ASIA DURR NAMED TO AP FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN -- SOFTBALL TODAY -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR FOR 'NITE-NITE' ON AP SQUAD


She's the first player in the Cards program history to get the back-to-n=back accolades.

Asia Durr returns to the Associated Press All-American first team...joining some talent seniors and a junior on the squad. Out of the 28 "voters", Durr received first team votes from 25 of them. Her season ended with her averaging 21.2 ppg, which was the fourth highest scoring average in program history. Only she and Angel McCoughtry have received this esteemed honor among UofL WBB players.


  The other First Team selections: 

-- Napheesa Collier (UConn) 6'1 senior . 27/28 first team votes, 138 points. --

-- Megan Gustafson (Iowa)  6'3" senior.  26/28 first team votes, 136 points. -- 

-- Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon)  5'11" junior  26/28 first team votes,  136 points -- 

-- Teaira McCowan, (Mississippi St.)  6'7" senior  20/28 first team votes, 124 points --


The sportswriters who get these votes (and I ain't one of them, sadly) name second and third teams, as well, and an honorable mention list.

One has to wonder why Sam Fuehring didn't make any of these teams or even the honorable mention list. One has to wonder who (if anyone) from our fair city gets the ballot(s) and if they know much about WBB?  You can't convince me that Sam Fuehring is not one of the best 33 players in DI WBB this year. Three Mississippi State players were selected in the top 33. How's your season going, Vic Schaefer?

Give me a break. 

The other two teams are: 

2nd team: Ogunbowale (ND), Brown (Baylor), Anigwe (Cal), Smith (Stanford), Carleton (Iowa State). 

3rd team: Samuelson (UConn), Shepard (ND), Cox (Baylor), Cunningham (Missouri), Young (Notre Dame).

In case you stopped following the NCAA WBB tournament after the Cards got knocked out...the Final Four consists of Baylor vs. Oregon and Notre Dame vs. UConn. The semifinals are Friday night with the Championship game on Sunday, April 7th. 

I have all four finalists in my bracket challenge picks, how about you? The Cardinal Couple Bracket Challenge tournament Director Jared "I'll get around to those totals, I promise" Anderson says he'll have updated standings in tomorrow's article. I think I'm 46-14 going into the Final Four.  Sonya at 43-16, but, after a while looking at circled correct picks and scratched out wrong picks, I get dizzy.

Miami was my worst selection, along with NC State. Sonya had the Cards facing Mississippi State in the final game. 

(I've already had an individual e-mail me their starting lineup for the Cards in the 2019-2020 season. No, it wasn't Coach Walz. I think this person must be related to Nostradamus or Charlie Creme). 


SOFTBALL FACES LIPSCOMB TODAY

Louisville Softball (22-12) is having a pretty good season and you get the chance to see the "Funky" Cards in action today if you head down to Ulmer Stadium for the 5 p.m. first pitch against Lipscomb.

The Lady Bisons are 23-12-1 on the season and participate in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They took two out of three over the weekend against visiting North Florida. At the plate, Cardinal pitchers will need to be wary of Jordan Fortel, who is batting .411 and has five fence-clearers and Hannah Devault, who has sent six softballs out of the ballpark. 

Terrific Taylor

The Cards are led by red-shirt freshman Taylor Roby at the plate, she's batting .351. Celene Funke has nine triples on the season, tied for first in DI softball. Sidney Melton has pilfered 18 bases this year for the Cards and Megan Hensley is the ace of the Cardinal pitching staff so far with a 9-2 record. 

Surprisingly, Lipscomb leads the overall series with the Cards 3-1 and downed Louisville 3-1 last year at Draper Diamond in Nashville.

I was having a bit of fun formulating my "all-Taylor" team for UofL women's athletics last night. My top five are: 

 Taylor Bucklin (soccer), Taylor Stone (Field Hockey), Taylor Johnson (WBB), Missy Taylor (WBB) and Taylor Roby. 

Got one or two to challenge these? Add 'em in the comments section.  


TARHEEL TROUBLE? 

Interesting news out of Chapel Hill, NC yesterday. 

It seems the entire coaching staff of the University of North Carolina women's basketball program, including Hall-of-Fame head coach Sylvia Hatchell, have been placed on paid administrative leave by the University while a review of the program's culture takes place. 

