MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE
-McCoughtry magic leads Dream to win
-WUGS headed to impressive Kazan
The Atlanta Dream improved their WNBA record to 7-1 with a exciting 78-77 road win over the Connecticut Sun behind Angel McCoughtry's 34 points in Uncasville, CT. The same place where the University of Louisville women's basketball team will chase the AAC WBB Conference Tournament in 2014...Mohegan Sun Arena.
It was Angel here, Angel there, Angel everywhere for Atlanta...breaking the Dream's record for most shots in a game with 33. The Dream led 73-59 late in the contest before Connecticut put together a 18-3 run to take the lead with a little over a minute to go. McCoughtry scored the final goal of the game with 51.4 seconds left to keep Atlanta atop the Eastern Division standings.
McCoughtry reflected on the contest:
"I should have played better defense when they were coming back. We kind of needed this test because we haven't had many games like this. This is good for us. Mohegan Sun Arena is one of the toughest places to play."
I wonder if she celebrated after the win at Geno's Italian Restaurant?
Connecticut's Allison Hightower missed a potential game-winning three with one second remaining. The Sun, under former Seton Hall coach Anne Donovan, has lost six out of their last seven. After a McCoughtry miss with 10.9 seconds to go, Connecticut retained possession and Donovan called a timeout with two seconds remaining to set up the desperation three....since the Sun was apparantly in no hurry to try and move the ball offensively.
Dream coach Fred Williams stated what UofL fans have known for years after the contest...with a wrinkle.
"She's (McCoughtry) a competitor. Angel is really going to compete hard wherever she plays anytime she is on the floor. This is all I ask of her. I think she is a new person this year to really come out and play a lot of hard defense and be a passer at times. We needed a lot of scoring and she did that for us."
Sorry to disagree, Fred...but UofL WBB fans have known that Angel since 2005. Just sit on the bench, enjoy the game and don't pull a "Marynell"...pal. It's Angel's team and you're getting paid. Try not to mess that up.
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Shoni and her WUGS teammates will participate in the World University Games beginning July 5th. in Kazan, Russia. The host city has put out a very nice video on the facilities that all the athletes will compete in.
Kazan. Who knew? Very impressive...link below. (Thanks to Doug for the idea...even though I could never get his link to work...the one below is pretty cool). Self promoting, yes...but still worth a look.
CAPTURING KAZAN
Paulie
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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE
-Angel, Atlanta off to 6-1 start in WNBA
-Camps a chance for players to give back and learn
One wondered how the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA would fare with new coach Fred Williams at the helm this season. Things are just fine on I-75, thank you...as Angel and the Dream are 6-1 in the early part of the season.
Atlanta dismantled Chicago 88-74 Sunday in Phillips Arena to go 4-0 at home this season. McCoughtry led the Dream with 23 points...14 in the first half...as Atlanta jumped out to a 34-18 first quarter lead and outscored the Sky 22-17 in the final quarter to gather their sixth win of the season.
A balanced scoring effort for Fred's squad...Erika de Souza adding 16 points and 11 boards, Tiffany Hayes 16, and Jasmine Thomas 13.
"It's defense that is getting us there". Thomas noted. "Turning up the pressure and creating turnovers is the key for us."
In case you wondered how Delaware star Elena Delle Donna would rotate into the WNBA, it looks like she's adjusting quite well. She totaled 25 points yesterday against Atlanta, causing Fred Williams to remark:
"It takes about 2 1/2 players to guard her."
Both squads were missing key players. Atlanta's Sancho Lyttle is with the Spanish National team for the European Championships and Chicago's Epiphanny Prince is toiling for the Russian National squad. No, not a misprint. The Russians.
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June is a busy month for camps on the UofL campus for women's sports. Louisville Volleyball just finished one that ran all last week. Jeff Walz's Elite Camp was Saturday and another starts this morning that runs for several days for younger players. Karen Ferguson Dayes' women's soccer camp for the 7-13 year olds kicks off this morning and Sandy Pearsall will also begin one this morning for softballers over at Ulmer Stadium.
The camps, in addition to being great learning opportunities for young ladies to learn the game, also give the UofL women's athletes a chance to teach the fundamentals of the sports and do some coaching.
Karen Ferguson Dayes related to us in an interview we aired on CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO that Chloe Kiefer was wildly popular with the young soccer attendees and that players baked her cookies, brought her donuts and spray-painted her hair during the course of the week last year. Sandy Pearsall will have softball players demonstrating fielding and hitting techniques today at Ulmer Stadium. And watching the UofL women's basketball players busily engaged Saturday at the skills camp was just as big a show as the young prospects.
Shoni Schimmel, prowling the sidelines...barking out instructions for drills and demonstrating techniques. Asia Taylor, head coach of one of the elite teams, plotting out strategy and outlining offensive patterns to her eager charges. Even transfer Janelle Cannon, dashing to and fro on the Cardinal Arena floor, offering a tip here...assisting in a drill there. She seems to have easily fit in with the WBB squad she just joined and her positive, take-charge attitude will serve these Cardinals well.
Perhaps the most heart-warming site was seeing a group of young skills camp attendees following 6'4" Sherrone Vails to the ground floor court for instruction. The thought of a proud mother hen leading her baby chicks on a stroll came to mind...Sherrone grinning broadly and the girls following dutifully with expressions of awe, pride and reverence.
