WNBA Draft...Observations and commentary...C-J Squad -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

PLUM #1 OVERALL PICK

The 2017 WNBA Draft has been completed. Three rounds, 36 players and 12 teams. Kelsey Plum, Ms. Everything for Washington, was the first pick and goes to San Antonio...who will definitely appreciate her shooting and leadership skills. Even though San Antonio wasn't in dire need of a point-guard, her addition will give new head coach Vickie Johnson some viable options. The Stars also added forwards Nia Coffey (Northwestern) and Schaquiila Nunn (Tennessee) in the draft. Already possessing a pretty strong front line, it'll be interesting to see how these two fit into the schematics. 

Surprising to me was the overall third pick Evelyn Akhator (Kentucky)...who will go to the Dallas Wings. Sure, she was essential for Matthew Mitchell's squad her senior season...but Courtney Paris and Aerial Powers weren't that bad for the Wings. Dallas also got two South Carolina standouts in guards Allisha Gray and Kaela Davis in the first round. With Skylar Diggins already on the roster, that could be one tough-to-beat back court. 

UK's Makayla Epps wasn't called until the third round, which was a bit surprising as well. She was the Cats "to-go" the last three seasons. The word is she was considered by some to be a disciplinary risk by some.  Headed to Chicago, she'll play for Pokey Chapman and will be one of seven guards on a roster that has Courtney Vandersloot and Cappie Pondexter. 

No Louisville WBB players were selected in the draft. It's possible Briahanna Jackson and Taylor Johnson could still receive invites to camps as free agent, walk-ons...time will tell. Cortnee Walton has no WNBA aspirations...but she could be covering the season one day as a sports reporter. 


Asia Taylor is listed on the Washington Mystics roster and we'd love to see A-Tayy get a chance to play in the WNBA again. We'd love to see her play with Elena Della Donne. Shoni Schimmel is on the New York Liberty roster. Angel McCoughtry is listed on Atlanta's roster (along with 20 other players!). Angel announced in early January that she was going to take some time off and rest this season. That narrows it down for Michael Cooper when it comes to choosing a roster, right? 

The ACC had seven players selected in the three rounds. Brittany Sykes and Alexis Peterson (Syracuse), Kai James and Leticia Romero (FSU), Lindsay Allen (Notre Dame), Adrienne Motley (Miami) and Oderah Chidom (Duke). 

Not an overly impressive class, honestly...after you get past Plum and the South Carolina trio. I do like Brittany Sykes' potential (gee, do you wonder why?) and will be watching to see if Alexis Peterson can light it up in the big league like she did for "Q".  

We'll follow the Louisville gals throughout the year and hope that B.J. and T.J. get a camp invite and do well. If not, there is money to be made in Europe and Australia...just ask Jazz Covington or A Tayy...  

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COURIER-JOURNAL GIRLS ALL-STATE TEAMS

FIRST TEAM

Jaelynn Penn, Sr. Butler
Seygan Robins. Jr. Mercer County
Lindsey Duvall, Sr. Bullitt East
Princess Stewart, Sr., Franklin County
Macey Turley, Jr., Murray
Jordan Brock, Sr. Harlan
Ally Niece, Jr. Simon Kenton
Blair Green, Jr. Harlan County
Grace Berger, Jr., Sacred Heart
MacKenzie Coleman, Sr., Metcalfe County

Coach of the Year -- Chris Souder  Mercer County

Two future Cards...not bad. 


paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball defeats Kentucky 69-67 in overtime -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

MYSHIA HINES-ALLEN WITH 26 IN CARDS WIN

This one was a nail-biter, thriller, one to make you mutter and one where you threw your hands up high in the air in joyous celebration at the end (if you are a Cardinal fan) Sunday afternoon at the KFC YUM! Center. Or wiped your brow and said a small prayer. The Battle of the Bluegrass was, indeed a battle. A battle that Louisville walked away from a winner

Louisville came back from a four-point deficit with 3:56 left in regulation to force over-time and never trailed in the extra session to get the win over the Cats 69-67. 

Not that the overtime didn't have its moments of doubt and uncertainty. Up by four with nine seconds left after Jazmine Jones went 1 for 2 from the foul line...the Cats raced down court and Maci Morris drained a three to make it 68-67 with five seconds left. UK fouled Briahanna Jackson on the following inbounds play...she missed the first but made the second and UK was unable to score...giving Louisville the final margin of victory. 