Unspecified issues (for now) from student-athletes and others are the reason for the review. The law firm of Dewey, Cheatum and Howe...oops! Parker, Poe, Adams & Bernstein out of Charlotte, NC will conduct and assess the program. No time frame for this has been provided, but the review will be "thorough and prompt", according to UNC officials. 

Surprise and shock seem to be the most common reaction to this self-mandated review. Several players currently on the squad say they have no idea why this is being done and who is prompting it. 

Yeah, sure, we all know Janelle Bailey -- UNC freshman forward -- is a temperamental sort and her suspension for going after Duke forward Jade Williams during the last game this season between the two rivals was a situation that was pretty messy and uncalled for. Fortunately, cooler heads stepped in before it got too-out-of-control.

But, this is not about Janelle directly. It is about the coaches of the program. This could turn out to be pretty interesting, we'll keep an eye on it and report further on it as it progresses. As for culture? That's a slippery slope to ever try and define and assess. This might take awhile. Things always seem to, when it comes to UNC athletics.

UNC has had their share of controversies in women's basketball over the years. The highly recruited 2013 UNC class, led by Diamond DeShields and featuring Stephanie Mavunga, Allisha Gray and Jessica Washington was gone by 2015. DeShields ended up at Rocky Top, with Mercedes Russell...another one that was highly linked with that class but waved off the invite to join them. 

So....what say you, Sylvia?

“I’ve had the privilege of coaching more than 200 young women during my 44 years in basketball,” her statement read. “My goal has always been to help them become the very best people they can be, on the basketball court and in life.

“I love each and every one of the players I’ve coached and would do anything to encourage and support them. They are like family to me. I love them all.

“Of course, I will cooperate fully in this review. I look forward to a prompt conclusion of this matter and the continuation of our very successful women’s basketball program.”

Whoever prepared the statement for her (and she has lawyered up) is/are the master(s) of non-sequiturs. Remember the Sylvia comment from back in 2015?

“There has been a lot of speculation surrounding our program in recent weeks and that’s all that it is – speculation,” coach Sylvia Hatchell said in a statement. “Our players are working every day to get better and I appreciate their efforts. A number of former players have reached out to me with their support. We have a strong and loyal Tar Heel family.”



Have a tremendous Tuesday!

paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Women's Basketball visits reeling UNC tonight -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS PUT 14 GAME WIN STREAK ON LINE AGAINST UNC

You could look at tonight's Louisville Women's Basketball game against UNC as a tale of two directions. Consider the Cardinals...9-0 in ACC play, #13 in the nation and holders of a 14 game win streak. Turn to the TarHeels, losers of their last six...most recently pounded by NC State at the delightful Holiday Gym in Broughton High School 78-49. I wonder if the big guy in the corner was there...yelling non-stop at the refs and opposing coach like he did when Louisville visited. I'm sure the "Where's Waldo?" pep band did their usual fine job.

Risk analysts would advise the Cards would be the safest investment for success in this match-up. I'd really hate for risk analysts to take over women's college basketball, though. Pie charts and bar graphs just don't match up to transition fast-breaks and deep threes for excitement...

UNC has suffered double-digit losses in their last four...three of those on the road...against ACC foes. With a 2-6 ACC record (12-11 overall) Sylvia Hatchell's squad has been one of the biggest under-performers in the conference this season. The ACC Preseason poll saw UNC as seventh best...they currently sit with four other teams at the bottom of the conference...just two games from being last. 

In addition to the defeats, Hatchell was issued a one-game suspension for bumping an official after a loss to Duke. She'll serve that after the TarHeels play Louisville. She also drew a one-game suspension for a Level III violation of rules pertaining to activities that simulate game day activities during a recruiting visit....which was enforced during the loss to NC State. This wasn't the road Hatchell envisioned after her stellar 2013 recruiting class of Stephanie Mavunga, Diamond DeShields, Allisha Gray and Jessica Washington...who would all be juniors this year at Chapel Hill but have all departed the team. 

For Louisville to have success in the Carmichael Arena, they'll need to keep an eye on Jamie Cherry (14.5 ppg) and Stephanie Watts...two-time ACC Rookie of the Week awardee and second leading rebounder in the conference. Destinee Walker had 12 points against NC State and Hilary Summers grabs 7.4 boards a game...seventh best in the conference. 

