very accomplished team, but Kellie Young's squad was able to put together just enough offense to edge out the Syracuse team in a 9-8 win at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium.  This is being hailed across the ACC and in sports media as a rather large upset.  Syracuse is 8th ranked in both major Lacrosse rankings, and was 5th in the RPI, so without a doubt this is a great win for the Cardinals.  It is also UofL's first win over Syracuse Lacrosse, so that's another hurdle cleared.

One of the sensational sophomores, Meghan Siverson, got a hat trick in the game, with one coming from a free position shot, and the other two on assists from Madison Hoover.  The scoring was generally fairly well distributed, Jillian Balog put a pair in, both accounting for Siverson's two assists.  Hannah Koloski, Emily Howell, Elise Koehl, and McKayla Conti all got a goal.  Brittany Read had 9 saves between the pipes.

The Cards got off to a 2-0 lead in the game approximately 10 minutes in, but 10 minutes later Syracuse would score two quick ones to tie the game up.  UofL put up another pair over the next couple of minutes on consecutive possessions before Syracuse would claw one back with 4 1/2 minutes left in the 1st half.  In the waning 2 minutes of the half, Emily Howell got her score on a free position shot to set the 5-3 halftime score.

According to Young, the team was fired up and motivated for the second half, vowing in the halftime
locker room "We're going to get that first goal." of the second half.  Indeed they did.  Less than 2 minutes into the second half, Balog took one of her assists from Siverson and slipped the ball in from an extreme angle to give the Cards the 6-3 advantage early in the 2nd half.  The Cards would score again, in the 24th minute before Syracuse would rally from a 7-3 deficit to close the lead to only 1 with a 3-0 run.  Opponent runs have been dangerous for this Cardinals team, but this one got shut down on the next possession with Koloski getting control of the ball out of the draw, sprinting down field, and dishing to Hoover, who found Siverson for her hat trick.  The Cards made it a 2-0 run with just under 8 minutes to play in the game when Hoover found Conti to make the score 9-6.

Syracuse put on another rally, scoring the final two with just over 2 minutes left and only a minute and a half left in the game, but the Cards would hold on for the 9-8 win.

In the ACC standings, the win leapfrogs UofL over Virginia Tech into a tie with Boston College for 5th place.  Since BC has the tiebreaker of the Cardinals, however, UofL will be in the 6th seed for the ACC tournament.  On the other end of things, the loss drops Syracuse out of a 1st place tie in the conference with UNC.  Syracuse had the tiebreaker over UNC with the win against them, so the loss drops them from the 1st seed to the 2nd seed in the upcoming conference tourney.

The Cards will be back in action in the conference tournament on Thursday against the 3 seed Virginia in an 8pm matchup.  The game will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra.



THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

We had big fun in the studio yesterday discussing UofL sports on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. Paulie, Worldwide and Case discussed transfers, WBB, softball, baseball, lacrosse and more!

Here's a link to the rebroadcast:  The CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 4/22/17

-- JMcA

Louisville women's basketball -- Third quarter blitz leads Cards past the Pitts -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

MOORE SCORES 20 IN CARDS 63-48 WIN

Louisville women's basketball used a 14-0 run to start the third quarter in their 15-point 63-48 win over Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon at the Petersen Center. The Cards (20-4, 7-2) trailed the Panthers 28-26 after the first half but the fast-out-of-the-gate beginning of the second half put the Cards up 40-28 and Louisville never trailed again. 

Mariya Moore had the highlight moments by nailing five 3's in the Cardinal win...but it was bench play and strong second-half defense that were equally impressive in the contest. 

The Cards took an early 3-0 lead to start the game on a Moore three...but found themselves trailing Pitt 11-5 after 4-1/2 minutes of action. Pitt was shooting at a 83.3% rate (5-6) to open the game and the 2-3 zone the Panthers were employing to start the game seemed to have the Cards at less than optimum offensive accuracy. Briahanna Jackson brought UofL back to a two-point, 11-9 deficit with a free throw and a three over the next two minutes and a Moore three made it 13-12 Pitt with 1:05 left in the first. Pitt's Kalistsa Walters hit a jumper as time expired in the first, though...and the Cards were trailing 17-14 after ten minutes. 