If you are a college basketball fan, this one was a great one to watch. The Cards got an early boosts from Myisha Hines-Allen to start the contest. In fact, it was Myisha 6 - UK 0 with 7:44 left in the first period. The Cards kept the margin and a Kylie Shook three...followed by a Jackson steal and layup gave the Cards a 18-9 edge with 1:47 left in the opening quarter. UK's Taylor Murray...who finished with 21 points sank a jumper to set the score at 18-11 after the first ten minutes. 

Louisville began the second frame with a Jazmine Jones jumper but fell prey to a Cats 13-4 run over a five-minute stretch that tied the game at 24-24 after a Makayla Epps layup.  Asia Durr would push the Cards back to a 29-24 edge with her first three of the half at the 2:27 mark and the Cards would take a 30-26 lead into the halftime locker room. 

Hines-Allen led Louisville in scoring with eight, despite sitting 12 of the 20 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. Jazmine Jones sparked the Cards off the bench with six points. Louisville was shooting 41.9% from the floor...but a less-than-admirable 3-12 from three-point land (25%). 

The second half started out in favor of Big Blue...an Epps three and Murray layup on a fast break gave them a 31-30 lead just 150 seconds into action. Louisville responded well, though...an 8-2 run keyed by three Hines-Allen baskets inside put UofL back ahead 38-33 with a little over three minutes left in the third. Kentucky kept gnawing away at the margin the remainder of the period and a Murray free throw set the end of period score at 44-43 Louisville. 

The Cards were able to keep a slim advantage until an Epps three-point play the old way with 4:17 left gave the visitors a 54-50 edge. Tied at 54 with 51 seconds left in regulation, two Morris free throws gave the Cats the lead. Hines-Allen tied it on a layup 18 seconds later and a quarter that had four ties and two lead changes ended with the prospect of five minutes of bonus ball ahead. 56-56 and the almost 13,000 fans in the seats...both red and blue...were whipped into a cheering frenzy. 

The overtime began quite well for the Cards. A Durr three, Hines-Allen jumper Durr free throw and another Hines-Allen bucket comprised a 8-3 Louisville run over the first three minutes. UK battled back but could never regain the advantage....the Cards getting their first win over the Wildcats since December 5th, 2010. 

Any landing you walk away from is a good one. It's a "W" in the win column against a very talented Kentucky squad that is doing amazing things with a depleted roster (the Cats played four players over 42 minutes) and a zone defense scheme that Matthew Mitchell probably wouldn't prefer to play but was very effective at times. 

Besides Hines-Allen's 26, only Asia Durr got to double figures with 15. Mariya Moore knotted eight, Jazmine Jones seven, Briahanna Jackson five and Kylee Shook and Cortnee Walton four each. The Johnson's (Taylor and Ciera) played but did not score. Jessica Laemmle, Brianna Jones, Bionca Dunham and Sydney Zambrotta dressed but did not see action and Sam Fuehring was absent (coaches decision). 


HOW DID FRED DO? 

Pop and country star from the 1970's Freddy Fender

Free Throws -- Louisville went 9 for 20 from the charity stripe. 45%. The "one for twos" at the end of the game were stressful but Coach Walz did point out to me (and the radio audience) that 1 + 1 = 2. Despite this revolutionary new Walzian theorem...we cannot award a letter here. 

Rebounding -- The Cards came away with a 49-40 edge on the boards. Walton and (what?) Briahanna with 10 each. Positioning and hustle are everything. We gladly offer up the capitol "R" in this category.  

Effort/Execution --  A much better effort for the Cards tonight, especially to end the game. There exists a heart in this squad and it beat strongly Sunday afternoon. Eighteen points off 19 turnovers and Hines-Allen coming out like the ACC player of the year. Briahanna Jackson making death-defying and clutch plays, dives and five steals. Jazmine Jones and Kylie Shook providing excellent minutes off the bench. We'll put a capital "E" in the books for this category.

Defense -- Stopping Epps is no easy thing to do. Murray and Morris are bona fide DI stars. The Cards made the stops when they needed to, though and created 19 turnovers and held UK under seventy. A small case "d" seems only fair here.

Final Fred total:  -_R-E-d


WHAT WE LIKED: 

-- Beating the Rival. Always good to knock off a top 20 team. Even better when it's UK. The fans have been clamoring for it, the players wanted it and it happened. After the two-game loss streak, this win was desperately needed and earned. 

-- Myisha Hines-ALL OVER!. The talented junior stood up when she was most needed and delivered the goods. 18 points in the final 25 minutes and showed grit, determination and the refuse-to-lose mentality. No one was more happier about this win than her. When I asked her post-game how it felt to beat UK, she responded with "Oh, Buddy ! That's all I got to say...Oh, Buddy!"