Louisville will look for another balanced effort that led them to the 24-point win over Wake Forest Sunday. Myisha Hines-Allen and Mariya Moore are in the top ten in the ACC in scoring and Asia Durr comes off a 18-point performance against Wake.

Risky business for the Cards tonight? Not really, unless you consider the "Tar-Wars" promotion UNC is having tonight. 

- Half price concessions items featuring $3 souvenir Tar Wars cups
- Star Wars characters photo booth
- 400 ’Tar Wars’ shirts for students
- 100 ‘Tar Wars’ shirts for Faculty/Staff
- Tar Wars package shirt & drink voucher pickup
- ‘Tar Wars’ shirts ($14) for sale at merchandise tables

Let's hope Darth Vader stays home and the Cards have the force with them in this one. 

We'll be back after the action for the recap. You can catch the game on ESPN 3...as well as on Cards Radio 790 or the Tune-In app. Tip off is 7 p.m.

paulie 
xxxxx

The Fallout continues in Chapel Hill -- Monday Cardinal Couple

MAVUNGA LATEST TO SEEK AND RECEIVE RELEASE FROM UNC

The latest joke going around about the UNC women's basketball program is an oldie but goodie. 

Will the last transfer from the program please turn out the lights in Carmichael Arena? 

Sylvia Hatchell...how life has changed in your locker room since 2013. It began with Diamond DeShields deciding to defect to Volunteerland last year. In May of 2015, Jessica Washington asked for her tab. A few days ago, Allishia Gray informed the desk clerk not to hold her room. Now it's Stephanie Mavunga's turn to apply for an address change. 

The heralded UNC Class of 2013? Vanished like Tommy Tutone after their 1981 pop/rock classic "Jenny, Jenny".

Mavunga is an interesting development in the continued fallout over UNC questionable academics. The returning starting center and first team All-ACC selection. 14.4 ppg and 9.8 grabs. 

The wording is interesting:

"It's with a heavy heart that I have asked for and been granted permission to talk to other teams and explore transfer opportunities...I have decided to look at transfer opportunities for personal reasons. As we all know, once a Tar Heel, always a Tar Heel."

She's got a future in politics with concession statements like that. 

The question arises if Louisville will be in the mad-scramble melee to have the Brownsburg, IN. native tour the campus?

After all, she was on Walz's list in the recruiting wars of 2012. 

She's played in and seemed to be impressed with the KFC YUM! Center. It's less than a 90 minute drive from her hometown. She would still be in the ACC and -- after sitting a year -- would have two years of playing time at a school that could be looking for a strong paint player to compliment the wealth of guards, wings and forwards that Jeff Walz is adding to his arsenal. 

The Louisville roster currently stands at 11 if you add in the five freshmen. 

After hearing Stephanie speak to the media after a tough UNC loss to Louisville in the KFC YUM! Center last season, I was impressed with her dedication towards the game, her intelligent, matter-of-fact straight forward approach in answering questions and how happy she was to have "around 40 or so" friends and family getting a chance to see her play in Louisville.

Hey, Steph...how about 35-40 more chances for them to do that beginning in 2016? 

Sure...it's speculation. We went down that road a few fortnights back when Cardinal killer Lexie Brown left the Turtles and checked out the Belknap Campus. We know of no plans or nothing concerning any possible Mavunga motives to matriculate with Mariya or Myisha.

Just wondering aloud here on the potential and possibilities. 

We'll keep an eye open and ear to the keyhole. Personally, we think she'd look great in Cardinal Red and Black. 

And, in Chapel Hill, Sylvia Hatchell...who overcame a awe-inspiring battle against leukemia a couple of years ago now faces a new challenge. 

Filling three jerseys and 37 points from the #9 team in the nation last year. 

The life of a college basketball coach. Easiest job on the planet, right? 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Our weekly radio show was not on WCHQ 100.9 FM Saturday because the station had been knocked off the air due to the recent storms in the area. It was broadcast on the Internet, though, at CrescentHillRadio.com and is available for listening on the SoundCloud. 

Worldwide Jeff and Sam the Dry Weather Intern joined me in the studio to discuss women's sports and the boys fared well on the weekly quiz. Can you beat them? 