Pitt was having success inside, so the Cards switched to a 2-3 zone to start the second period. That move didn't deter the Panthers...they built the lead to 23-16 after Brandi Harvey-Carr found the rim on a putback with 6:07 until the half. Myisha Hines-Allen and Sam Fuehring started a Cardinal rally with baskets and Cardinal head coach Jeff Walz went deep into the bench and brought Brianna Jones into the contest at the 5:11 mark and the sophomore guard had an immediate impact with two threes in a 30 second period. Suddenly, the Cards were up 26-24 with 4:13 until the half. Louisville, inexplicably...stopped looking for "Jonesie" and didn't score the rest of the half. Pitt got two buckets and it was 28-26 Panthers after two quarters. 

The contest was stopped for over four minutes after Pitt took the 28-26 on a referee review of what was most certainly a flagrant foul committed by Pitt's Walters on Briahanna Jackson...a forearm shot that dropped the 5'6" redshirt to the hardwood. The official crew, led by Kathleen Lynch, eventually ruled it was "inadvertent" and no foul was issued. It was about "inadvertent" as a Mike Tyson round-house right...Walz protested vehemently but to no avail. 

Louisville had some work to do. They were shooting 30% (10-33) and the Panthers were at 60% (12-20). Harvey-Carr had eight points and Brenna Wise had seven for the upset-minded Panthers. MHA was M.I.A. for Louisville and Asia Durr was scoreless.

Whatever was said or transpired in the Cards locker-room at half-time got the Cards attention. Louisville raced out to a 14-0 start in the first 4-1/2 minutes. Moore started the party with a three, Jazmine Jones added two free throws, Bionca Dunham connected in the paint, Moore knocked down another three and a coast-to-coast layup and the Cards were up 38-28 after four minutes. J.J. added two free throws 30 second later to complete the run. Wise finally ended the Cardinal run...but Hines-Allen's two free throws and a Durr jumper had the Cards up 44-30. Durr would add a jumper and free throw to give UofL a 47-35 advantage after three sessions. It was a 21-7 scoring edge for Louisville and they had held the Panthers to 25% over the ten minutes on 2-8 shooting. 

The Cards stayed hot at the start of the final period. A B.J. jumper and another Moore trifecta in the first minute gave the Cards their largest lead at 52-35. 

Just when I was feeling pretty confident that the Cards might be on their way to a blowout win...Pitt made the contest interesting. A 11-1 Panther run over the next six minutes cut the Cards advantage to 53-46. With three minutes remaining in the contest, Louisville needed someone to step up and put out the fire. That someone turned out to be Durr...knocking down two consecutive threes over the next minute to put Louisville back up by 13. Moore and Durr would add two free throws each over the final two minutes and the Cards had met the challenge and defeated the Panthers 63-48. 

A crowd of 3152 showed up for the contest.


HOW DID FRED DO? 

Fictitious Fred
Figglehorn  

Free Throws -- a 13-17 outing for the Cards Sunday. Jazz Jones cashed in on all four of hers and Asia and Mariya went 3-4. A 76.5%. Impressive that the Cards went 7-8 in the third quarter and 5-6 in the fourth. We happily hand out a capital "F" on the effort. 

Rebounding -- The Cards ruled the boards 39-26. A very impressive 19-5 edge on the offensive boards. Moore had eight to lead all players and Kylee Shook grabbed six in 14 minutes. No problem in awarding a capital "R" here. 

Effort/Execution -- Louisville looked a bit timid and unable to locate the "hot hands in the first half. The 18-2 run in the third and rally in the fourth when Pitt had cut the lead to seven were nice to see as well. Overall, though...the consistency wasn't there and we can only warranty a small case "e" here...because the Cards did win and did it by double-digits. It was a  large group on the floor for the Cards...13 played and 11 saw five minutes or more. 

Defense -- After Pitt's hot start, the defense began to shut down Harvey-Carr and Wise in the final half. Pitt got 21 of their 48 points in the paint. The Cards did get 11 steals and force 21 turnovers. Louisville's late falter on defense in the fourth allowed the Panthers to get back to within seven. Yes, the Cards held Pitt to under 50 points, 20 in the second half and 33% shooting in the second half but we'll only give a small case "d" for the defense after watching Pitt shoot for 60% in the first twenty minutes

FINAL FRED COUNT: F-R-e-d



THINGS WE LIKED 

Mariya Moore all over the floor. The 20 points was impressive...as were the five threes...but Moore also had eight boards, five assists, two steals and just one foul and two turnovers in a team-high 36 minutes. A great, all-over performance from her. 

