Saturday Cardinal Couple -- WBB Coaches we'll miss

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


- A five-pack of BIG EAST/AAC WBB Coaches we'll miss...

- Whaddya say, A-Tayy?

- No radio tomorrow


In keeping with the theme of transitioning into the ACC...we've decided to take a look at some WBB Coaches we'll miss not coming into the KFC YUM! Center to battle Coach Walz and the Louisville WBB squad. This list is in no particular order or ranking...just a fivesome of skippers we have enjoyed over the years. 

- Doug Bruno -- DePaul

The affable Bruno was always a great post-game interview and watching him in front of the visitor's bench in his "institutionalized" Shawshank Redemption blue shirt with the DePaul logo emblazoned on the right side, pocket level was always a treat. His looks of incredulous disbelief and chuckling dismissal of calls that went against the Blue Demons always reminded me of a fairway duffer who couldn't believe he just put his tee-shot into the woods or just missed a three-foot putt for par. 

Favorite Bruno memory is after his final appearance in the KFC YUM! Center and a 20-something point loss to the Cards. Bruno showed up at the post-game press conference and proceeded to deliver an almost 20 minute Q&A that covered wide ranging topics. Doug never missed a beat and kept the handful of reporters there in rapt attention as he pontificated about any subject presented to him. With a cup of water in his hand, he looked like he was ready to propose a toast at times...and he delivered well that night...much better than his injury-ridden Blue Demons did. 

C. Vivian Stringer -- Rutgers

C Viv steppin' out on the town in New Orleans

C-Viv's game theatrics were legendary but what a classy lady she was before and after contests. When asked a potentially fuse-igniting question after a UofL game about a specific Rutgers player, I remember she rolled her eyes skyward, smiled and shook her head. I don't remember the exact words...but it did have something to do about how good the player could be if she'd accept coaching instructions. 

C-Viv delighted in seeing Coach Walz and his children and she'd always take time to greet the numerous people who would gather behind the Rutgers bench during pre-game warmups when the Scarlet Knights came to the "Ville".

Let her go out on her own terms, Julie Hermann. You have a legendary, national treasure in your WBB coach.

Harry Peretta -- Villanova

"Whaddya mean  you
can't find the ledger for
March's sales?!?"

Harry always looked like a harried, mid-level corporate manager trying to solve an inter-office crisis by the time a game got to the second half...with the white shirt un-tucked, tie askew and arm extended.

Shrugging and turning away from referees after questioning a "bad" call after blasting out a few words of contempt. It was almost like he'd asked an hourly if they could work a few extra hours of overtime and gotten a negative response. 

But Harry was always a class act in words and actions...always quick to give credit to the players and defer questions about himself. Harry was always a true gentleman and gracious in defeat. Hats off to Harry...coach 'em up another 40 years if you have it in you.

Keep getting those hard-working, tough-as-nails Philadelphia Catholic girls on your roster. Solid, fundamental basketball....'Nova and Coach P. style.

Jamelle Elliott -- Cincinnati

"Big wheels keep on turnin'...Proud Mary keeps
on burnin'...Rollin', Rollin' Rollin' on the river."

The wild women of the sidelines...Jamelle was perpetual motion in front of the bench if it looked like her Bearcats had a ghost of a chance of winning. Eventually, when the defeat was evident...and she suffered a lot of them in her early years at UC...she'd doggedly resign herself to a seat on the bench.

 Still shouting out advise to her players, but done with the "Tina Turner - Live In concert" reenactment. 

She ws an unqualified superstar when she played for Geno at UConn and she expects the same out of the players she recruits to be Bearcats. I think she'll eventually be a powerhouse in the AAC.

They just need to get some fans in the seats to sponsor her up in the Queen City. Apathy reigns in the UC WBB fanbase and that's a shame...because they have a coach that is worth the price of admission alone for her performance.

Jose Fernandez -- USF

Geno pats down Jose for weapons before the game

My favorite description of the USF WBB skipper came a couple of years ago when a scribe joked that he "looked like Andy Kaufman's older brother".

Jose's post-game interviews are classic...he goes from speculation to askance...from self-depreciating humor and blame assignment to outright proud defense of anything dressed in the green and gold. All the time...employing a multitude of facial expressions and hand gestures.

My favorite Jose moment came when the Bulls upset a very good UofL WBB team at the KFC YUM! Center.

After graciously consoling the disillusioned Card players...he literally bounded across Denny Crum Court and embraced the USF play-by-play guy Alex Perlman before doing his post-game radio show. A moment of unbridled joy and sincere ecstasy after winning (arguably...) the biggest game of his career. 