-- Non-collapsible. The Cards did not fold or collapse in crunch time. UK did everything they could to win this contest and held what looked to be a tough lead to overcome late. Louisville did. 

-- Walz. He could have shied away from the constant comments about his post-game remarks after Maryland. He did not. He met them straight forward, reinforced his beliefs in them again and expounded upon them. That's a sign of character...and he backed it up with a win and acknowledgement that he was proud of his players' effort. 


THINGS TO WORK ON

-- Free Throws -- We hate to harp on it...but 45% from the foul line isn't going to get you to a National championship. Mariya Moore was the best at 5-8...but that isn't even 70%. Gotta hit the ones you aren't guarded on. 

-- Inside excellence -- Way too many shots in the paint missed. Layups, putbacks. There is a box behind the basket and if a player uses it, good things usually follow. Yes, UK was ferocious on interior defense...but wide open layups have to go in. 


SO...

This contest was like a prize fight between two top flight light-heavyweight contenders. Each participant slugging in out. No one getting knocked out but each on the ropes several times. Each team with brilliant moments and each with a few that were...well, awful. 

In the end, the Cards get the decision. An earned decision. Earned by the 'refuse to lose' mind-set of Hines-Allen, B.J., Cortnee and their teammates. It was just a "W" in the books...but it may have been an opening bell for the Cards that showed them they can beat the best and take the blows. 

From the swagger and strut of Epps to the floor slides and dives of Jackson...this one had a Final Four atmosphere and feel. Louisville was the last one standing and just enough better to matter on Sunday.  

POST-GAME

Myisha Hines-Allen and Briahanna Jackson took to the podium first. Here's the link: MYISHA HINES-ALLEN and BRIAHANNA JACKSON post UK

Jeff Walz ascended to the platform next and was entertained by a duck and taught Paulie a new theorem. Link: JEFF WALZ POST-GAME KENTUCKY

Matthew Mitchell, Makaya Epps and Taylor Murray following to discuss the game 
LINK: MATTHEW MITCHELL discusses loss to Louisville


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GOING BOWLING!!!

Congrats to Louisville Football...selected for the Citrus Bowl. The Cards will play LSU at 11 a.m. on Dec. 31st in Orlando at Camping World Stadium. We're glad the Cards are headed to warm weather for this one.

We'll have more on this as the event draws near. 



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BROHM TO PURDUE

One of the best quarterbacks to take snaps at UofL and NFL star Jeff Brohm has left WKU for Purdue. A six million deal, from what we're hearing. A nice upgrade.

Brohm will face a task in getting Purdue back to football relevance. Brohm will face it head on and bring an exciting style of quarterback featured attack offense to the Boilermakers. 

You'll also be getting a Brohm family, West Lafayetters...that prides itself in community and campus involvement. Don't be surprised if you see the Brohm's at women's basketball, community service projects...or dining at the restaurant you like. 

Purdue just may have done something right for the first time in a long time when it comes to pigskin play.  To paraphrase the old UofL chant....


GO!  BROHM! LEAD! PURDUE!  


paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Women's Basketball...No answer for Epps in Cards 18 point loss to UK -- Friday Cardinal Couple

CARDS CRUMBLE AGAINST CATS 72-54

It was a game Louisville never had a chance in Thursday night in Rupp Arena in front of an announced crowd of 14425. 

Led by Makayla Epps 24 points on 10-11 shooting, the Wildcats jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and never trailed in their fifth consecutive win over Louisville WBB. 

Every time the Cards would show signs of making it a close contest, Epps and the Cats would slam the door shut. After the dismal start, Louisville crawled back to within four at 14-10 after an Asia Durr jumper with 2:15 left in the first period. After a missed UofL layup, UK countered with a Janee Thompson three to take a 17-11 lead after 10 minutes. 

Louisville started the second period slowly and fell behind 27-18 at the 6:05 mark after a three from UK reserve Taylor Murray. It was part of a half-closing 15-4 UK run that saw the Cards commit five turnovers and hit only two baskets...both from Briahanna Jackson...to trail 39-22 at the half. The Cats outscored the Cards 12-4 in the paint in the 10 minutes and at the half Jackson was both the leading scorer (9 points) and rebounder (4 grabs) for a Louisville team that shot a woeful 7-25 (28%) in twenty minutes of play.