Reserve Power. Louisville got valuable contributing minutes from non-starters Jazz Jones, Bionca Dunham, Kylee Shook and Brianna Jones. The bench may have only scored 18 points...but it seemed like they came at crucial times in the game...none of them came in the fourth period...a space in time where you usually see most of the back-ups point totals. 

Assistance provided. 17 assists on 20 baskets. The recognition was a bit out-of-focus at times but creating for your teammates is essential and Moore and Jackson got it done tonight.


THINGS TO WORK ON

Putting the cake in the container. Louisville had Pitt on the ropes early in the fourth period and couldn't deliver the knock-out blow until late. Credit Pitt for getting an inspired effort from reserve Cassidy Walsh in the fourth...but we would have liked to see that 17 point advantage turn into 20...then 25. 

Myisha Hines-Absent. A less that stellar performance from the ACC P.O.Y. Just five rebound and four points in 21 minutes and Walz mentioned that she looked tired even before the game started. The "on-again, off-again" saga continues. Let's hope she's Myisha Hines-Active against NC State Thursday. The Wolf Pack held her to nine points last year in Raleigh. 


SO...

Louisville did enough to win Sunday but the first half performance wasn't a fun thing to watch. It was a performance that, if duplicated Thursday against N.C. State, will get them beat. Moore is our MVP for this one and Durr waking up in the second half was good to see and we still hold out hope that her, Moore and Hines-Allen will all three put it together in the same game. 

Interesting and ultimately effective that Walz chose to go with Brianna Jones in the second and Bionca Dunham early and late. A confidence builder, for sure, for those two and we hope that continues as the season progresses. The more weapons you have, the better. You can't help but love "Jonesy"...and seeing her shine is fantastic. 

As we have said here so many times before...road wins in the ACC are worth their weight in gold. The Cards reach 20 wins in a season for the seventh season in a row and the ninth in Walz's ten year tenure. No need to stop there...let's hope they'll push that out to 30 or more...a number that would signify they've made a good post-season and conference tournament run. 

The Cards end January with a 6-2 mark for the month. Seven more regular season games to go before the ACC Tournament. 


THEY SAID IT.

I couldn't find any post-game press conference audio for Walz or any of the Cards players but I did for head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio and she HAD THESE WORDS TO SAY about the game.

Also available for listening...Brenna Wise and Brandi Harvey-Carr discuss the game



😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝 



PAULIE PICKS 

I got roughed up a little Sunday...going 5-2 in the games I predicted. 

Losses were: 

Clemson downing Ga. Tech 62-61
North Carolina beating NC State 83-70

My winners were: 

Notre Dame 82 - Virginia 74
Duke 71 - Wake Forest 43
Louisville 63 - Pitt 48
Syracuse 82 - Virginia Tech 72
Miami 58 - Boston College 51

Overall, I'm now 51-12...80.9% I am glad to see Clemson finally get an ACC win and surprised UNC downed the Wolfpack. ACC = Always Constantly Changing. 


stormy Monday...and Tuesday's just as bad
paulie
xxxxx

LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL -- #5 TERPS IN TOWN TONIGHT...CARTER DONE FOR YEAR -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

MARYLAND SECOND LEADING SCORING TEAM IN NATION 

They may be turtles...but they sure ain't slow. 

The #5 Maryland Terrapin women's basketball squad (6-0) comes to the KFC YUM! Center tonight to face the seventh-ranked 6-1 Louisville Cardinals WBB gals at 7 p.m. A great college basketball contest in the nation's premier facility. 


Welcome, December...right? 

UM will be the Cards second straight top 5 opponent and the first of seven December home games for the Cards. Maryland enters The Bucket off of a 79-69 win over Washington St. on Saturday. A close game that was eventually decided at the foul stripe...where the Terps went 27-38 and WSU 7-21. 

Don't get confused by this but Brionna Jones (no, not Louisville's Brianna Jones) had a 20-point, 20-rebound double-double against the Cougars. They played this one in Vegas, as part of the South Point Shootout. The 6'3" center is not the only Jones on the roster for Brenda Frese (like Louisville's 1 and 1A entry of Brianna and Jazmine) Stephanie Jones is a 6'2" freshman on the roster for the Terrapins...the difference here is that these two are sisters.

Keeping up with the Joneses. (I'm tempted to yell out toward the court 'Miss Jones?' during warm ups and see how many of them look over at me... 

Speaking of Jones stuff...see if you remember this classic 1972 groove by Billy Paul about Mrs. Jones.