LINK BELOW:

WOMEN'S SPORTS ON THE AIR!  


paulie
xxxxx

Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Volleyball, Hoops and Hatchell

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

*** Volleyball News and Honors

*** Basketball Media Day ***

*** Best Wishes to Sylvia Hatchell ***

 

Maya gets another

Volleyball Freshman Maya McClendon may have lost a last name, but she's gained another nod for American Conference Freshman of the Week honors.  Maya scored double-doubles in both matches this week against USF and UCF.This is the third time she has picked up the honor in the inaugural season of the conference.  

Randi Ewing earned a spot on the honor roll for her efforts on the weekend.

Conspicuously absent from the conference honors list are any Defensive Specialists or Liberos.  Which leads us to...

Caitlin Welch sets UofL Dig Record

We've been keeping an eye on Caitlin Welch's dig numbers with anticipation of her breaking the 2,000 mark.  As was mentioned last week, she had 1,604 at the end of the 2012 campaign and is on a
solid pace to surpass the 2,000 number by the end of this regular season.

With her current pace of just over 17 digs per match, she will break the 2,000 mark early in the match against Houston on November 8th.  The simplistic statistical analysis that I'm doing leaves a lot to be desired, though.  For example, it doesn't take into account outliers, which might include the UCF match from Sunday.

Welch tallied 40 digs in the match against UCF, which puts her one up on the current Director of Volleyball Operations, Sarah Petkovic (formerly Drury).  I'll also point out that Sarah set the previous record in a 5 set match during the 30-point scoring era of Volleyball, while the UCF match only went 4 sets with 25-points being the winning score.

Basketball Media Day

The American Conference held its Women's Basketball Media Day at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut yesterday.  The conference tweeted a picture of all ten coaches at midcourt in the arena and amusingly, of the male coaches (4 of the 10), Jeff Walz was the only one that wasn't wearing a suit and tie, opting instead for one of his now-nearly-trademarked red and white checkerboard-striped shirt.

In addition to Coach Walz, the Cardinals were represented at the Media Day festivities by Shoni Schimmel, Sara Hammond and Bria Smith.

The American Pre-Season All-Conference Team was announced during the festivities and UofL had three selections on the list.  Shoni Schimmel was selected as a unanimous selection, and she was joined by Nita Slaughter and Sara Hammond.

Louisville was picked to finish second in the league in the preseason Coaches' poll behind...you know
who...the Huskies of UConn. Could this finally be the year the Cards top the Dogs? UofL gets two shots at them this season...Sunday, Feb. 9th. in Connecticut and Tuesday, March 3rd. at the YUM!

It is interesting to note that four of the five former members of the BIG EAST are atop the preseason poll. As for Cincinnati, probably a welcome relief for them not to be listed as 9th. or 10th in the poll.

We also have to wonder just how the BIG EAST Preseason WBB poll looks....now that Louisville, Connecticut, USF, Rutgers, Norte Dame, Syracuse and Pitt are gone. Could Doug Bruno and his DePaul Blue Demons actually contend for a BIG EAST WBB title this year? And does Seton Hall finally climb up from the basement?

Does anyone really care?  

Best Wishes for Sylvia Hatchell

The head coach of The University of North Carolina Women's Basketball Team, Sylvia Hatchell has
announced that she is temporarily stepping back from on-court coaching duties in response to a recent Leukemia diagnosis.  Hatchell will continue to serve as head coach and will still be involved in day-to-day operations of the program while undergoing treatment.  She was recently inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame alongside UofL Men's Basketball coach Rick Pitino.

The Cardinal Couple media empire sends our best wishes to Sylvia Hatchell and looks forward to seeing her on the sidelines in Chapel Hill and at the KFC Yum! Center as conference foes starting next year.

-Jeff McAdams

...

At 95...Ruby still represents

Learning the internet at 91? It sounded like a good idea to Ruby. A fiercely loyal fan of the UNC women's basketball program, she waited anxiously for her grand-daughters visits...armed with her laptop, she would fill Ruby in on the latest developments of the Lady Tar Heels and show her clips from away games. Then, she got the news that her grand-daughter and her husband were being relocated out of state for his job. She knew what she had to do.

"I had her order me a lap top. I spent hours on it each day...learning how to work it. I went to the community college and took a beginner's course on it. I was the oldest person in there by 30 years. I upgraded my home service to broadband. I am truly amazed at the things I find on-line."