UofL would fight back to close the gap to 10 after a Myisha Hines-Allen jumper made it 47-37 with 3:19 left in the third but the Cats finished the period on a 7-4 run...Epps providing all seven points for UK. It was 54-41 after 30 minutes and looking bleak for Louisville. 

Louisville never got closer than 11 in the fourth period. A Hines-Allen jumper made it 56-45 with 7:03 to play but UK went on a 8-0 run over the next two minutes to go up 64-45 with five minutes left. 

The party was over. 

Not much more to say about this one. No real positives to look at...the Cards were out-rebounded 36-27, gave up 30 paint points to UK while managing only 18 and shot a pitiful 36.4% from the floor (and 2-11 from three-point land) while allowing the Cats to go 29-56 (51.8%) from the floor and 6-14 from beyond the arc (42%). They managed a mere 5 second-chance points....

Defensive effort and overall intensity took a punch in the gut last night against a UK squad who seemed to want it more and put four players in double-figures.

At 5'6" Jackson led the Cards in points (18) and rebounds (8). That's a great effort from the UCF transfer...but just outright embarrassing in terms of effort for the other seven players who wear the red and the black and saw action. Erin DeGrate, Brianna Jones, Dakota Weatherford and Syd Brackemyer never reported to the scorers table. Could they have helped? We'll never know...

The next two days of practice for the Cards should be interesting. Walz needs to find someone to step up besides Jackson and Hines-Allen and he needs to find it soon. Puzzling is Moore's dismal outing (seven points in 37 minutes) and Walton's rebounding effort ( two in 32 minutes). Will Durr be able and available to handle the grind of the upcoming Thursday-Sunday rigors ahead? Will Moore get it straightened out and will this squad become a passable defensive unit? 

There comes a time where you have to draw a line in the sand and either fight or take flight. That time is now for this here-to-for under-achieving Cardinal squad and especially for the highly lauded 2015 freshman class that contributed just a total of seven total points from only one player (Durr) and two rebounds in 51 minutes of play. 

It begins with IUPUI Sunday...who is in and who gets off the train? Louisville (3-5) has five non-conference games left...against less than powerhouse opponents (IUPUI, Dartmouth, Tenn.Tech, Charleston and UT-Martin) to develop a sense of urgency, commitment and unity before a very demanding ACC schedule. Will they climb aboard the train and establish an positive identity and consistent work ethic? Can a dedication to defense develop? 

We'll know in the next three weeks...  



(Sonja got pretty close in her prediction of a 77-62 UK win. I was, as usual, way off. She fell asleep during the second half while watching at home on TV...probably the best choice CARDINAL COUPLE made all night.) 

Most of the media nearly fell asleep during the lengthy delay between the post-game words from the UK players and Jeff Walz. It's understandable. Coaches coach and he was using the post-game to drive a few points home...from what we understand. 

Our mission statement here at Cardinal Couple is to report on the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. Sadly, there wasn't much of that around Thursday night...



paulie
xxxxx

Know the foe....Kentucky has lost players, but remains undefeated -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

7-0 KENTUCKY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TO HOST LOUISVILLE THURSDAY NIGHT

The old joke goes:

"Will the last player left on the roster please turn out the lights to the gym?"

Ivana stares in disbelief at Matty's latest hand jive.

It isn't quite that bad in Lexington for Matthew Mitchell's #8 Kentucky Wildcats 2015-16 squad but four roster departures and an injury have left the Cats with eight players available for action when the 3-4 Louisville Cardinals come to visit Thursday night. 

The saga began when incoming freshman Morgan Rich left the squad before even participating in WBB Media Day. According to a University spokesman, she 'had not met certain program standards to practice'. Transfer Chrishae Rowe, a transfer from Oregon, was dismissed for 'failure to uphold standards of the program'. Junior Linnae Harper left the squad next for an unspecified reason. We're not sure if standards were involved here or not...

This is not the UK 2015-16 team photo

Junior Kyvin Goodin-Rogers became the fourth departure of the young season after the win over Jackson State. Add in an foot injury to sophomore Alyssa Rice that will have her out for several games and the UK squad resembles the Von Trapp family in the movie The Sound of Music..disappearing from the stage one-by-one during their final performance.

Mitchell retains a 'glass-half-full' attitude about the squad:

"The sky's definitely not falling. In fact the sun's coming up. There are going to be some storms here and there but I'm not concerned." 

A statement that resembles the famous Bill Murray quote in the movie Caddyshack:

"I don't think the heavy stuff is gonna come down for quite awhile." 