LINK: ME AND MRS. JONES

The Maryland squad features plenty of others to keep up with beside the Jones. Kaila Charles and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough are proven threats from last year and Destiny Slocum is doing big things as a freshman guard for Frese...13.2 ppg and an impressive 14-29 from deep water. 

For the Cards, it'll be a test to see if they can contain a Terrapin squad averaging 95 points a game and that is out-rebounding their opponents by 20 a contest. Louisville is no stranger to the scoreboard with 80.3 points an outing and is forcing foes into 23.4 turnovers a night. 

Disruption would seem to be one of the keys tonight for UofL. Taking Maryland out of what they do and forcing them to play Cardinal basketball. A quick start from Asia Durr would be most beneficial for the Cards and keeping Myisha Hines-Allen on the court and away from early fouls. Rebounding will play an essential role in tonight's fray as well...the Cards must go to both baskets with authority and take advantage of all second chance opportunities. If Mariya Moore can continue her outside success and the Cards can get steady and successful point guard play from Briahanna Jackson and Taylor Johnson...Louisville's chances for a win increase greatly. 

Prepare for a track meet tonight in the KFC YUM! Center. If you can't attend...the superlative work of Nick Curran and AJ will be available on Cards Radio 790 WKRD A.M. and also on the ACC Network Extra with "Big Game" Don Russell and former UofL WBB head coach Sara White providing the details. 

This will be the first regular season meeting between the two programs. They've matched up three times in the NCAA Tournament. Last time out, Shoni Schimmel's heroic effort fell just short in a 76-73 loss in the 2014 NCAA Elite Eight action at the KFC YUM! Center. The Cards fell to UM 72-68 in the 2012 NCAA Second Round on the Terps home court but defeated them in the 2009 Elite Eight 77-60. 

We'll be back later tonight/early this morning with the recap. 


😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏


NAISMITH TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST

Myisha Hines-Allen, Mariya Moore and Asia Durr have been named to the prestigious list. They're three of 50 WBB DI womens' players to receive the honor...the list will be narrowed to 30 around mid-season. 

Durr leads the Cards in scoring with 18.7 per contest. Moore follows at 12.9 a game and Hines-Allen carries a 8.9 ppg a night. 

Louisville is one of two ACC teams that had three players named to the list...Notre Dame being the other. UConn leads the way with four players on the list. Louisville's foe tonight has two...Maryland's Walker-Kimbrough and Jones getting the nod. 

Add the Wade Watch list honors for the M&M girls, too. December starting out pretty good for them so far, right? 


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CARTER NAMED AS NOMINEE TO WBCA ALLSTATE GOOD WORKS TEAM 

WBB junior Arica Carter is one of 63 student-athletes nominated for the award that honors representation in the areas of community service and leadership among xxtheir peers. 

Carter has a 3.7 GPA at UofL and has actively participated in St. Jude's Walk, wheelchair basketball and Americans with Disabilities as a sponsor and mentor. 

We're proud of the smiling server...who also assisted Paulie on WBB Media Day as his assistant-interviewer with the players. 

Way to go, A.C!!! Representing the true embodiment of what a student-athlete is all about. 

Sadly, Carter's playing season is done for the year and she'll undergo surgery for the bad groin (an injury similar to Asia Durr's last year) and apply for a red-shirt.

paulie
xxxxx

Meet the new girls -- Tuesday Cardinal Couple

EIGHT IS ENOUGH! NEW FACES, SKILLS FOR 2015-16

When Louisville women's basketball takes the court Sunday afternoon against California, eight women who have never recorded a stat in the history of Louisville basketball will be available to Jeff Walz. 

As fans, there will likely be an adjustment period to learn these eight. Some you'll easily recognize, others may take a little longer to match the name and style with the number. 

So, as a public service and familiarity guide....we present to you the highly un-official but hopefully helpful

CARDINAL COUPLE GUIDE TO NEWCOMERS FOR 2015-16 


# 1 ERIN DeGRATE  6'4" C     Waco, TX

DeGrate is the tallest of the Cardinals...so you should be able to get familiar with her quickly. She'll battle in the post and will be grabbing rebound. She chose Louisville over Baylor, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. She's one of five kids in her family and has a professed "sweet tooth". Follow her on Twitter @ErinBalls_254