Sure, I was disappointed about the loss...but seeing his innocent and genuine joy made me feel a little better about seeing Louisville lose. It was his moment. He deserved it and earned it.


(Got a coach and a specific memory? Feel free to leave it in the comments section or send Paulie an e-mail about it.

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Thanks to Sandy W. for sending the link below feauring our girl Asia Taylor in a Lynx interview.

All three of the Lady Cards in the WNBA were on the same court last night when Atlanta hosted the Minnesota Lynx. Taylor, Schimmel and McCoughtry were in the game at the same time for about four minutes near the end of the first quarter.

http://www.wnba.com/video/wnba/2014/06/09/140604GetToKnowAsiaTaylorupdate2-3296697/


In WNBA action Friday night:

Angel McCoughtry scored 23 points, Erika de Souza had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Atlanta held off the Minnesota Lynx 85-82 on Friday night in Philips Arena.

Shoni Schimmel saw six minutes and did not score. Asia Taylor saw six minutes and did not score.

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We will not be doing a radio show today.

Sonja and I will be at the grave-site services of a departed friend and Jeff still not quite ready to compete after his surgery.

We'll be back next Saturday. 

paulie
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Saturday Cardinal Couple -- WBB faces Bearcats today

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- #7 Louisville takes on Cincy today

Despite the frigid arctic blast emcompassing Louisville, the hot UofL WBB squad welcomes Nita Slaughter back to the bench for Saturday's game against the University of Cincinnati in the KFC YUM! Center at 2 p.m.

Louisville brings their 14-1 record into the game against a UC squad that is 7-6 and coming off a 54-43 loss to SMU.

Who to watch for Jamelle Elliott's Bearcats?

Jamelle Elliott is a lively sideline coach

Redshirt senior Dayeeshia Hollins leads UC with 13.3 a game. Senior Jeanise Randolph totals 12.2 for the Bearcats and Alyeshia Lovette...who scored 17 against SMU...averages 8.9 a contest.

Cards win by as many as they want to today.

It will be good to see #4 dressed and available. If she gets any court time is up to Walz (and her....we'd expect) but a couple of complimentary minutes would do her and the Cardinal fanbase a lot of good.

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NO CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO TODAY.

THE ENTIRE CRESCENT HILL RADIO ENGINEERING STAFF IS EITHER SICK OR HAS GUITAR LESSONS.

YEAH...

WE'LL RETURN NEXT WEEK....PROVIDED WE'RE NOT SICK OR LEARNING HOW TO PLAY THE GUITAR.

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A nice read at the link below about one of our favorite Butler Bears...sixth-year UofL WBB star Tia Gibbs. Despite the pain, "Grandma" still has game.

It seems just like yesterday when Gibbs won the Kentucky Girls High School Player of the Year award and then booked for Vandy. We privately wondered if she'd ever get back on Denny Crum Court and try a trey or lock someone down on defense again


http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10238983/women-college-basketball-final-season-worth-wait-louisville-cardinals-tia-gibbs

paulie
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Friday Cardinal Couple -- Bearcats bop into town

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- BIG EAST foe Cincinnati to face WBB Friday night

(Quentin "Elvis Redbird" Voigt...we never really know which one is writing...previews the University of Louiville WBB game Friday night against our northern neighbors. Paulie has added a bit of drivel as well.  We'll have a recap Friday night, Saturday morning...depends on whether we get the electricity bill paid in time or not.)

BOPPIN' WITH THE BEARCATS

After a good second-half of staying tied with UConn Tuesday in Hartford, Louisville faces a protege of Coach Auriemma when Cincinnati comes to the YUM! Center. Jamelle Elliott, a former assistant to the head Husky, is in her fourth season at UC. The program has improved under her, but probably not to the point where they'll pull the upset down by the river. UC has fallen to Villanova by 3, Seton Hall by 8 and USF by a surprising 33.

UC (8-8, 0-3) will most likely throw these Bearcats at the 14-4, 2-2 Lady Cards. 5'6" Daysheea Hollins, leads Cincy in scoring with 16.8 ppg. Lesha Dunn is good for eight points a game, as is Tiffany Turner. Also seeing success at UC are Alyesha Lovett (7.1 ppg, and Kayla Cook (5.1 ppg.) .

I certainly liked seeing Bria Smith making those pull-up jumpers in the second half against the Huskies and Jude's fearless hustle and scrappy play was inspiring. More of the same, Maestro, please!

The Cards should get clicking against the Bearcats and not have to contend with anything like UConn's suffocating defense. HC Elliott most likely will be on the phone with Geno sometime before the game looking for pointers to help her cause...I hear she's a snappy dresser...but dressing for success probably won't help her tonight.