Despite the changes in the UK roster, the Cats are 7-0 and ranked #8 in the nation. They haven't beat up on a very challenging slate of opponents...#24 Arizona State took them to overtime in Tempe in their second game of the season. If you look at the combined win/loss record of the teams UK has played this season, it is an unimpressive 26-25. It's been a schedule that has also featured five home games and a brief jaunt to Highland Heights, KY to play NKU. 

Louisville's next? I'm all-in !!

Two players return that have a penchant for being "Card Killers". Senior Janee Thompson sank Louisville in the KFC YUM! Center with her performance her freshman year. She had 19 against the Cards last year in a 77-68 win at the KFC YUM! Center. She's never lost to Louisville, nor has junior Makayla Epps...who leads UK in scoring and was considered to be in the Louisville camp along with Goodin-Rogers back in high school at Marion County until a late reversal of thinking landed them in Lexington.

Beside the two, only Alexis Jennings has played in the rivalry for UK. Newcomers Evelyn Akhator (Chipola C.C.), Ivana Jakubcova (Murray State College, OK) and freshmen Batouly Camara, Taylor Murray and Bell County product Maci Morris round out a UK squad that averages 86 p.p.g. and has had five different leading scorers in their seven contests this year.

Matthew always seems to be doing something with his hands...

Wins over winless Rice, E. Michigan, Jackson State, Morehead State and NKU aren't exactly RPI builders. A home win over rebuilding Colorado and the Arizona State game lead us to believe that the Cats haven't been tested as strongly as the Louisville squad this season. It's been a UK schedule that Jeff Walz and the Cards probably would have prospered with. 

So, how does Louisville break the UK win streak over them? We'll go into more detail on that in Thursday's column...but stopping the impressive UK dribble-drive attack of Epps, Thompson and Morris has to be near the top of Jeff Walz's list. The Cards will need a strong rebounding effort from Cortnee Walton, Myisha Hines-Allen and Sam Fuehring and late-game lapses that have led to several losses this season can't poke their head into Rupp Arena.

Again...with the hands...

Yes. Rupp Arena. The game will take place there because of NCAA Regional Volleyball action in Memorial Coliseum. Regional volleyball action that the UK Volleyball team expected to be a part of until they were shockingly upended by American University.

The last time the two squads faced there was Jeff Walz's inaugural 2007-08 season...when the Cards took a 80-65 win home. A game where Angel McCoughtry took a bump over the eye that required 17 stitches. She watched the game in the locker room while getting treatment, demanded to be taken back to the floor and returned to play...ending up with 23 points.

With less than 48 hours before the tip-off, we're fairly sure that there will be no additional changes in the UK roster. Thompson was reported to have the stomach flu in the Cats win over NKU, but is expected back for the UofL game. Our attempts to send Epps on an all-expenses paid cruise to Alaska this week didn't come to fruition. 


The Cards will go into Rupp with four players who have experienced the rivalry. They hope to bring thunder and lightning to the blue skies Matthew Mitchell is experiencing these days. If the Cards lose...it wouldn't shock anyone. If they win, though...the storms could get nasty in Lexington.

paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball hosts #13 Kentucky Sunday -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

CARDS LOOK TO SNAP THREE GAME LOSING STREAK VS CATS

The #7 ranked University of Louisville women's basketball squad will look to snap their 3 game losing streak against Kentucky Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the KFC YUM! Center. The game will be available on ESPN3 and looks to be the highlight game for both squads so far this season.

We'll have a full recap here later today on the action. 


Hard to believe, but Sara, Jude and Bria have never been part of a win over Matthew Mitchell's Cats. Shawnta' Dyer and Sherrone Vails were freshmen on the 2010-11 Louisville team that defeated UK 78-52.

The Cards have won six of the last seven home contests against Big Blue...Sunday's game will be the 50th. meeting between the two schools since women's college basketball became an intercollegiate sport in 1975. Kentucky leads the series 32-17. 

Both teams have shown the propensity for putting points on the board. Kentucky averages 81.6 PPG, ranking 23rd. in the nation. The Cards are averaging 86.6 PPG...ninth-best in the nation... and allowing just 55.2 a game. 

The keys to a Cardinal victory will be a continuation of their strong inside game against a UK team that is strong on the boards, especially in offensive rebounds...where their 18 per game ranks 21st. in the nation. Also, Louisville will need to find answers for shutting down scorers Jennifer O'Neill (15.4 PPG), off-the-bench Makayla Epps (15.1 PPG) and Kyvin Goodin-Rogers..who had 19 points last time out against NKU. Linnae Harper is also a dangerous scoring threat for the Cats and Azia Bishop is a strong front-court
presence for the 7-1 Cats.  