# 3 SAM FUEHRING  6'3" F     Wanaque, NJ

Fuerhing will be a player you'll come to recognize right off the bat because of her ferocious style of play in the paint and scoring ability inside. She picked Louisville over South Carolina, California, Tennessee and Rutgers. She has five brothers and played club ball on the New Jersey Sparks team in 2014 with Myisha Hines-Allen. She also had a pretty mean Volleyball career at Immaculate Conception H.S. Track her exploits at @SamFuehring


# 5 TAJA COLE  5'7"  G               Richmond, VA

You'll come to know Cole quickly because of her quickness and defense. Expect to see her leading and finishing the fast break. Also blessed with a better-than-average outside shot...Cole is an all over the court threat. Parents complained about her in grade school because she kept stealing the ball from their kids. We think you'll see it carry over to college. She also enjoys hospital volunteering. Probably to check on all the ankles she's broken over the years. Tweet her @teamcole5


#22 BRIANNA JONES   5'9" G         North Babylon, NY

Known as "Bree" by her teammates and "Jonesie" by the coaching staff...you familiarize yourself with her as the girl who keeps hitting all those mid-range jumpers. She's a versatile off-guard who also thrives in the transition fast break sets. Her long range plans are to major in accounting...which will be helpful in tracking her career stats.  You can get updates @B_thekid_Jones


#25 ASIA DURR   5'10"  G               Douglasville, GA

The #1 player in the #1 class of 2015, Asia has the skills to take over any game and make all her teammates look fabulous. Getting closer to 100% after a summer groin injury, you'll recognize her right off the bat when she creates those "Did you see that? moments on the court. Send your emo's to @A_Hooper25


#31 SYDNEY BRACKEMYER  6'1"  F   Wilmington, OH

Syd the Kid should be familiar to all since she was on the bench during her redshirt season at Louisville last season. With a smile big enough to light up the KFC YUM! Center...Syd can lock them down on defense and punish opponents inside or out. She also dons Asia Taylor's old jersey and we're betting she'll be just as integral part of the Cards as A Tayy was. @Syd_the_kid31 will get you Twittered up with the pride of Clinton Massie


#15 DAKOTA WEATHERFORD  5'6"  G   Arcadia, IN

The latest addition to the 2015-16 squad, "Kota" brings a never-say-die, competitive spirit to the team. She led her Evansville squad in steals and assists during her year there and will be a crowd favorite coming off the bench. The Arcadia, IN native will be easily spotted for her high arching, long range attempts. Defensively strong and deceptively quick...she's a secret weapon that the mad scientist will unleash upon beleaguered opponents. @kotaweatherford is the address for congratulatory comments.


#21 BRIAHANNA JACKSON  5'6"  G   (From a galaxy far away) 

A recruiting bonanza for Walz after she left UCF to search for a school that fit her playing style..."B.J." is all that is advertised and has out-of-this world quickness, leaping ability, scoring prowess and game knowledge. Already emerging as a team leader, Jackson's star is just beginning to rise and she'll be a candidate for a banner in the rafters of the KFC YUM! Center when her time is done here at Louisville. She's not a big social media maven...but you can show her a little love at @bj_hoopster. 

paulie
xxxxx

          

Cards Guards young but...how about Marquette? - Thursday Cardinal Couple

The combination of Asia Durr, Taja Cole, Brianna Jones and Arica Carter at guards for Louisville this year is the youngest guard class in Jeff Walz's tenure at UofL. Three freshmen and a sophomore. It might turn out to be the most talented guard class by the time they reach senior status...but, as for now...youth is served.

We could fill three columns discussing the award and honors the three freshmen picked up in their high school careers. Carter came in highly decorated and honored as well. 

It's for real, now. D1. ACC. Can talent overcome lack of college experience? My money is on the talent.

For Carter, it must seem a bit amusing yet bewildering at times. A season ago, she was gathering replacement minutes when either Jude or Bria were out. Battling Megan Deines for the back up guard spot....Arica had some up and down performances. 

Now, she's the elder statesmen of the guard contingent. 

Nine of the eleven players on the listed UofL WBB roster are freshmen or sophomore. With the mad scientist at the helm...there's always the possibility a player or two could be added before the season starts. Given the transfer rate we've seen this summer...anything is possible. 

If you think the Cards are young, though...let's take a look at our former Big East foe from Milwaukee...the Marquette Golden Eagles. 

Terri Mitchell was replaced at head coach last year by Carolyn Kieger. Kieger was an outstanding guard at Marquette from 2002-2006 and led the squad in assists each year she played there. She played against Angel McCoughtry and now she's a head coach. CK also served under Katie Meier down at the "U" for four years as an assistant. Her first season at Marquette she went 9-22. 

