WNB(not)...Sara, Bria, Jude go undrafted
The hopes were good while they lasted...with (3) Louisville WBB players being mentioned at some sites as third round potential picks...but none of the 2014-15 seniors on the team heard their names called in the three rounds of the WNBA Draft Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
As expected, Jewell Loyd, Amanda Zahui B and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were the top three picks, but as the third round wore on during the ESPN3 coverage...it started to become clear that the Cards had the possibility of being shut out this year.
When Arizona State guard Promise Amukamora (a candidate for Worldwide's all-name team) was named as the Phoenix Mercury's third round pick...all 36 slots had been filled and there was no Asia Taylor nor Antonita Slaughter pleasant surprises like in 2014.
It happens. Sara, Bria and Jude are all considering the possibility of playing overseas and we hope they get the shot.
For now...though...there will be only Angel, Asia and Shoni to follow in the WNBA.
Who would have figured Dayton would end up with two picks (Ally Malott and Andrea Hoover) and foes that the Cards handled whenever they played them (Sam Logic, Reshawnda Gray and Brittany Boyd) would get selected and no Cards got picked?
It is what it is. The 2018 and 2019 WNBA Draft could be chalk full of Cards getting their names announced.
Speaking of announcing, the coverage really dropped off after it switched from ESPN 2 to ESPN 3. Yes, the Lauren Hill tribute was great and a tear-jerker...but did we really need to see players try to say "Peter Piper picked a piece of Carolyn Peck" or Rebecca Lobo discuss shot blocking with Kiah Stokes when picks were being announced?
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LACROSSE TAKES ANOTHER LOSS
Louisville Lacrosse ended the home slate of the 2015 season with a 16-8 loss to Syracuse Thursday afternoon at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium.
A game that seemed to follow a common thread consistant with the LAX Cards of late:
-Cards stay close early
-Opponent goes on big run
-Louisville loses by almost double digits
It was 4-4 midway in the first session when the Orange went to work...scoring 10 of the next 11 goals to lead 14-5 halfway through the second half.
There is no doubt the LAX Cards miss Faye Brust. But...the defense seems to have slipped a notch as well. It is the best competition in college Lacrosse, of course...but the un-checked runs and romps by Virginia, North Carolina and now Syracuse aren't pretty to watch unless you're wearing Carolina Blue or Syracuse Orange. The team seems to have slipped a few notches since nearly knocking off #3 Boston College over a month ago.
Cortnee Daley scored thrice for the Cards and Hannah Koloski and Kelli Gerding twice.
The Cards end the conference and regular season at Notre Dame Sunday. The Cards are 9-6 overall and 1-5 in ACC play. The Irish are 9-6 as well...3-3 in conference and own a victory over Syracuse in overtime.
The Cards have lost three out of their last four. Despite the recent tailspin...one has to go back to the talent level that exists in the ACC and how good it is. In a few aspects, this current UofL Lacrosse team is as good as the undefeated AAC squad from last year but the competition curve has gone way up. Losing Brust was a mortal wound to the team. She was the leading scorer and a team captain. Her swagger is missed.
Maybe that coaches' pre-season poll that picked Louisville to finish seventh wasn't so far off after all...
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JUDE SCHIMMEL HAS BEEN CHANGED BY CHANGE
(we continue the lead up to the Louisville stop for the Jude Schimmel book singing on Sunday with this unique look into "22"):
“I want to positively impact other Native
Americans so that they can live the
life they want to achieve and fulfill the
dreams that they have,” said Schimmel.
“I went through and witnessed similar
struggles that many Native Americans go
through and want to share that with others.
I want my story to show that there
can be great success found both on the
reservation and off the reservation.”
“Dreamcatcher” shares Schimmel’s story of growing up on a reservation, and
what it took to succeed in the “real world” outside of reservation life. Jude
shares many of the lessons her parents instilled in her, as well as many she
learned along the way. She presents these in a unique way, using some of her
favorite inspirational quotes and personal stories. She also makes it a priority
to help everyone gain a better understanding of Native Americans, and the
oppression that still exists amongst these special people today.
Jude Schimmel is expected to continue
her basketball career in the
professional ranks this summer and
is projected to be drafted in the upcoming
WNBA Draft in mid-April. Jude Schimmel
is the younger sister of Shoni Schimmel -
the eighth overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream and the
first rookie to ever be the MVP of the
WNBA All-Star game. The 2015 season will
be her second in the league.
The Mission, Ore., native was a member of Louisville’s winningest class in
program history, posting 112 career victories, including four 20-win seasons and
one 30-win campaign (33-5 in 2013-14). Schimmel reached four NCAA Tournaments,
including an appearance in the Final Four (2012-13), Elite Eight (2013-14), and
NCAA Sweet 16 (2014-15). The previous school record of 107 career wins was held
by her sister, Shoni Schimmel’s graduating class.
Having been embraced by the Louisville, Ky.,
community while playing for the
Louisville Cardinals and an instant draw to
Native American fans throughout the
country, Schimmel has used her platform as
a collegiate student-athlete to share
her story of drive and determination.
She finished her career at Louisville ranked in the top 10 in program history
in career assists while piling up over 700
career points in 135 games, including
15 in the NCAA Tournament.
Alongside her sister, the duo may be best known on the court for a historic
run to the NCAA Championship game in 2013 that included a shocking 82-81 upset
of top-ranked Baylor and Brittney Griner in the Sweet 16 and win over
traditional power Tennessee in the Elite 8.
Recently named a Nike N7 Ambassador, Schimmel visited the
White House in early April as she continues to work towards sharing the struggles of the Native American community and find ways to improve opportunity for Native American youth in the 566 federally recognized tribes in 35 states nationwide in such areas as education and
healthcare. Overall, there are over 2.1 million Native
Americans under the age of 24 in the nation, with over 32 percent
under the age of 18 living in poverty and nearly 30 percent lacking
health insurance coverage.
Suicide, the second leading cause of death for Native Americans
aged 15 to 24 is 2.5 times more likely among these individuals
than the national average.
Educational opportunities are also a struggle for the Native American community
with just 50 percent graduating from high school and 13.3% earning an
undergraduate degree.
Jude will also be starting a foundation with part of the proceeds going
towards supporting Native American causes.
paulie
xxxxx
-- On the crowd response: "I'm really excited to see the people waiting for see me so I can discuss things and the book with them. One thing I have learned in four years here is that the people of Louisville are passionate about their sports, especially women's basketball. I'm grateful for having been a part of it"
Louisville Lacrosse traveled to South Bend for the final regular season game of the season and pulled off a 10-8 win over the ACC opponent Sunday afternoon. 