How will the freshmen duo of Myisha Hines-Allen and Mariya Moore fare against the pressing, trapping and full court defense that Kentucky brings? 

Louisville has gotten strong interior play off the bench from Shawnta' Dyer and Emmonnie Henderson this season. The effectiveness of those two will play a key role in Sunday's match-up.  

UK returns two starters from a team that erased a Louisville double-digit lead in Memorial Coliseum last year to defeat the Cards 69-64. 

38 of the Cards 64 points are gone from that game last year with the graduation of Shoni, Tia, Nita and Asia. The Cats lose 24 of last year's 69 when Stallworth, Walker and Pinkett exhausted their eligibility. 

Jeff Walz is full aware of the importance of Sunday's game and sees it as a chance to find out how his talented freshmen will do against a veteran top 10 team.

"They're ranked 13th...but they're a top ten team from every thing I've seen. They beat Duke. We've got to go out and take care of business." 

Matthew Mitchell realizes that it is a marquee game also:

"It's a big game for us on Sunday. I am very impressed with UofL's team. It's a very, very strong basketball team with some great players that...as usual...are very well coached. 
Their performance against Iowa was extremely impressive. It will be a tall order for the Wildcats on Sunday, but we'll try and get ready here and see what we can go over and do." 


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Next Up...UK -- Saturday Cardinal Couple

7-1 Cats still looking for some answers

It's hard to imagine that a team that is #13 in the nation would still be searching for an identity a quarter of the way through the season, but the University of Kentucky women's basketball team feels it has unanswered questions and things to resolve before facing in-state rival #7 Louisville on Sunday in the KFC YUM! Center. 

A less than impressive 82-64 win over Northern Kentucky Wednesday night comes after UK went 2-1 in Virgin Islands...losing to Illinois 77-71 and struggling in wins with South Florida 61-57 and Oklahoma 92-88 in the Paradise Island Jam. 

It's a Kentucky team that owned Baylor late in a 74-64 win but struggled with Central Michigan 71-68.

One thing UK hasn't been shy about is giving up points. Their 70 points a game allowed is last in the SEC.  Their 40.9 % opponent's shooting stats are last in the SEC as well.

Although the Cats schedule has been hectic...they'll have a three-day practice stretch before facing Louisville. 

Makayla Epps welcomes the gym time:

" This practice time is going to be essential. We took a loss

early which lets us know where we are as a team and what we have to improve on....it'll make us better in the long run." 

You really should consider attending this one. If cash flow is a little low....you can get tickets for $2 at Kroger just by showing your Kroger Card. 



CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR TODAY

We'll have more on the Sunday matchup tomorrow and it'll be a topic of discussion on today's CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR on WCHQ 100.9 FM at 11 a.m.

Today's show will be hoops, hoops and more hoops...as we catch up on the five WBB's win since we were on the air last. 

It's always jolly, good fun when Worldwide Jeff and Paulie hit the airwaves to talk about the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. And, these are exciting times! 

YOU CAN SHOW YOU CARE

Lauren Hill, a 19-year-old Mount St. Joseph's women's basketball inspiration and a rising star in the fight against cancer, continues to connect with tens of thousands of fans via her Lauren's Fight for the Cure Facebook page. Frequent updates give fans a window into her activities. A recent post asked those interested in mailing Hill to do so at this address:

The Cure Starts Now
Attn: Lauren Hill
10280 Chester Road,
Cincinnati, OH 45215

Monday Cardinal Couple -- Marion County pair headed to WKU?

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- WKU a new player in the hunt for Epps, Goodin-Rogers? 

We don't normally engage in a lot of speculation and rumor-mongering here at CARDINAL COUPLE. This one may have some teeth to it, though.

Zach Greenwell, a sports reporter for the Bowling Green Daily News, is reporting that Kyvin Goodin-Rogers has talked with WKU head women's basketball coach Michelle Clark-Heard. 

According to Trent Milby, head coach of the Marion Country girls' basketball team..where Epps and Goodin-Rogers will play their senior season...Epps has not had contact with Clark-Heard, but the two have re-confirmed their interest to play basketball together in college. 

They've also had contact with Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Indiana and Ohio State University, according to Milby. 

The puzzling world of recruiting...

Nothing wrong with the five schools mentioned above. UK has become a force in the SEC and Matthew Mitchell has opened another spot on the roster with the dismissal of seldom-used guard Bre-shay Ali. MTSU recently got a verbal from China Dow from Christian Academy in Louisville.