For Ruby, it is just another chapter in a life that has been one adventure after another. Born in 1915, the second of six children of a hard-working farmer and farmer's wife in rural North Carolina...Ruby recalls she walked 3 miles a day round trip to attend a one room school. She used a horse some days...by the time she entered high school...she made the 9 mile trip with her siblings in a Model T Ford.

"I fell in love with basketball in the 7th grade. We had a team, and our coach made me a guard. We had a jump ball after every basket and there was one particular spot on the court that I shot from very successfully. I scored 7 goals in a game...that was unheard of back then and they sent out a reporter from the local paper to do a piece about me. I was so embarrassed and nervous about it that I swallowed my gum and nearly choked during the interview."

The Depression hit Ruby's family hard and any plans of going to college disappeared when she graduated from high school in 1934. A friend got her a job as a waitress in a Charlotte, NC restaurant...and an apartment upstairs that they shared with "a woman of the streets. She made three times the money we did..but we wouldn't let her 'entertain her clients' in our place...so she had a deal worked out at one of the hotels. We worked the morning shift and lunch...I bet I've served a million cups of coffee in my life..."

"That's when I met Charlie. He would stop in and drink coffee. He was so handsome, a broad, bushy mustache and tall and strong. All of us girls, we were crazy over him. I almost fainted when he asked me to the movies."

"Well, the movies turned into a 59 year marriage...producing 4 children, 13 grand children and 'I have no idea' how many great grandkids...I can't even remember their names." she laughs. "He moved us to Raleigh to take a job as a hosiery salesman. I found a job as a waitress. I had our first son...Gerald...exactly nine months after we got married."

After Charlie passed away in 1995, the kids wanted Ruby to move in with one of them. She had no such intentions.

"This is my home. I will stay here until I go to meet Charlie in the heavens above. They finally gave up on trying to get me to move and they're good about stopping in all the time to clean, cook and they take me to Cracker Barrel for breakfast sometimes."

I asked her to share a favorite memory with me and she responded with:

"Charlie and I took an airplane trip to Calfornia years ago. We drove to Atlanta and flew out of there. He had us first class seats and we were sitting next to this short, kind of ugly man but...honey, he was funny! He had us in stitches...everyone in first class..the entire flight. His name was Rodney Dangerfield. He was going to Hollywood to play a role in a movie called "Caddyshack". I still have an autographed picture of him."

Ruby attends almost all of the Lady Tar Heel home games each year. Her youngest son Robert takes her and she likes to sit across from the opposing team's bench.

"I've been watching Sylvia Hatchell on the sidelines for it seems like 30 years..I like to see what some of the other coaches are up to when they come in to play Carolina Blue."

She has her rituals. Robert takes her for a post game drink...win or lose...at a restaurant in Chapel Hill. She'll have (1) Winston cigarette on the ride home...her final smoke of the day... she'll have three smokes each day.

"The doctor he told me years ago to give up the cigarettes. I attended his funeral, too." she laughs. "And, I like a shot of Makers' Mark...water back...now and then. That's was Charlie's drink. He'd drive to Louisville sometimes on business and bring back a case of it. We couldn't get it down here in the ABC stores for a long time. Charlie was a hustler..a great salesman. He paid practically nothing for that Makers...always working an angle..making a deal."

She takes her Carolina Blue towel to home games and will fluff it in disgust if a call goes against UNC. She'll tell you that she likes "that pretty girl coach out in Oklahoma" and "that handsome guy at UConn."....but "I wouldn't walk across the street to shake hands with prissy Pat Summitt or that "phony Joanie" coaching Duke. I really liked Kay Yow...even though she was at State. I cried when she passed away. You have a good young coach up there in Louisville with that Jeff Walz and I fell in love with the way Miss Angel played. I follow her Atlanta team on line."

She'll cue up this blog sometime later today and probably shoot me a e-mail fussing about all the attention. She'll browse the internet and look for Lady Tar Heel articles. She's told me to tell coach Walz that he's getting a steal with Cierra Warren's transfer from UNC to Louisville. Eventually sometime today, she'll go outside..assisted by one of the kids or grandkids and check on her tomatoes and marigolds. Then, she'll spend her evening crusing the 'net...and I'll probably get another e-mail if she finds an article on something UofL related.

I look forward to it.