Quentin Voigt.


(Paulie)

The Lady Cards escaped last year in the Fifth Third Arena 64-59 with Burke, Schimmel and Shoni combining for 42 of the Cardinal points. 23 for 60 (38%) and 4-18 from trey-land usually isn't going to win you a lot of games, but Louisville did force 23 UC turnovers.

The Cards actually trailed a good portion of the last meeting between these two, until they pulled away late for the win. A tenacious 2-3 zone was mystifying for last year's bunch. They'll probably see it again. Can't see UC trying to run with the Cardinal transition game experts.

The Bearcats' Cook (13 points), Turner (11 points) and Hollins (15 points) from last year are back for another round but with this one at the YUM!...it looks like the bar might close early on them. The Cards have won nine out of the last ten meetings and have faced UC 62 times in the history of this series.

Hope springs eternal amongst Cardinal fans with the stellar performances of late from Jude, the Mo and Sho show is still getting rave reviews and Nita continues to be, perhaps, the Cards most steady and dependable performer. I can't see UC stealing one tonight on the road...but this one could be closer than most expect. Louisville needs to extend a full effort for 40 minutes in this one...a sluggish start or finish could be costly.

We'll hope that Bria's new-found infatuation with the mid-range jumper continues successfully and that The Hammer can produce some quality paint minutes. It would be good to see Vails wreak a little havoc in the post as well. We don't ask for much, do we?

Keeping rebounder Turner away from grabs (she had 11 last year against UofL) will be a priority. Janeish Randolph is back for UC but even Zach and Boots Randolph probably couldn't help the Bearcats win tonight. For what it's worth, UC hasn't scored more than 68 points in a game this season.

That ain't changin'. Look for Louisville to win by less than 20...but I'll wager both teams combined barely top 100 points total. If you're a fan of defensive tussles, this one ought to be right up your alley tonight.

USF's 33-point shellacking of the Bearcats Tuesday night in Tampa a bit surprising...if the Bearcats have tossed in the towel for the season (which I don't think they have) we could see the "S" troops ( Shoni, Smith, Sara and Slaughter) getting some bench rest tonight and big smiles from Jenny and Renee over behind the Cardinal bench. 

CARDINAL COUPLE will have the post-game wrap up for you, with full descriptions of the action, commentary and post-game remarks from Coach Walz. It's either that or heading over to the Troll Pub and making up a bunch of stuff.  
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UC looking for repeat

FRIDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

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-Cincinnati visits the YUM Saturday.

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-High school hoops showdown this weekend.

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One couldn't blame UC head women's basketball coach Jamelle Elliott if she breaks into a smile when the UC bus rolls off I-71 as it reaches the Louisville city limits. After all, it was right here in Derby City last year when a UC team mired in the cellar of the BIG EAST pulled the shocker in Freedom Hall and defeated Louisville 74-68 in overtime. It didn't magically turn the Bearcats season around...they never climbed out of the cellar...but it did keep Louisville falling thru a 5 game losing streak that seemed to take a lot of of the fight out of the few Louisville Cardinals dressed and able to perform.

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Low numbers? Tell Elliott about it. She has played the season with 8-9 players and is currently riding a three game losing streak with her Bearcats. They did manage an eyebrow raising win against South Florida in conference play...but WVU, Rutgers and St. John's have been far from kind to the outnumbered Ohioans. They also began BIG EAST play at home with a solid thumping from the Cards. They are 8-9 on the season and 1-4 in the BIG EAST. One step out of the basement but a long way from the penthouse view. Given that UC begins an absolutely murderous stretch with this game Saturday...the synopsis here is that the Cards are going to get a initial ferocious fight from the Bearcats...but it will most likely implode on UC like it did in Cincy earlier this season.

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So...no different year, different venue, same results like last year?

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Not very likely. The Cardinals are smarting from a two game road trip that wasn't a bunch of chuckles and grins. Both Notre Dame and UConn posted 20+ points wins over Louisville...these may be the best two teams in the BIG EAST...but you figure that Jeff Walz probably would have been happier with a closer performance against the elite. Louisville limps home looking to play back yard bully against UC. They're mindful that they are already spotting a two game lead in the loss column to the front runners of the BIG EAST. No time to let the lead dogs increase the margin.