Seeing Shoni Schimmel in dialogue with Sydney Brackemyer on the Cardinal Arena main floor. Exchanging tips and viewpoints. Shoni will never play on the same court as Syd in college, but the passing on of advice, handing the torch down to the next wave of Cardinal WBB defenders was pleasing to see.
Camps. In full swing. And serve. And kick and pass. Who says the college campuses are drowsy and inactive during the summer? At UofL, the bouncing of balls, stomping of shoes and shouting of instructions are in full motion.
Teaching. It's what universities do. It's what camps provide. For the students and the instructors. And, it is in full swing on the Belknap Campus this summer.
-Paulie
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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE
-Angel, Atlanta start WNBA season with win
-Amashi Ali-Kendall qualifies for NCAA meet
-Softball Super Regional unkind to Cats
-Unruly Julie?
Finally...some hoops to hold us over until the UofL WBB squad gets back in action...
The "new look" Atlanta Dream looked very good in an opening season win over Tulsa last night 98-81 in Atlanta. Angel McCoughtry and company spoiled Skylar Diggins debut in the WNBA by using a 21-6 run late in the first quarter to shock the Shock. The Fred Williams era as Atlanta skipper is off to a good start.
This is a different looking team than the 2012 Dream who sputtered in the 2012 playoff against Indiana after making it to the WNBA league finals in 2010 and 2011.
Yes, there are some returnees you'll remember and recognize. Angel McCoughtry, of course...along with veteran front liners Sancho Lyttle and Erika de Souza. Tiffany Hayes, the high scoring UConn guard.
After that, it's a shakeup of new talent. Three rookies on this year's squad...Anne Marie Armstrong (Georgia) Alex Bentley (Penn State) and Courtney Clements ( San Diego State) are guards that will be depended on to feed the scoring machines Hayes, DeSouza, Lyttle and Angel. Jasmine Thomas and Armintie (Price) Henderson will also dish the assists.
The Dream is heavily guard-oriented under Coach Fred...with only three front-liners...DeSouza, Lyttle and nine year veteran Le'Coe Willingham (Auburn).
Angel likes what she sees.
"It looked like we've been here with everybody for a while. We got some new additions and they fit right in. I was very proud of how the girls played. It was very good chemistry today, and the thing is...we can still get better. I'm looking for a great season."
Angel had 16 points in the win. Tiffany Hayes led all scorers with 21 and Sancho Lyttle added 18.
Despite a rallying 28-19 run by Tulsa in the second quarter to make it close...the Dream scored 12 points off 10 Tulsa turnovers in the third quarter while pushing the lead to double digits...where it remained the rest of the game.
Atlanta will do well, we predict, under Williams...as long as he can keep the talent happy...something the former head coach of Atlanta, Marynell Meadors, failed to accomplish.
So far, Angel is on board.
"It's early in the season. There are going to be some things like that (Tulsa's run) but I was very pleased with what I saw today.
Keep the talent happy, Fred. So far, so good...
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Louisville thrower Amashi Ali-Kendall finished third in the shot put at a premilinary meet in Greensboro, NC for the NCAA Championships that will be held in Eugene, OR next month.
Her toss of 54' 5" was good enough to qualify for the Championships. It'll be the senior's first appearance in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She came in second in the BIG EAST Championships earlier this month and did participate in the NCAA Indoor Championships last year.
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We're still following the Softball Super Regionals...even though Louisville isn't a participant. The state's only school in the Round of 16...Kentucky...took a 5-4 loss to Arizona State last night in Tempe. Four home runs for UK in the loss. They trail 1-0 in the best of three series.
Other winners and losers:
Oklahoma 8 - Texas A&M 0 (Oklahoma advances to WCWS)
Michigan 2 - Louisiana-Lafayette 1 (UM moves on 2-1)
Texas 3 - Fla. State 2 (Texas leads 1-0 in Super Regional)
Nebraska 5 - Oregon 2 (Huskies win at Eugene, lead 1-0)
Washington 1 - Missouri 0 ( UW headed to WCWS)
Tennessee 5 - Alabama 3 (Vols earn a berth in Okla.City)
Florida 4 - UAB 3 (Gators go up 1-0)
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It didn't take long for the muckrakers and sensational slimeballs to go after new Rutgers AD Julie Hermann. They're dragging out Hermann's departure from Tennessee in the swipe below:
HERMANN ABUSIVE?
Digging back 16 years in the past to try and slam one of five women Athletic Directors in Division I NCAA Sports is a cheap and tawdry attempt by Fox Sports and Tim Pernetti loyalists to heap more wood on the raging fire that is Rutgers Athletics.
I stepped on an ant last week. Quite by mistake. It's a wonder I haven't been brought up on animal abuse and cruelity charges by some dirtball columnist out there.
Did I do anything I regret 16 years ago? Probably. Renewing football tickets for Ron Cooper's final year at UofL comes to mind. That was abuse...much more than what Hermann allegedly did.
Sometimes, I'm ashamed to be in this profession of writer and columnist. We have some real jerks and scum-buckets in our midst. Don Henley nailed it right on the head years ago with his song "Dirty Laundry".
DON HENLEY'S "DIRTY LAUNDRY".
What was that old bible quote about 'ye free of sin casting the first stone'?
-Paulie
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"I should have played better defense when they were coming back. We kind of needed this test because we haven't had many games like this. This is good for us. Mohegan Sun Arena is one of the toughest places to play."
Shoni and her WUGS teammates will participate in the World University Games beginning July 5th. in Kazan, Russia. The host city has put out a very nice video on the facilities that all the athletes will compete in. 