This upcoming season, she'll have eight incoming freshmen, a juco transfer and two returning players that were pretty much reserves in 2014-15 to work with. They may be wearing name tags in the first few practices. 

Former assistant and son of the legendary Pat...Tyler Summit is now the head coach at Louisiana Tech. Katherine Plouffe, the most recognizable name (at least for me) in the past few years of Marquette women's basketball is in Romania playing Euroleague ball. Funny how a few years ago, we worried about Marquette's height and rebounding power when we faced them in the Big East. Now, their tallest player is 6'2" and had a season high of 11 points against Northern Kentucky as a freshman last year. 

If we happen to surmise about the youth movement on the UofL WBB squad this year...try to remember that, compared to Marquette...Louisville is a veteran and experienced squad. 


The Cards guards may be young...but between Cole, Durr and Jones....they scored a combined 5,214 points in high school. I expect Carter to return to the form that had West Coast hoop experts raving about her last year when she chose Louisville. 

All four (Taja, Asia, Brianna and Arica) have first names that end in "A". I expect that's also a pretty good grade to give these four in terms of talent. This 2015-16 Louisville WBB squad looks to be one that will get it up and down the court pretty quickly. Fast break, transition basketball. Not a lot of half court sets that use up the shot clock. All four of the guards seem quite adept at that style of play. Get ready for some track meets in the KFC YUM! Center...

paulie
xxxxx

2015 Cards WBB Class tearing up the hardwood -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

UofL's five recruits showcasing in senior year


As Asia Durr, Brianna Jones, Taja Cole, Sam Fuehring and Erin De Grate prepare to enter the University of Louisville as the 2015 Cardinal WBB recruiting class, there's still the challenges of their senior seasons on the hardwood that are drawing their current attention.

We'll stay in the holiday mode Worldwide started yesterday and play the role of Ghost of Seasons future by taking a look at how the Fabulous Fivesome are doing so far. 



-- Asia Durr recently became the all-time leading scorer (men and women) in St. Pius H.S. history while leading her undefeated team to a 55-21 win over Stone Mountain. In true Durr humility, she stated:

" I'm grateful for my teammates because they found me on the court. I'm just glad I could finish. It shows that all of my hard work is paying off "

The #1 ranked 2015 girls high school player in the nation...Durr continues to stuff the stat sheet every time she walks on the court. Durr the blur.... 

Brianna Jones popped in 36 points and grabbed 21 boards in a recent 55-45 win. She's a 5'9" guard that has displayed triple/double capabilities anytime she walks onto the court. Jones occasionally wears a t-shirt that reads "Defy Expectations". So far, in her senior season...she has done just that. UofL has actually had five "Joneses" suit up over the years for WBB. Brianna looks to be primed to be the one that Cards fans will remember.


Taja Cole is averaging 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in her senior season. When Cole was eight years old, the coaches had to ask her to stop stealing the basketball in games and practices. 

"People were looking at me as being a bad person." Jones recalls with a laugh. "I was used to playing against boys and they never took it easy on me on the court. So, I didn't take it easy on the girls I was playing against." 

We'll make sure the Louisville Police Department doesn't press theft charges, Taja...keep up the pilfering!

Sam Fuehring is drawing rave reviews in the Garden State during her senior season at Immaculate Conception for her paint work. The steady improvement from her outstanding junior season has Sam ranking as one of the top three "bigs" in New Jersey. Her domination in both squares of paint on the court and splendid teamwork with junior teammate Jasmine Gee have Immaculate Conception pegged as the team to beat in Jersey girls' hoops. 


Erin DeGrate is owing the paint in Texas high school hoops. She recently totaled 31 points and 14 rebounds and her team is 14-2. At 6'5" she can wreck havoc on an opponent...not only inside, but from either elbow or the free throw line. She exhibits a very soft touch inside which equates to lots of second chance points. 

We may have to change the name to "Erin THE GREAT!" 

The 2015 Class is showing that the #1 ranking bestowed on them is warranted. A point guard, shooting guard, wing, forward and center coming in. Combine that with the eight excellent players that will still (hopefully) be on campus when the freshman arrive and Walz may have to consider "five in-five out" platooning during games. 

The Ghost of Seasons future approves and the UofL WBB future isn't scary at all. The Cards look to be ready to leave a lot of haunting memories in their opponent's minds down the road.


Yes, indeed. The future looks "Boo"tiful, baby!

paulie