They love their women's basketball in Murfreesboro. They have success, too.

 Indiana is looking to rebuild with new head coach Curt Miller after a rough 6-24 season last year. Ohio State went 24-7 last season before bowing out to Florida in the first round of the NCAA. 

Big Ten women's hoops isn't quite at the level of the SEC or BIG EAST, but not a bad place to spend four years.

The WKU angle is intriguing. Michelle Clark-Heard was heavily involved in the recruiting of Epps and Goodin-Rogers while an assistant at Louisville. WKU hoops is looking for a re-birth of sorts after a 9-21 campaign in 2011-12. Chances are the playing time would come early and frequently for both. You can't blame Clark-Heard for trying to get the best talent available for her squad. She's added one of our favorite assistant coaches in Greg Collins. WKU was a women's basketball power back back in the seventies.

Paul Sanderford led them to the Final Four in the nineties. NCAA runner-up to Stanford in 1992. The Hilltoppers beat Louisville ten straight times from 1984-2002. 

It's 2012. Can Clark-Heard, a WKU grad and player who made four straight NCAA appearances, right the ship on "the Hill"? And, would Epps and Goodin-Rogers give credibility to a program struggling to get back on it's feet? 

Epps and Goodin-Rogers have been highly publicized as the one-two punch that has led Marion County to several Sweet Sixteen appearances in Ky Girls High School Basketball but no state titles. Sold on the Louisville program following the Cards march through the NCAA Tournament in 2009, the duo verballed at the end of their sophomore year.

What a difference a year makes. 

WKU participates in the Sun Belt Conference, a far cry from the elite BIG EAST, SEC or BIG TEN conferences as far as fan base and NCAA successes go. Do Epps and Goodin-Rogers really want to take their talents to a school that plays Troy, Louisiana-Monroe, North Texas and South Alabama each year? Or is it a case of seeing who was at Louisville, who might be coming and figuring out that playing time may be hard to come by. 

Maybe I'm dense here...but if you've got a spot waiting on a team that plays in front of the second-largest crowds in NCAA women's basketball, a program basking in the sunlight of an alumni who's the leading scorer in the WNBA and tearing up the Olympics and a squad who has perhaps the brightest young coach in NCAA women's basketball...why do you suddenly decide you want to set that aside and check out schools that are an after-thought on their campuses and in their cities?  

Gotta a feeling that this is just the first "epps" isode in the tale of the two who passed on the "Ville" to see if the grass is greener on the other side of the hill...

Let's hope they don't end up like Jack and Jill...

Hmmm...playing in front of a packed house in South Bend on Sunday afternoon against the Irish or a Tuesday night road trip to Lafayette, LA to hook up against the Ragin' Cajuns? Tough call.

Link to Greenwell's article below:

Goodin-Rogers, Epps

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Tough weekend for Hansen and Shackleford in stakes races this weekend. What did we learn? Hansen needs to stay at a mile and one-sixteenth or shorter races and Shackleford doesn't like the mud. 

The blue tail on Hansen...ok, it's cute. Dye that tail Cardinal Red and he wins for fun. In wild and wonderful West Virginia, he ran fourth in the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Race Track and Casino. Maybe he stopped to play roulette? Maybe the last two furlongs he was running through West Virginia football fans...  

Sometimes dumb luck is better than no luck at all. A last minute decision to wager a 1 thru 5 $1 exacta box and 1 thru 5 .50 cent trifecta box at Saratoga turned $50 into $569.35. You just never know on a muddy track and Shackleford was 0 for 3 in previous attempts on a "off" track. Still figured he might "hit the board" but the payout increased dramatically when he finished dead last. Especially with a 36-1 shot winning. 

Not bad work for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Basketball and Volleyball are on the agenda today

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Jenny looks at recruiting and volleyball


-USA OLYMPIC Womens' Basketball update


(Columnist Jenny O'Bryan gets us caught up on the recruiting trial and previews volleyball today.)

Cam Newbauer

Women’s basketball coaches have spent the month of July travelling from city to city, coast to coast, searching, looking and watching for the next best fit for their programs. 

During a NCAA Certified Viewing period, college programs cannot have more than 3 coaches on the road at the same time.  They rotate time on the road, spanning out to tournaments all over the country.  In the course of the last month Coach Walz and his assistants have been in DC, Maryland, NC, Georgia, Oregon, Nevada, Tennessee, Chicago and Texas...just to name a few areas they've visited.  