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The recent road trip served to prove that Louisville remains in that second flight of BIG EAST schools. Put them in business class with Marquette, Syracuse, Rutgers and Georgetown...not ready for the first class with perks status of a DePaul, Notre Dame or UConn just yet...but not back in coach with the Seton Hall, Villanova, Providence and Cincinnati travellers. The Cardinals are looking to get a 'feel good' win over the Bearcats before tangling with their next three BIG EAST opponents...Marquette, Rutgers and Georgetown. All three are winnable...all three are capable of handing UofL losses as well. It's the BIG EAST...there are very few cupcakes in this pantry; a lot of 'tough as rubber' steaks to cut through.

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If UC is to pull the David vs. Goliath act for the second year in a row...they'll need Shareese Ulis to perform a repeat of last February. She lit the Cards up for 23 in Freedom Hall as UC jumped out to an early lead, staggered to regulation tied with the Cards but found a second wind and took the contest in overtime. Ulis played well in the earlier 78-40 baptism this season in Cincinnati's Fifth-Third arena with 14 poins. She'll need to double that output if UC hopes to win this road contest. Ulis leads the Bearcats with 16+ points per game and the senior has been Elliott's major offensive threat this season. She'll need to be LeBron James, Kobe and Chris Paul Saturday for the Bearcats if they stand a chance of winning.

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We see Louisville winning for fun Saturday in front of the home cooking and Walz getting a chance to go deep into the bench. We also predicted the same thing last year. Maybe we should just hush up...

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Game time is 2 p.m. Sports Information Director Kim Pemberton reports to us that all 11,000 tickets available for the game are sold. (Open the 300 level, maybe?) Jim Kelch and (choose one...Paul Sanderford, A.J., Liz Sherwood, Terry Meiners, Tony Vanetti) will do the play by play and commentary on CARDS RADIO WKRD 790 AM / 101.7 FM. Wazoo Sports will also televise the contest...we're guessing Deener and Valvano in front of the cameras.

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Shelby Harper probably remembers the second game against UC last year. She was starting point guard for Louisville back then and logged 38 of the 45 minutes in the loss. She also drained five 3-pointers in the game...Louisville going 10-22 beyond the arc in the loss. Harper played only six minutes with no points in the first matchup last year. Harper hasn't seen much playing time this season but still plays with the same intensity and emotion when she does get on the floor with the other Lady Cards. It would be a great thing to see her catch a little extended playing time Saturday and knock down a couple of long range bombs. Those launches haven't been too kind to her lately...she's 1-16 on the season...her only three against UC. We also hope to see some additional minutes for Rachel Story, Polly Harrington and Antonita Slaughter against the Bearcats. Not sure of LaToya Johnson's status for the game...but if she can go...turn her loose. Let's hope the Cards can build up an significant enough lead where Walz can turn the bench loose.

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Here's your chance to see a lot of good girls' high school basketball this weekend...all in one place...as Mercy Academy hosts the Raatz Fence Classic. Seven of the top twenty teams in Kentucky...plus Cincinnati powerhouse Mount Notre Dame make up the 12 teams scheduled to do battle on Friday and Saturday night at the school off of Fegenbush Lane in southeast Jefferson County.

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The games begin Friday night with #2 Mercy facing #12 Perry County Central at 7:30 p.m. Saturday is a fiesta of hoops...Ballard begins the action against Lexington Bryan Station at 11 a.m. Bullitt East goes against #20 Lexington Catholic at 12:45 p.m. Perry County Central returns to the floor against #10 Sacred Heart at 2:30 p.m. #9 Butler plays Mount Notre Dame at 4:15 p.m. Owensboro Catholic tips off against Mercy at 6 p.m. and #1 Manual batlles #8 Marion County in the nightcap at 7:45 p.m.

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Some of the players to watch...Marion County's Makayla Epps, Kyvin Goodin-Rogers and Bre Elder. Manual's April Wilson and Kaya Styles will try to take them down. Owensboro Catholic's Rebecca Greenwell tests her skills against Mercy's Juliann Miller and Lauren Faris. Kendall Noble is having a great season for Perry County Central and Mount Notre Dame...who won four straight Ohio Championships from 2006-09...features Iowa signee Kathryn Reynolds.

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It wouldn't surprise us at all if both Jeff Walz and Jamielle Elliott make the drive over from the YUM to catch this action after their game Saturday...along with representatives from a lot of other Division I programs. Speaking of Walz...rumor has it he caught the red eye recently to watch a certain guard play in Portland, Oregon. We're guessing it WASN'T Portland Trail Blazer and Marquette sharpshooter Wes Matthews....

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Admission for the Raatz Fence Classic is $5 Friday night and $6 Saturday. (Shame they couldn't get Rockcastle County and Sara Hammond up here for this one.) Let's hope the recent winter storm doesn't prevent the out-of-city schools from getting here and that they do arrive safely...

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