Rest assured that one or all of the coaches have been on the trail to see the talents of Mercedes Russell, Makayla Epps, Becca Greenwell (before Louisville was cut from her list), Emmonnie Henderson and Saniya Chong to name just a few.  Showing up at tournaments of recruits who have offers, or who are considering the program, is an active way of showing continued support of a recruit at a time in the recruiting calendar when no contact is allowed between coaches and recruits.  

Samantha Williams

Additionally, while on the trail, coaches are looking for future talent for upcoming recruiting classes.    Therefore, don’t be surprised if you start to hear names of kids in the classes of 2014, 2015 and even further out who have caught the eye of Louisville Women’s Basketball Coaches. 

Welcome home Coaches!   After close to a month away from home, in gyms throughout the country some with, some without air conditioning, I am sure the comfort of your own homes and the basketball offices are a welcome sight.  


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Lola leads an experienced
bunch of volleyball returnees

In other news with Louisville Women’s Athletics, Louisville Volleyball is just 17 days away from the Alumnae match on August 18 at Cardinal Arena and just 23 days away from the season opener against WKU at KFC YUM Center on August 24 at 7:30 p.m.  The 24^th and 25^th of August is the Active Ankle Challenge and in addition to WKU, the Cards will be playing Morehead St. and Penn State.   It should be a great weekend of volleyball. 

This season the VolleyCards (as I like to refer to the team) will play 15 home games at The YUM! Center, up from 6 games last season.    A family package of 4 tickets for the season can be purchased for  $210.  This is a great deal and will give the ticket holder post season ticket sale priority should the YUM!
Center be chosen to host the 1^st or 2^nd rounds of the NCAA tournament. 

For the past few seasons my family has had the opportunity to attend 4-5 games per season.  With a daughter who is also a volleyball player there tends to be a lot of scheduling conflicts that prohibit us from attending more often. 

The Louisville Volleyball program ranked 23^rd in the country in home game attendance during the 2011 season.  The hope is to break in to the top 10 in attendance this season.  

A healthy Gwen Rucker
will make Louisville tough
to beat. 

So Cardinal faithful get your season tickets now!  If you cannot commit to the season, like my household because of our own volleyball player, mark your calendar and plan to attend a few matches this season.  If you have not seen a volleyball game lately, like say when we were kids upwards 30-40 years ago, I guarantee you will be impressed with the talent on the court.   The game has grown and changed a lot over the course of the last few decades.  Make plans now to get out there and check our VolleyCards out.  


( Louisville looks to be loaded again in Volleyball with Lola Arsenbeckova, Gwen Rucker, Emily Juhl, Kaitlynn James, Caitlin Welch and a very impressive freshman class attacking the wide net. Under Anne Kordes' direction, the BIG EAST championship and a deep NCAA run looks like it's "in the CARDS".


Great job today by Jenny! Get out & support your VolleyCards.) 


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USA OLYMPIC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM UPDATE


USA women's Olympic Basketball team faces Turkey today in pool play. The Turks are 2-0 in pool play, like the USA. Angel probably had a good scouting report on them, since she's played Euroball in Turkey and several of the Turkish players are from club team Fenerbache, a team Angel knows quite well. 

Will it increase her playing time? Knowing Geno, probably not. With the UConn twins at guard (Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi), Candace Parker, Tina Charles and Tamika Catchings getting starting assignments, Geno is comfortable with three UConn players out there and two of the best front-line players in the history of women's basketball. 


They need someone to step up from the three-point line. Candace needs to cure her start-of-the-game "drop-sy". They may win by only 20 today. Look for Angel to provide a spark off the bench and Geno to prowl the sidelines looking like a man who can't catch a cab going into the city. 


-"Big Syl" (Sylvia Fowles) sat out the Angola game because of a sore foot. 


- Brit Griner turned down her reserved spot on the team because of an ailing mom and the need to take summer classes at Baylor. 


- Who would you pick for a 2016 WBB Olympic team? 

I go with Muffet McGraw as head coach and I put Candace Parker, Angel McCoughtry, Brit Griner, Skylar Diggins and Shoni Schimmel out there as my starters. I'll select Maya Moore and the Ogwumike sisters coming off the bench and the final four spots can go to Mercedes Russell and three more UConn players. Can't break tradition, right? Someone remember this bold lineup and throw it right back in my face four years from now. 


- Game time 5:15 pm on the NBC Sports Network...way up there on the digital numbers. Louisvillian Clark Burckle swims today, too. 


L1C4, baby.   


-Paul 

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